Among other things, videos and commercials are downloaded to a mobile device for storage on the mobile device and later playout on the mobile device. The downloading includes downloading of metadata associated with the commercials and based on which the mobile device can select commercials for insertion into videos being played back to the user of the mobile device. The commercials to be downloaded are selected based on one or a combination of any two or more of the location of the user, the type of mobile device, and personally-identifiable information about a user of the mobile device.

A system and method for identifying, managing, and synchronizing delivery and storage of promotional material to computing devices associated with a user. The system and method are configured to receive a request from one or more of the user's computing devices to synchronize the delivery of the promotional material to at least a portion of the user's device portfolio. Advantageously, the action triggering the sending of the synchronization request may include an interaction with the promotional material or an interaction with a web service application.

An online system receives a discount offer from a merchant and displays the offers to users. Some of the discount offers provide for a discount that becomes valid when the discount offer is displayed to the user and remains valid for an offer duration. To implement these discount offers, a timestamp representing the time at which the discount offer is displayed is recorded and encoded. The encoded timestamp is provided to the merchant system when the user makes a purchase. The merchant extracts the recorded timestamp from the encoded timestamp and compares the recorded timestamp to the time of the purchase. If the time elapsed between the timestamp and the purchase is less than the offer duration, then the merchant system applies the discount to the purchase.

An online system receives a discount offer from a merchant and displays the offer to a user before the offer's start time. The online system also defines one or more triggering conditions and sends a notification to remind the user about the discount offer when a triggering condition is satisfied. One of the triggering conditions can be based on whether the user has accessed a web page provided by the merchant. The merchant system provides a web page that sends an indication to the online system when the user accesses the web page. After receiving the indication, the online system sends a notification about the discount offer to the user. Sending the notification in this manner has the effect of reminding the user of the discount offer after the user has already expressed an interest in the merchant and its products by viewing the merchant web page.

An advertising system configured to enable advertisements to be configured by a user via the internet, and then scheduled for display as desired on the back of a bus or other remote fixed or mobile advertising site. The system includes a website configured to enable an ad buyer to log onto the website; upload and approve advertising graphics, and select variables for display of the advertising graphics; and a remote advertising display linked to the website via the internet. The advertisement is displayed on the remote advertising display based on the variables selected by the ad buyer.

A podcast system and method are provided to select and deliver media ads over a network to a user device and to insert the media ads in media content subscribed to and delivered over the network to the user device

Messaging services for providing updates for multimedia content delivered over the Internet for a live event. In one embodiment, a messaging server provides real-time updates for multimedia content of a live event delivered over the Internet to multiple media players that request the multimedia content over the Internet. In one embodiment, the real-time updates indicate when the multimedia content is available for delivery over the Internet. In another embodiment, the real-time updates can be used to dynamically insert advertisement markers for advertisement breaks in the multimedia content.

Systems and methods for selecting content based on an event associated with a device identifier are provided. One or more processors can receive a request to serve content. The processors can identify a device identifier associated with the request. The processors can determine, from the device identifier, an event for which to serve content. The processors can determine, from the request, a length of time between a time the request to serve content is received and a time at which the event is scheduled to occur. The processors can select, based on the determined length of time and event parameters associated with the event, content for display and provide the selected content for display at a computing device associated with the device identifier.

Techniques described herein provide for a live advertising processing engine service to act as an intermediary between client applications and advertising networks. The live advertising processing engine service can provide an interface with which the client can interact, via an application programming interface (API) or directly through the use of a standardized language, thereby allowing client applications to receive advertisement data without the need to be customized to communicate with specific advertising networks. The live advertising processing engine service can further track where, in playback the live content, a client currently is, to indicate to the clientor other applicationwhen advertisement breaks are and/or provide supplemental advertisement information to enable the client to provide a rich user experience.

Method for celebrity-based advertising includes storing, in a server, a likeness of subject and a corresponding booking that includes parameters outlining availability of the subject for digital advertising. The method further includes receiving or creating, by the server, a pitch that falls within the parameters of the booking, the pitch corresponding to the subject. The method further includes receiving, by the server and from a first user device, a first image of the likeness of the subject or another likeness of the subject. The method further includes determining, by the server, that the image matches the likeness of the subject. The method further includes transmitting, by the server, the pitch to the first user device to be output by the first user device.