A streaming broadcast sponsorship system using an Internet of Things device, capable of inducing a viewer’s sponsorship by enabling control of a broadcaster-owned Internet of Things device when the viewer’s sponsorship is available is provided, the streaming broadcast sponsorship system includes a broadcaster terminal configured to generate a content and perform a streaming broadcast, a viewer terminal configured to be capable of viewing the broadcast, a server configured to receive the content from the broadcaster terminal, and transmit the received content to the viewer terminal, and IoT devices configured to be capable of communicating with the server and operated by the server, in which the viewer terminal generates sponsorship information for the broadcaster and transmit the sponsorship information to the server, and the server transmits a control signal corresponding to the sponsorship information to the IoT devices, and the IoT devices are operated by the control signal.

Example methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to deduplicate common devices across multiple data sources are disclosed. An example apparatus includes instructions to identify a first device in a first data source and a second device in a second data source as a possible common device, calculate at least one of a station duration metric, a time match metric or a station path metric, the station duration metric, the time match metric based times of day that the first device tuned to a second set of stations and times of day that the second device tuned to the second set of stations, determine a score based on the at least one of the station duration metric, the time match metric, or the station path metric, and determine when the first device and the second device are a common device based on the score.

A method for providing a personalized media stream includes receiving a signal from a user to launch a personalized media stream, determining a current time, identifying a first time slot of a schedule into which the current time falls, identifying a first channel that is associated with the first time slot, wherein viewing history for the user indicates that the user has viewed the first channel during the first time slot in the past, automatically tuning the display device to the first channel in response to the signal, receiving, subsequent to the automatically tuning, a command from the user to pause a program playing on the first channel, identifying a second channel associated with a second time slot, wherein the second time slot occurs later in time that the first time slot, and buffering a portion of a program being shown on the second channel during the second time slot.

Provided is a video distribution system with which it is possible to improve the motivation of participants with respect to an event that is distributed as a recorded video. A video distribution system is connected via a network to user terminal devices, and distributes a recorded video obtained by recording status of a game event in which a plurality of participants participating therein, to the user terminal devices. And the video distribution system increases the prize money amount set for the game event according to selection of an amount increase option executed by each user via the user terminal device so as to be associated with the recorded video, and decides the individual prize money amount to be awarded to a target participant P based on the prize money amount at the end of a predetermined period.

A method implemented by one or more computing systems includes accessing content viewing data associated with a first user account, wherein the first user account is associated with one or more client devices. The content viewing data includes temporal-based content viewing data. The method further includes determining, using one or more sequence models, a set of content viewing features based on the temporal-based content viewing data, and concatenating the content viewing features into a single computational array. The method further includes providing, through one or more dense layers of a deep-learning model, the single computational array to an output layer of the deep-learning model, and calculating, based on the output layer, one or more probabilities for one or more labels for the first user account. Each label includes a predicted attribute for the first user account.

Methods and apparatus to model on/off states of media presentation devices based on return path data are disclosed. An apparatus includes a memory and processor circuitry to execute instructions stored in the memory to: generate a first probability distribution indicative of actual durations of panel tuning segments, the panel tuning segments corresponding to time periods during which panelists were exposed to first media; generate a second probability distribution indicative of modelled durations of modelled tuning segments, the modelled tuning segments corresponding to modified lengths of the panel tuning segments; and estimate a set-on time for a media set associated with an RPD device based on RPD tuning information and the first and second probability distributions, the RPD tuning information reported from the RPD device, the RPD tuning information indicative of a reported RPD tuning segment during which the RPD device was accessing second media.

An example apparatus to monitor media that is presented via a mobile device includes: an application monitor to determine when media presentation software is being executed by the mobile device; and a metering information collector to collect at least one of a signature or a code of the media presented by the media presentation software based on the media presentation software being executed by the mobile device.

Advertisements in broadcast television programming are digitally replaced with different ads prior to viewing. Replacement can occur in time and/or place shifted content, and can be used to promote a particular advertisement that the viewer has not yet seen, thereby improving the reach of the ad without oversaturation. Data reporting by the playback devices is collected in a database of viewed ads. The information in the database can be used to refresh previously-viewed ads, to increase saturation of particular ads, to replace previously-broadcast but no longer relevant ads, or for other purposes as desired.

Video playback quality detection methods, systems, and apparatuses are described. The method can include obtaining a first video data packet of a target video from a bearer network and obtaining a data byte quantity of first video data included in the first video data packet. The method may also include determining a buffer byte quantity stored in a video quality detection buffer. Furthermore, the method can include obtaining video frame data rate information corresponding to the target video and reducing the buffer byte quantity stored in the video quality detection buffer based on a video frame rate of the target video and the video frame data rate information of the target video. The method may further include determining a playback status of playing the target video on a video player, and determining video playback quality of the target video based on the playback status. According to the embodiments of the present invention, user experience and accuracy of the video playback quality detection method can be improved.

Systems and methods for providing services are disclosed. One aspect comprises authenticating a user associated with a first service, receiving a selection of a second service, generating an opaque identifier associated with the user and the first service, wherein the opaque identifier facilitates the anonymous collection of data relating to the second service. Another aspect can comprise transmitting the opaque identifier to the second service, and receiving data relating to the second service.