Techniques for regional viewership predictions of broadcast events such as live broadcast professional sporting events. The techniques can make the predictions without a direct response variable such as regional viewership data for training a prediction model. Instead, in one technique, demand information for a good or service is used. From the demand information, a derivative demand for the good or service relative to a normal demand is determined. A regression framework is used to learn relationships between the derivative demand for the good or service and features of past live broadcast sporting events. This results in a matrix of feature weights. A non-parametric mixture framework is then used to find a set of feature weights that can be applied to features of future broadcast events to generate regional viewership predictions for the events.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify candidates for media asset qualification. Example apparatus disclosed herein include a media creditor to determine whether to credit a first media asset to linear media or non-linear media, the non-linear media including subscription video on demand (SVOD). Disclosed example apparatus also include a media asset candidate controller to: classify the first media asset as a non-candidate for media asset qualification in response to the first media asset being credited to the linear media or the non-linear media. In some examples, the media asset candidate controller is to determine whether to classify the first media asset as a candidate for media asset qualification based on whether the first media asset remains uncredited by the media creditor and the first media asset overlaps a streaming period.

The disclosed technology is directed towards a rules engine that determines whether a content asset such as a movie is allowed to be downloaded to a device, such as for offline viewing. A rules engine receives information of a request to download a content asset to a device, in which the request is associated with a user identifier and a content asset identifier. The rules engine obtains a rule identifier via the asset identifier, which is used to obtain a ruleset. The rules engine obtains user download state information associated with the user identifier, and evaluates the ruleset and the download state information to determine whether to allow the download of the content asset. A ruleset can include entries such as total downloads allowed, total downloads allowed by a studio that owns the content asset, downloaded copies of the same asset allowed (e.g., to different user devices), and the like.

A video distribution system according to this disclosure is a video distribution system that distributes a video including an animation of a character object generated based on a movement of a distribution user and comprises one or a plurality of computer processors. The one or plurality of computer processors provide (i) a distribution portion, (ii) a display device, (iii) a determination portion. If the determination portion determines that a first object is being displayed within a predetermined distance from a second object, the object display device changes the first object and the second object to a third object and displays the third object.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for detecting malfunctions of computing devices causing outputs of video content. Partially or fully static content frames may be detected, and, indications may be generated based on the static content frames. The indications may be analyzed to identify computing devices with degraded performance. Diagnostic tests may be run by the identified computing devices and/or other actions performed based on a determination of static content frames.

A computer-implemented is disclosed. The method includes: receiving media data of a live media stream; detecting a trigger associated with the media data of the live media stream; in response to detecting the trigger, generating at least one of audio or video overlay content associated with the trigger; and transmitting, to viewer devices, the at least one of audio or video overlay content with the live media stream.

A system and method for remunerating a display of a cognate substitute image sequence is disclosed. Images sequences in received video content are examined for sequences that are cognate to known image sequences. When detected, such sequences are replaced with cognate substitute image sequences to create a modified video image stream that is displayed on a display screen. A reasonable remuneration for displaying the cognate substitute image is automatically calculated. This monetary charge reflects the nature of the image sequence, the time it was displayed for, the time at which was displayed and the number of electronic devices within viewing range of the display at the time of display. This remuneration is accumulated, and equivalent digital assets automatically transferred between client and provider accounts at an appropriate time.

A system is provided for publishing a plurality of disparate live media output stream manifests using live input streams and pre-encoded media assets. A first instruction, comprising input manifest locations, is allocated to a first worker based on an instruction type and a priority level. At least one of a first manifest data or a second manifest data is read by the first worker from a corresponding input manifest location. A second instruction is allocated to a second worker. A next manifest segment is inserted to a disparate live output stream manifest by the second worker based on reading an ingested manifest metadata. Accordingly, a plurality of disparate live media output stream manifests is generated for each of a plurality of channels based on the disparate live output stream manifest.

Systems and methods are provided herein for determining reduction of interest in a content series and to increasing the interest upon such determination. This may be accomplished by a device monitoring consumption of a content series to determine a pattern of consumption. The device may identify a change in the pattern of consumption indicative of a reduction of interest and determine a reason for the reduction in interest. Based on the reason for the reduction of interest, the device may provide an operation, such as a spoiler, to increase interest in the content series.

Methods and apparatus for selectively enforcing required insertion or viewing of secondary content, such as advertisements or promotions, in a content distribution network. In one embodiment, the network is a managed network (e.g., cable television, satellite, or the like), and the method includes identifying secondary content with a particular attribute or property (e.g., an advertisement that a user has watched before), and selectively enabling one or more “trick mode” functions relating to that secondary content. In one implementation, audio codes or watermarks are inserted into the secondary content and detected when the content is accessed or rendered; if the detected content matches a database or listing of previously played content for that user or premises, the trick mode functionality (e.g., FF or “skip”) is enabled, thereby allowing the user to bypass the content.