Methods and apparatus for monitoring locally inserted media are disclosed. A disclosed apparatus includes instructions to detect, at a media device at an end user location, a frequency of a watermark that was spliced into a primary media stream received at the media device after the primary media stream was received at the end user location, associate identifying tags with segments of the primary media stream that were spliced, in response to the detection of the watermark, determine an advertisement associated with the segments of the primary media based on the identifying tags, present the primary media at a first time and the advertisement at second times, record a log including first identifying information including an identity of the content of the primary media and second identifying information including a change in the frequency of the watermark corresponding to the advertisement; and transmit the log to a data collection facility.

The present invention relates to a system installed in the digital TV receiver that provides the broadcaster with a secure method for ingesting alternative video and/or audio media, in place of passages of main video and/or audio, with a view to customizing the experience of the consumer identified during the digital video and/or audio consumer experience. The system is intended to provide the consumer with the best possible experience without any interruptions, loss of fluidity or loss of consistency in the playback of the alternative video and/or audio. The system provides a method for continuously verifying suitable conditions for playing back alternative video and audio.

Disclosed herein is a music service that enables consumers listen to a broadcast radio station without commercials. The service operates by shifting the source channel of a radio from the broadcast radio to a streaming audio service for the duration of the commercial. In some embodiments, the service utilizes any of: a radio including native firmware/software, a mobile device such as a smart phone executing an application, cooperative integration of a radio and a mobile device, or master/slave relationship between a mobile device and a radio. The mobile device listens to the radio broadcast and determines when to shift between the radio broadcast and the streaming audio via any of audio fingerprint analysis, radio station behavioral analysis, radio station metadata, and/or radio station voice recognition analysis.

In one aspect, a method includes (i) accessing broadcast-schedule data associated with a channel; (ii) using the accessed broadcast-schedule data to identify an upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel; (iii) responsive to identifying the upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a content-presentation device tuned to the channel; and (iv) causing supplemental content to be transmitted to the identified content-presentation device, to facilitate the identified content-presentation device performing a content-modification operation related to the identified upcoming content-modification opportunity on the channel.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for providing alternate content in place of other content based on an issue associated with receiving the other content. The alternate content may be an advertisement associated with the other content. Output of the other content may resume once the issue is resolved and/or after output of the alternate content has concluded.

A method of processing media output events, each having a corresponding duration, from a plurality of media content receivers within a media distribution system, comprises: a. dividing the output events into a plurality of segments, such that output events having similar properties are placed into the same one of said segments; b. within each said segment, identifying a long duration threshold based on the distribution of the durations of the output events within that segment; c. and applying the long duration thresholds of each said segment for control and/or analysis of the media distribution system.

The invention relates to a method for modifying a stream of digital content received via a first data connection at a reproducing device, the stream of digital content being related to at least one time code. The method comprises the following steps when reproducing the stream of digital content: (a) receiving at least one cue point by the reproducing device via a second data connection; and (b) modifying the stream of digital content by the reproducing device when the at least one time code related to the stream of digital content matches the at least one cue point.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for providing alternate content in place of other content based on an issue associated with receiving the other content. The alternate content may be an advertisement associated with the other content. Output of the other content may resume once the issue is resolved and/or after output of the alternate content has concluded.

Methods and systems are described herein for masking a network disruption. In an aspect, a plurality of advertisements can be stored locally to a user device. In an aspect, the user device can receive content from a network. In an aspect, the network can experience a disruption, wherein the disruption prevents the user device from receiving the content. In an aspect, the user device can select one of the plurality of advertisements. The selected advertisement can be presented.

Disclosed herein is a reception apparatus including: a reception block configured to receive broadcast content broadcast via a broadcasting network; an acquisition block configured to acquire inserted content that is inserted in the broadcast content during the reception thereof; an output block configured to output at least one of the broadcast content and the inserted content; a switch block configured to switch between the broadcast content and the inserted content outputted from the output block; and a buffer configured to sequentially store data of the received broadcast content when the broadcast content is switched to the inserted content; wherein, if the inserted content is switched to the broadcast content, the output block outputs the broadcast content from the buffer while the inserted content is outputted.