System and method for associating search queries with remote content display

A system for audience measurement, comprising:

• a broadcast receiver;
• and
• an audience measurement server configured to:
• determine that a first search query having a query volume above a baseline query volume during a first period of time;
• retrieve an identification of a first item of content broadcast during the first period of time corresponding to the first search query;
• retrieve an identification of a second item of content broadcast during a second period of time prior to the first period of time;
• generate a confidence score that a device that transmitted the first search query received the second item of content based at least on a time difference between the second period of time and first period of time;
• and
• associate, by the audience measurement server, an identifier of a device that transmitted the first search query with the second item of content based at least on the confidence score being above a predetermined threshold.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

• receiving, by an audience measurement server from a broadcast monitoring system, a plurality of identifications of broadcast items of content broadcast during a first period of time, and corresponding broadcast times of each item of content;
• determining, by the audience measurement server, a first search query having a query volume above a baseline query volume during the first period of time;
• retrieving, by the audience measurement server from a plurality of identifications of broadcast items of content, an identification of a first item of content broadcast during the first period of time corresponding to the first search query in a log of search queries;
• retrieving, by the audience measurement server, an identification of a second item of content broadcast during a second period of time prior to the first period of time;
• generating, by the audience measurement server, a confidence score that a device that transmitted the first search query received the second item of content based at least on a time difference between the second period of time and first period of time;
• and
• associating, by the audience measurement server, an identifier of a device that transmitted the first search query with the second item of content based at least on the confidence score being above a predetermined threshold.