Method and system for measuring audience ratings
OwnerAnton Gunzingerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
For the determining of audience ratings of radio and TV programmes in real-time, at the media consumer stand means for acquiring the media behaviour (1,11, . . . 1n). These means transmit data to a data collection center (3) via a communication network (2). The data are acquired and transmitted in real-time and are automatically evaluated in the data collection center, wherein a conversion system (4) calculates the audience ratings. A distribution center (5) forwards raw data or evaluated data directly from the data collection center (3) via a communication system (6), e.g. the internet, to evaluation-PCs (7) . . . (7n) or display apparatus (8) . . . (8n).
Claims20
A method for determining the audience ratings of radio and TV programmes, wherein at the media consumer there is a means for acquiring the media behaviour (1,11, . . ., 1n ) from which data is transmitted via a communication network (2) to a data collection centre (3), characterised in that the acquisition and transmission of the data is effected in real-time and that in the data collection centre a condition of the whole listening/viewing audience is set up in a fully automatic manner and the audience ratings are computed by a conversion system (4).
A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the acquisition of the media behaviour is effected in that the media consumer transmits his or her preferences by way of a wireless remote control to the means (1, 11, . . . , 1n) and this transmits the corresponding command to an addressed apparatus, for example a radio or television receiver apparatus.
A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the media consumer may also give an assessment of the broadcast (grade), and that this assessment is evaluated parallel to the audience ratings.
A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that for an improved scalability and for error redundancy reasons one constructs several sub-systems and the results of these sub-systems (4, 41 . . . 4n) are supplied to a weighted average former (400).
A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the behaviour of the media consumer is effected by analysis of the selected programmes of a set-top box (702), wherein this obtains online programmes from an aerial/satellite connection (701) or selectively also stored programmes from a data memory (705), and transmits these to a display- and/or audio apparatus (703).
A method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that in real-time during a broadcast polls are carried out so that the results of these polls may be converted in real-time analogously to the audience ratings.
A system for determining the audience ratings of radio and TV programmes comprising several means for acquiring the media behaviour (1,11, . . . , 1n), said means (1,11, . . . , 1n) being envisaged to stand at the media consumer, a data collection centre (3) and a communication network (2) for transmitting data acquired by the means (1,11, . . . , 1n) to the data collection centre (3), characterised in that the means (1,11, . . . ,1n) comprise means for acquiring and transmitting the data in real-time, and that the data collection centre (3) has means for the fully automatic evaluation of a condition of the whole listening/viewing audience, and a conversion system (4) for computing the audience ratings in real-time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.