Methods and apparatus to apply household-level weights to household-member level audience measurement data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11687953-B2
Application number	US-202017107261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2020
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to apply household-level weights to audience measurement data at a household-member level are disclosed. An example method to determine demographics of populations to measure media audiences of populations includes determining demographics for members of a first household of a sub-population. First demographics of a first member of the first household are different than second demographics of a second member of the first household. The example method includes calculating a first household-level weight for the first household based on a demographics distribution of the sub-population and aggregate demographics of a population. The example method includes applying the first household-level weight to the first demographics of the first member, applying the first household-level weight to the second demographics of the second member, and estimating a demographics distribution of the population to measure a media audience of the population based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus to estimate a media audience size, the apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
machine readable instructions; and
processor circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to:
calculate a first household-level weight for a first household based on (a) a demographics distribution of a sub-population corresponding to a population, (b) a target value total vector constructed from aggregate demographics of the population, (c) a weight vector, and (d) a constraint matrix, the first household-level weight calculated by performing an iterative proportional fitting of weight values of the weight vector, the iterative proportional fitting performed until a product of the constraint matrix and the weight vector corresponds to the target value total vector;
scale (1) first demographics of a first member of the first household and (2) second demographics of a second member of the first household using the first household-level weight to generate weighted first demographics and weighted second demographics, respectively; and
reduce an amount of computations executed by the apparatus without calculating individual-level weights by estimating the media audience size based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to calculate the first household-level weight by performing the iterative proportional fitting based on an initial weight for the first household in the weight vector.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the processor circuitry is to estimate the constraint matrix based on the demographics distribution of members of the sub-population.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to calculate a second household-level weight for a second household based on the demographics distribution of the sub-population and the aggregate demographics of the population.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to scale (1) third demographics of a first member of a second household using a second household-level weight to generate weighted third demographics and (2) fourth demographics of a second member of the second household using the second household-level weight to generate weighted fourth demographics, the third demographics different from the fourth demographics.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry is to further estimate the media audience size based on the weighted third demographics and the weighted fourth demographics.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first demographics of the first member of the first household include a first demographic constraint associated with the first member.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to:
associate a tuning event of the first household with the first household-level weight;
associate the tuning event with the first demographics of the first member and the second demographics of the second member; and
estimate the media audience size of the population for the tuning event based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to:
calculate a first household-level weight for a first household based on (a) a demographics distribution of a sub-population corresponding to a population, (b) a target value total vector constructed from aggregate demographics of the population, (c) a weight vector, and (d) a constraint matrix, the first household-level weight calculated by performing an iterative proportional fitting of weight values of the weight vector, the iterative proportional fitting performed until a product of the constraint matrix and the weight vector corresponds to the target value total vector;
scale (1) first demographics of a first member of the first household and (2) second demographics of a second member of the first household using the first household level weight to generate weighted first demographics and weighted second demographics, respectively; and
reduce an amount of computations executed by the at least one processor without calculating individual-level weights by estimating a media audience size based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to calculate a second household-level weight for a second household based on the demographics distribution of the sub-population and the aggregate demographics of the population.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to scale (1) third demographics of a first member of a second household using a second household-level weight to generate weighted third demographics and (2) fourth demographics of a second member of the second household using the second household-level weight to generate weighted fourth demographics, the third demographics different from the fourth demographics.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 11 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to estimate the media audience size based on the weighted third demographics and the weighted fourth demographics.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as defined in claim 9 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
associate a tuning event of the first household with the first household-level weight;
associate the tuning event with the first demographics of the first member and the second demographics of the second member; and
estimate the media audience size of the population for the tuning event based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to:
calculate a first household-level weight for a first household based on (a) a demographics distribution of a sub-population corresponding to a population and (b) a target value total vector constructed from aggregate demographics of the population, the calculating of the first household-level weight including performing an iterative proportional fitting based on (a) an initial weight for the first household, (b) the target value total vector, and (c) a constraint matrix;
scale first demographics of a first member of the first household by the first household-level weight to generate weighted first demographics;
scale second demographics of a second member of the first household by the first household-level weight to generate weighted second demographics; and
reduce an amount of computations executed by the at least one processor without calculating individual-level weights by estimating a media audience size based on the weighted first demographics and the weighted second demographics.

15. A method to estimate a media audience size, the method comprising:
calculating, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, a first household-level weight for a first household based on (a) a demographics distribution of a sub-population corresponding to a population, (b) a target valu

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Sheppard Michael
• Sullivan Jonathan
• Lipa Peter
• Terrazas Alejandro

Classifications

• G06Q30/0201 Primary

  Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data · CPC title

• H04N21/44213

  Monitoring of end-user related data (arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33) · CPC title

• H04N21/25883

  being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52) · CPC title

• H04N21/42684

  Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID (network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00) · CPC title

• H04N21/258

  Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data {(arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30)} · CPC title