Methods and apparatus to measure a cross device audience

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9363558-B2
Application number	US-201414547050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2014
Priority date	Nov 19, 2013
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to generate a cross device panel by determining that a first panelist associated with a first panel data and a first device is also associated with a non-paneled device. Example methods and apparatus disclosed herein match, via a processor, a second panelist associated with second panel data to the first panelist based on (1) the second panelist having demographics matching the first panelist and (2) the second panelist being associated with a second device corresponding to the non-paneled device of the first panelist, and generate a cross device panelist profile for the first panelist, the cross device panelist profile comprising at least some of the first panel data and at least a portion of the second panel data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining that a first panelist associated with first panel data and a first device is also associated with a non-paneled device;
matching, via a processor, a second panelist associated with second panel data to the first panelist based on (1) the second panelist having demographics matching the first panelist and (2) the second panelist being associated with a second device of a same device type as the non-paneled device of the first panelist; and
generating a cross device panelist profile for the first panelist, the cross device panelist profile including at least some of the first panel data and at least a portion of the second panel data.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the determining that the first panelist is associated with the non-paneled device is based on a response to a cross device usage survey.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the matching of the second panelist to the first panelist is further based on first usage of the non-paneled device by the first panelist and second usage of the second device by the second panelist.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the matching of the second panelist to the first panelist further includes, selecting the second panelist from a plurality of panelists associated with the second panel data by:
assigning numerical values to demographic information of corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists;
determining index values for each of device usage durations and surveyed device usage durations of types of devices similar to the type of the non-paneled device of the first panelist, the device usage durations and the surveyed device usage durations associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of panelists; and
determining a match factor for each of the corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists using at least one of the numerical values and the index values.

5. A method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the index values are determined for the corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists based on an average device usage duration and an average surveyed device usage duration of the plurality of panelists.

6. A method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the match factor is calculated using a distance measurement.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the matching of the second panelist to the first panelist is further based on cross device usage survey responses received from the first panelist and the second panelist.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a provisioner to determine that a first panelist associated with first panel data and a first device is also associated with a non-paneled device, and to generate a cross device panelist profile for the first panelist;
a matcher to match a second panelist associated with second panel data to the first panelist based on (1) the second panelist having demographics matching the first panelist and (2) the second panelist being associated with a second device of a same device type as the non-paneled device of the first panelist; and
a grafter to impute at least some of the first panel data and at least a portion of the second panel data into the cross device profile.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the provisioner is to determine that the first panelist is associated with the non-paneled device based on a response to a cross device usage survey.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the matcher is to match the second panelist to the first panelist based on first usage by the non-paneled device of the first panelist and second usage of the second device by the second panelist.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the matcher is to assign numerical values to demographic information of corresponding ones of a plurality of panelists.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 , further including an indexer to determine index values for each of device usage durations and surveyed device usage durations of types of devices similar to the type of the non-paneled device of the first panelist, the device usage durations and the surveyed device usage durations associated with corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein the matcher is to determine respective match factors for the corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists using at least one of the numerical values and the index values.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 , wherein the matcher is to match the second panelist to the first panelist based on cross device usage survey responses received from the first and the second panelist.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
determine that a first panelist associated with first panel data and a first device is also associated with a non-paneled device;
match a second panelist associated with second panel data to the first panelist based on (1) the second panelist having demographics matching the first panelist and (2) the second panelist being associated with a second device of a same type as the non-paneled device of the first panelist; and
generate a cross device panelist profile for the first panelist, the cross device panelist profile including at least some of the first panel data and at least a portion of the second panel data.

16. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the machine to determine that the first panelist is associated with the non-paneled device based on a response to a cross device usage survey.

17. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the machine to match the second panelist to the first panelist further based on first usage of the non-paneled device by the first panelist and second usage of the second device by the second panelist.

18. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein, to match the second panelist to the first panelist, the instructions further cause the machine to select the second panelist from a plurality of panelists associated with the second panel data by:
assigning numerical values to demographic information of corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists;
determining index values for each of device usage durations and surveyed device usage durations of types of devices similar to the type of the non-paneled device of the first panelist, the device usage durations and the surveyed device usage durations associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of panelists; and
determining a match factor for each of the corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists using at least one of the numerical values and the index values.

19. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 18 , wherein index values are determined for the corresponding ones of the plurality of panelists based on an average device usage duration and an average surveyed device usage duration of the plurality of panelists.

20. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 18 , wherein the instructions further cause the machine to calculate the match factor using a distance measurement.

21. A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the machine to match the second panelist to the first panelist further based on cross device usage survey responses received from the

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Meraviglia Claudio

Classifications

• H04N21/4516

  involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available · CPC title

• H04N21/44204 Primary

  Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31) · CPC title

• H04N21/44222

  Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33) · CPC title

• H04N21/4532

  involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18) · CPC title

• H04N21/44226

  on social networks · CPC title