U.S. patent application number 17/112806 was filed with the patent office on 2021-05-20 for categorizing digital content providers.
The applicant listed for this patent is Google LLC. Invention is credited to Franck Chastagnol, Aaron Kwong Yue Lee, Zheng Liu, Shashi Seth, George Strompolos, Thai Tran, Dean Yasuda.
Application Number | 20210150583 17/112806 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005358679 |
Filed Date | 2021-05-20 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210150583 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tran; Thai ; et al. |
May 20, 2021 |
CATEGORIZING DIGITAL CONTENT PROVIDERS
Abstract
The examples provide a content item distributor computing system
that is configured to determine characteristics of content
providers and providing content items to certain categories of
content providers. In one embodiment, the content item distributor
receives a request from a content provider to receive content items
and determines if a provided set of video content has a minimum
number of viewers and meets a standard for upload content. In
response to the determination, the content item distributor
communicates a content item to the video content provider to
present in conjunction with video content.
Inventors: |
Tran; Thai; (Zurich, CH)
; Yasuda; Dean; (Mountain View, CA) ; Seth;
Shashi; (Foster City, CA) ; Lee; Aaron Kwong Yue;
(Mountain View, CA) ; Liu; Zheng; (Mountain View,
CA) ; Chastagnol; Franck; (Mountain View, CA)
; Strompolos; George; (West Hollywood, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google LLC |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005358679 |
Appl. No.: |
17/112806 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16836022 |
Mar 31, 2020 |
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17112806 |
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16054999 |
Aug 3, 2018 |
10643249 |
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16836022 |
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14322493 |
Jul 2, 2014 |
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16054999 |
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12115512 |
May 5, 2008 |
8924270 |
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14322493 |
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60927940 |
May 3, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/25435 20130101;
H04N 21/8358 20130101; G06Q 30/0274 20130101; G06Q 30/0273
20130101; H04N 21/812 20130101; G06Q 20/10 20130101; H04N 21/2407
20130101; G06Q 30/0277 20130101; G06Q 30/06 20130101; G06Q 40/00
20130101; G06Q 30/0251 20130101; G06Q 30/0272 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; H04N 21/24 20060101 H04N021/24; H04N 21/2543 20060101
H04N021/2543; H04N 21/81 20060101 H04N021/81; H04N 21/8358 20060101
H04N021/8358; G06Q 40/00 20060101 G06Q040/00; G06Q 20/10 20060101
G06Q020/10; G06Q 30/06 20060101 G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A computer-implemented method to categorize video content
providers, comprising: determining, by one or more computers, a
number of viewers of streaming media provided through a media
distribution platform by a given content provider; determining, by
the one or more computers, a number of different times that the
content provider has provided streaming media through the media
distribution platform; determining, by the one or more computers, a
duration of the streaming media the content provider has provided
through the media distribution platform; determining, by the one or
more computers, whether a combination of the number of viewers, the
number of different times that the content provider has provided
streaming media through the media distribution platform, and the
duration of the streaming media qualify the content provider for
presentation of third party content with the streaming media
provided by the content provider; and regulating presentation of
the third party content with the streaming media provided by the
content provider based on the determination of whether the content
provider is qualified for presentation of third party content with
the streamlining media provided by the content provider.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining that at
least a specified portion of the streaming media provided by the
content provider is deemed original content.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, for each of one or
more particular streaming media, determining that the particular
streaming media provided by the content provider is original based
on a digital fingerprinting of the particular streaming media.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein regulating presentation of third
party content with the streaming media provided by the content
provider further comprises preventing presentation of third party
content with the streaming media provided by the content provider
when the specified portion of the streaming media provided by the
content provider fails to be deemed original content.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein regulating presentation of third
party content with the streaming media provided by the content
provider further comprises distributing third party content for
presentation with the streaming media when at least the specified
portion of the streaming media provided by the content provider is
deemed original.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that the specified
portion of the streaming media provided by the content provider is
deemed original comprises determining that the specified portion of
the streaming media contains only content generated by the content
provider.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the specified
portion of the streaming media provided by the content provider
contains only content generated by the content provider comprises:
comparing the specified portion of the streaming media across
reference sources of different streaming media; and determining
that a match does not exist between the specified portion of the
streaming media and the reference sources of the different
streaming media.
9. A system, comprising: one or more memory devices; and one or
more processors configured to interact with the memory devices and
execute instructions that cause the one or more processors to
perform operations comprising: determining a number of viewers of
streaming media provided through a media distribution platform by a
given content provider; determining a number of different times
that the content provider has provided streaming media through the
media distribution platform; determining a duration of the
streaming media the content provider has provided through the media
distribution platform; determining whether a combination of the
number of viewers, the number of different times that the content
provider has provided streaming media through the media
distribution platform, and the duration of the streaming media
qualify the content provider for presentation of third party
content with the streaming media provided by the content provider;
and regulating presentation of the third party content with the
streaming media provided by the content provider based on the
determination of whether the content provider is qualified for
presentation of third party content with the streamlining media
provided by the content provider.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one
or more processors to perform operations further comprising
determining that at least a specified portion of the streaming
media provided by the content provider is deemed original
content.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one
or more processors to perform operations further comprising, for
each of one or more particular streaming media, determining that
the particular streaming media provided by the content provider is
original based on a digital fingerprinting of the particular
streaming media.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein regulating presentation of
third party content with the streaming media provided by the
content provider further comprises preventing presentation of third
party content with the streaming media provided by the content
provider when the specified portion of the streaming media provided
by the content provider fails to be deemed original content.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein regulating presentation of
third party content with the streaming media provided by the
content provider further comprises distributing third party content
for presentation with the streaming media when at least the
specified portion of the streaming media provided by the content
provider is deemed original.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining that the specified
portion of the streaming media provided by the content provider is
deemed original comprises determining that the specified portion of
the streaming media contains only content generated by the content
provider.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein determining that the specified
portion of the streaming media provided by the content provider
contains only content generated by the content provider comprises:
comparing the specified portion of the streaming media across
reference sources of different streaming media; and determining
that a match does not exist between the specified portion of the
streaming media and the reference sources of the different
streaming media.
16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions
that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or
more processors to perform operations comprising: determining a
number of viewers of streaming media provided through a media
distribution platform by a given content provider; determining a
number of different times that the content provider has provided
streaming media through the media distribution platform;
determining a duration of the streaming media the content provider
has provided through the media distribution platform; determining
whether a combination of the number of viewers, the number of
different times that the content provider has provided streaming
media through the media distribution platform, and the duration of
the streaming media qualify the content provider for presentation
of third party content with the streaming media provided by the
content provider; and regulating presentation of the third party
content with the streaming media provided by the content provider
based on the determination of whether the content provider is
qualified for presentation of third party content with the
streamlining media provided by the content provider.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to
perform operations further comprising determining that at least a
specified portion of the streaming media provided by the content
provider is deemed original content.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17,
wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to
perform operations further comprising, for each of one or more
particular streaming media, determining that the particular
streaming media provided by the content provider is original based
on a digital fingerprinting of the particular streaming media.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18,
wherein regulating presentation of third party content with the
streaming media provided by the content provider further comprises
preventing presentation of third party content with the streaming
media provided by the content provider when the specified portion
of the streaming media provided by the content provider fails to be
deemed original content.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19,
wherein regulating presentation of third party content with the
streaming media provided by the content provider further comprises
distributing third party content for presentation with the
streaming media when at least the specified portion of the
streaming media provided by the content provider is deemed
original.
21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20,
wherein determining that the specified portion of the streaming
media provided by the content provider is deemed original comprises
determining that the specified portion of the streaming media
contains only content generated by the content provider.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority to
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/836,022, filed Mar. 31, 2020,
and entitled "CATEGORIZING DIGITAL CONTENT PROVIDERS," which is a
continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 16/054,999, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,643,249, filed Aug. 3, 2018,
and entitled "CATEGORIZING DIGITAL CONTENT PROVIDERS," which is a
continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 14/322,493, now abandoned, filed Jul. 2, 2014, and entitled
"Monetization of Digital Content Contributions," which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/115,512, filed
on May 5, 2008, and entitled "Monetization of Digital Content
Contributions," now U.S. Pat. No. 8,924,270 issued on Dec. 30,
2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
60/927,940, filed May 3, 2007. The complete disclosure of the
above-identified priority applications is hereby fully incorporated
herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The examples described herein provide a content item
distributor configured to categorize video content providers. In
particular, the examples are directed towards determining
characteristics of content providers and providing content items to
certain categories of content providers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Content item distributors provide content items to video
content providers to be presented to users with electronic
documents or videos. The content item distributors determine which
video content providers should receive content items. The content
items may be presented before, after, or in conjunction with the
electronic documents or videos.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present examples of the technology provide methods and
systems that enable content item distributors to categorize video
content providers. Content item distributors receive a request from
a provider of video content to receive content items to present in
conjunction with video content presented by the video content
provider and analyzes a set of video content presented by the video
content provider. The content item distributor determines if the
set of video content has a minimum number of viewers and meets a
standard for upload content. In response to determining that the
set of video content has the minimum number of viewers and meets
the standard for upload content and originality, the content item
distributor communicates a content item to the video content
provider to present in conjunction with video content.
[0005] In order for a video digital content provider to participate
in receiving content items to be presented with the digital
content, the content provider submits an application to become a
revenue sharing partner. The application is analyzed by an
application analysis module to determine whether the video content
provider is eligible to receive content items based at least in
part on the number of violations that the video content provider
has received in addition to an application score. Alternatively,
the content item distributor invites content providers to receive
content items based at least in part on an applicant's
pre-score.
[0006] Once a video content provider has been approved, the video
content provider can determine which of their already-uploaded
digital content items will be submitted for receiving content
items. Alternatively, the video content provider can specify that
digital video content will be submitted during the initial upload
of the digital content item to the content item distributor.
[0007] In one embodiment, the analysis module receives the request
for monetization associated with the video content provider's
digital video content and determines whether the digital video
content is eligible. The determination whether digital video
content is eligible is based at least in part on various criteria
including whether the digital video content includes only original
content. Once digital video content has been approved, content
items stored in a content item database are displayed in
conjunction with the digital video content.
[0008] The features and advantages described in this summary and
the following detailed description are not all inclusive. Many
additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of
ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification
and claims hereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system architecture of one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for promoting a content provider
to a revenue sharing partner in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for determining whether a
content provider is eligible to become a revenue sharing partner in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for enabling monetization of a
video in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for analyzing a video to
determine whether the video should be enabled for monetization in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIGS. 6-8 illustrate examples of user interfaces that are
used by content providers during the application process to become
a revenue sharing partner in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface that is used by
a system administrator to assist in reviewing information regarding
content providers who have requested to become a revenue sharing
partner in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a user interface that
informs content sharing partners of important information of the
revenue sharing partner program in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
[0017] FIGS. 11-14 illustrate examples of user interfaces that are
used by content sharing partners to review and upload videos for
monetization in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a user interface
illustrating a monetized video and an associated web advertisement
that generates revenue in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0019] The figures depict a preferred embodiment of the present
invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art
will readily recognize from the following discussion that
alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated
herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the
invention described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
System Overview
[0020] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a system
architecture of an embodiment of a video hosting website 100 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In certain
examples, the video hosting website may be the content item
distributor. As shown in FIG. 1, the video hosting website 100
comprises a video serving module 110, an ingest module 115, an
application analysis module 120, a video analysis module 130, a
revenue generation module 135, a front end server 140, a user
database 150, a video database 155 and an advertisement database
190. Many conventional features, such as firewalls, load balancers,
application servers, failover servers, site management tools and so
forth are not shown so as not to obscure the features of the
system. A suitable website for implementation of the system is the
YOUTUBE.TM. website, found at www.youtube.com; other video hosting
sites are known as well, and can be adapted to operate according to
the teaching disclosed herein. It will be understood that the term
"website" represents any computer system adapted to serve content
using any internetworking protocols, and is not intended to be
limited to content uploaded or downloaded via the Internet or the
HTTP protocol. In general, functions described in one embodiment as
being performed on the server side can also be performed on the
client side in other embodiments if appropriate. In addition, the
functionality attributed to a particular component can be performed
by different or multiple components operating together.
[0021] The server is implemented as server program executing on
server-class computer comprising a CPU, memory, network interface,
peripheral interfaces, and other well known components. The
computers themselves preferably run an open-source operating system
such as LINUX, have generally high performance CPUs, 1G or more of
memory, and 100G or more of disk storage. Of course, other types of
computers can be used, and it is expected that as more powerful
computers are developed in the future, they can be configured in
accordance with the teachings here. The functionality implemented
by any of the elements can be provided from computer program
products that are stored in tangible computer readable storage
mediums (e.g., RAM, hard disk, or optical/magnetic media).
[0022] A client 170 executes a browser 171 to view digital content
items and can connect to the front end server 140 via a network
180, which is typically the internet, but can also be any network,
including but not limited to any combination of a LAN, a MAN, a
WAN, a mobile, wired or wireless network, a private network, or a
virtual private network. While only a single client 170 and browser
171 are shown, it is understood that very large numbers (e.g.,
millions) of clients are supported and can be in communication with
the video hosting website 100 at any time. The client 170 may
include a variety of different computing devices. Examples of
client devices 170 are personal computers, digital assistants,
personal digital assistants, cellular phones, mobile phones, smart
phones or laptop computers. As will be obvious to one of ordinary
skill in the art, the present invention is not limited to the
devices listed above.
[0023] The browser 171 can include any application that allows
users of client 170 to access web pages on the World Wide Web.
Suitable applications are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape
Navigator, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari or any application adapted
to allow access to web pages on the World Wide Web. The browser 171
can also include a video player (e.g., Flash.TM. from Adobe
Systems, Inc.), or any other player adapted for the video file
formats used in the video hosting website 100. Alternatively,
videos can be accessed by a standalone program separate from the
browser 171. A user can access a video from the video hosting
website 100 by browsing a catalog of videos, conducting searches on
keywords, reviewing play lists from other users or the system
administrator (e.g., collections of videos forming channels), or
viewing videos associated with particular user groups (e.g.,
communities).
[0024] A content provider 185 is an entity that owns or controls at
least some of the rights to a particular work, such as a video
content provider. The content provider 185 may be an individual, a
group of individuals, or an entity such as a music or video
production company or studio or artists' group. The content
provider 185 is responsible for providing digital content items to
the video hosting website 100 via the network 180. The content
provider 185 determines digital content items that should be
uploaded to the video hosting web site 100 and that may be eligible
to generate revenue on the video hosting website 100. Additionally,
the content provider 185 may also upload digital content items to
the video hosting website 100 regardless of whether the digital
content items are eligible to generate revenue. While only one
content provider 185 is shown, it is understood that any number of
content providers are supported and can be in communication with
the video hosting web site 100 at any time. Additionally, content
provider 185 may be referred to below as a "revenue sharing
partner."
[0025] The uploaded digital content items can include, for example,
video, audio or a combination of video and audio. Alternatively, a
digital content item may be a still image, such as a JPEG or GIF
file or a text file. For purposes of convenience and the
description of one embodiment, the uploaded digital content items
will be referred to as a "video," "video files," or "video items,"
but no limitation on the type of digital content items that can be
uploaded are indented by this terminology. Thus, the operations
described herein for enabling monetization of a digital content
item can be applied to any type of digital content, non only
videos; other suitable types of digital content items include audio
files (e.g. music, podcasts, audio books, and the like), documents,
websites, images, multimedia presentations, and so forth.
[0026] As previously mentioned, users of clients 170 execute a
browser 171 and connect to the front end server 140 to view the
videos that have been uploaded from the content providers 185.
Users of client 170 can search for videos based on keywords, tags
or other metadata. These requests are received as queries by the
front end server 140 and provided to the video serving module 110,
which is responsible for searching the video database 155 for
videos that satisfy the user queries and providing the videos to
the users. The video serving module 110 supports searching on any
fielded data for a video, including its title, description, tags,
author, category and so forth. Alternatively, users can browse a
list of videos based on categories such as most viewed videos,
sports, animals, or automobiles. For example, the user may browse a
list of videos related to cars and select which videos from the
list to view.
[0027] While viewing a video on the video hosting website 100, a
user may also be shown a web advertisement in conjunction with the
video if the video has been enabled for monetization. The
advertisement database 190 is responsible for storing web
advertisements that are associated with videos that have been
enabled for monetization. Through viewer interaction with the web
advertisement, the content provider 185 associated with the video
receives a share of the revenue generated by the advertisement. The
revenue generation module 135 is responsible for tracking revenue
that content providers 185 generate from web advertisements placed
in conjunction with their monetized videos. Videos that have been
enabled for monetization may also be shown as embedded videos 177
on websites 175 other than the video hosting website 100.
[0028] In an alternative embodiment, users of client 170 can also
upload digital content items to the video hosting website 100 which
may be eligible to generate revenue on the video hosting website
100. For ease of discussion, only content providers 185 are
responsible for uploading digital content items though users of
client 170 can also upload digital content items to the video
hosting website 100.
[0029] To upload videos to the video hosting website 100, a content
provider 185 connects to the front end server 140 via the network
180. The uploaded videos are processed by an ingest module 115,
which processes the videos for storage in the video database 155.
This processing can include format conversion (transcoding),
compression, metadata tagging, and other data processing. The
ingest module 115 processes the videos in order to standardize
content for playback to users of client 170. This enables the video
hosting website 100 to receive uploaded videos of various formats,
while still being able to provide a standardized output to users.
An uploaded video file is associated with the content provider 185
and the content provider's account record is updated in the user
database 150 as needed.
[0030] The video database 155 is used to store the ingested videos.
The video database 155 stores video content and associated metadata
provided by their respective content owners. Each uploaded video is
assigned a video identifier (id) when it is processed by the ingest
module 115. The video files have metadata associated with each file
such as a video ID, artist, video title, label, genre, time length,
and optionally geo-restrictions that can be used for data
collection or content blocking on a geographic basis.
[0031] The user database 150 is responsible for maintaining a
record of all registered users of the video hosting website 100.
Registered users include content providers 185 and/or users who
simply view videos on the video hosting website 100. Each content
provider 185 and/or individual user registers account information
including login name, electronic mail (e-mail) address and password
with the video hosting website 100. This account information is
stored in the user database 150. Additionally, the user database
150 stores each user's infraction information indicating the number
of received violations, type of violations and date of the
violation. Infractions are violations of the rules of conduct of
the video hosting website 100 as further discussed below. The user
database 150 also stores a record of every video that each content
provider 185 has uploaded to the video hosting website 100.
[0032] The application analysis module 120 is responsible for
analyzing requests from content providers 185 to become revenue
sharing partners. Revenue sharing partners receive shared revenue
from their uploaded videos and are considered independent video
creators who are seeking online distribution of their videos.
Generally, revenue sharing partners create original videos which
generate a large amount of traffic (i.e., users viewing videos) on
the video hosting website 100. Original videos are videos that are
entirely of content that the content provider 185 associated with
the video have created. Examples of original videos that would be
eligible for monetization are further described below in regard to
the video monetization process.
[0033] Revenue sharing partners receive a share of the revenue
generated from ad impressions occurring when videos that have been
enabled for monetization are viewed by users of the video hosting
website 100. In one embodiment, a content provider 185 submits an
application to the video hosting website 100 to become a revenue
sharing partner. The front end server 140 forwards the application
to the application analysis module 120 which analyzes the
application to determine whether the content provider 185 is
eligible to become a revenue sharing partner.
[0034] Once the content provider's request to become a revenue
sharing partner has been granted, the user's account information is
updated in the user database 150 to indicate that the content
provider 185 is now a revenue sharing partner. For ease of
discussion, content providers 185 that have become eligible to
receive shared revenue associated with their videos will be called
a "revenue sharing partner" or "revenue sharing partners."
[0035] Revenue sharing partners may elect to monetize videos during
an initial upload to the video hosting website 100 or may monetize
videos that have been previously uploaded. The video analysis
module 130 is responsible for analyzing the videos that have been
submitted for monetization. In one embodiment, the video analysis
module 130 checks the video across reference sources to assist in
the determination that the content included in the video is
original material. Systems and methods for matching uploaded
digital content items against reference content are known, and some
are described for example in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.
11/765,292 and 11/746,339, each of which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety. In one embodiment, once a video
has been determined to be original, the video is further analyzed
based on criteria such as popularity to determine whether the video
should be monetized, as further described below in the video
monetization process.
Revenue Sharing Partner Application Process
[0036] The revenue sharing partner application process is performed
by the application analysis module 120 to determine whether a
content provider 185 is eligible to become a revenue sharing
partner. As previously discussed, a revenue sharing partner
receives a share of the revenue generated from ad impressions
occurring when monetized videos associated with the revenue sharing
partner are viewed by users of the video hosting website 100.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2, the revenue sharing partner
application process according to one embodiment has the following
functional stages:
[0038] 201: Receiving a revenue sharing partner request;
[0039] 203: Determining whether to allow the content provider to
participate in revenue sharing; and
[0040] 205: Notifying content provider of decision.
[0041] The first stage 201 is a process repeated for every content
provider 185 who decides to participate in revenue sharing of their
videos. Generally, in the first stage 201 the application analysis
module 120 receives a revenue sharing partner request from a
content provider 185. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown one
embodiment of a user interface that provides information about the
revenue sharing partner program to a content provider interested in
receiving shared revenue for his or her uploaded videos. The
content provider 185 views an information web page 601 of the
revenue sharing partner program that informs the content provider
185 of the benefits of becoming a revenue sharing partner and the
qualifications needed to become a revenue sharing partner. The
content provider reviews the information web page 601 and if the
content provider 185 is interested in becoming a revenue sharing
partner, the content provider clicks on the apply now button 603
which directs the content provider to a web page containing a
revenue sharing application.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a web page containing
the revenue sharing partner application 701. The content provider
185 enters information into data entry fields of the revenue
sharing partner application 701 which will be analyzed to determine
whether to allow the content provider 185 to become a revenue
sharing partner. The content provider 185 provides personal
information 703 such as their first and last name and their date of
birth along with business information 705 such as their company
name and/or website. The content provider 185 must also provide
information regarding other accounts on the video hosting website
100 that should be included in the revenue sharing partner
application 701. Generally, the content provider 185 is not
required to provide information for every category. The required
data entry fields are donated by an asterisk 713 or any other
graphical symbol to indicate that the video hosting website 100
requires content providers 185 to provide information pertaining to
the particular data entry field in order to complete the revenue
sharing partner application 701.
[0043] Required fields include the content providers 185 first and
last name along with their date of birth, for example. In one
embodiment, content providers 185 must be 18 years of age or older
to become a revenue sharing partner. Additionally, the content
providers 185 must provide their country of residence as in one
embodiment, only revenue sharing applications from defined
geographic areas are acceptable.
[0044] One of the most important required fields pertains to the
video information 707 section. Content providers 185 are required
to express the amount of videos that they have created or produced.
In one embodiment, content providers 185 specify a range of videos
that they have created/produced from a pull down menu such as 11 to
30 videos, for example. Alternatively, content providers 185 can
manually provide an exact number or estimate of created/produced
videos.
[0045] A content provider is also required to indicate how often
he/she creates and uploads new videos. The number of videos
created/produced and frequency of uploads associated with the
content provider 185 is important as this is a strong indication of
the amount of viewing traffic (i.e., from users of the video
hosting website 100) that the content provider 185 may generate.
Additionally, the miscellaneous information pertaining to the
content provider's videos is also required such as the average
length of the content providers' 185 videos and the category that
best describes the videos such as comedy, automobiles, nature, or
instructional videos. Through statistical analysis of the amount of
revenue generated in the past regarding videos of a particular
category, the category information is important as a precedent may
be set that videos in a particular category typically provide the
most revenue. For example, a pattern may have developed that
content providers 185 who upload videos categorized as comedy
generally generate the most revenue in the video hosting website
100. Thus, the category information is important as it indicates
the amount of revenue that content providers 185 may potentially
generate.
[0046] Additionally, though not required, content providers 185 are
allowed to give a written explanation of why they want to join the
revenue sharing partner program. Content providers leave their
explanation in an explanation box 711 giving their reasoning. For
example, a content provider 185 may leave the explanation stating
"I have been a member of the YouTube community since 2006. I have
uploaded more than 200 original videos and my channel has over 2000
subscribers. I would like to join the Partner Program so I can earn
revenue for my work." In one embodiment, the written explanation is
manually reviewed by a system administrator or person associated
with the video hosting website 100 to assist in determining whether
the content provide 185 should be allowed to become a revenue
sharing partner. Alternatively, the application analysis module 120
may parse the explanation for meaningful keywords or phrases in the
text such as "uploaded more than 200 original videos" or "member
since 2006." These keywords or phrases can later be analyzed to
assist in the revenue sharing partner application process.
[0047] Once the content provider 185 has answered all the required
data entry fields in the revenue sharing partner application 701,
the content provider 185 clicks on the review application button
715. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown one embodiment of a user
confirmation interface. Once the review application button 715 is
clicked, the content provider 185 is directed to a confirmation
page 801 where the content provider 185 reviews the accuracy of the
provided information prior to submitting the application via the
submit application button 803.
[0048] Referring back to FIG. 2, the second stage 203 is a process
where the application analysis module 120 determines whether to
allow the content provider 185 associated with the received revenue
sharing partner application to participate in revenue sharing. FIG.
3 is representative of the steps performed by the application
analysis module 120 in the second stage 203. The second stage 203
comprises the following functional steps to determine whether to
admit the content provider 185 into the revenue sharing partner
program:
[0049] 301: Analyzing infractions against content provider;
[0050] 303: Determining content provider's application score;
and
[0051] 305: Analyzing videos based on video originality.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown a partner signup
list user interface 901 that allows a system administrator of the
video hosting website 100 to view information regarding various
content providers 185 indicated in the Username column 903. Note
that the partner signup list user interface 901 is merely
illustrative of one embodiment and other arrangements of data
collection and presentation may be used instead. The content
providers 185 in the Username column 903 represent content
providers 185 who have applied to the revenue sharing partner
program. In step 301 (FIG. 3), the application analysis module 120
analyzes infractions accumulated by a content provider 185 applying
to the revenue sharing partner program. Infractions are violations
of the rules of conduct specified by the system administrator of
the video hosting website 100. Infractions can lead to takedown
requests being issued by a system administrator of the video
hosting website 100 because a user of the video hosting website 100
flagged a video as inappropriate. For example, videos having
inappropriate content can be classified as being sexually explicit,
drug promotion (i.e., through drug usage), acts of animal cruelty,
graphic violence or spam. Videos of this nature can be flagged as
inappropriate by users and a take down request may be issued by the
system administrator if the video is deemed inappropriate after
being reviewed. Alternatively, a system administrator may issue a
take down request without a video being flagged if a system
administrator deems the video as inappropriate. The video is
eventually removed from the video hosting website 100 if the take
down request is validated.
[0053] Additionally, videos may be flagged as inappropriate because
the content provider 185 is not authorized to use the content in
the video. For example, television shows, music videos, music
concerts or commercials should not be uploaded without permission
from the owners of the content. Uploaded videos containing material
not belonging to the uploading content provider may receive a
takedown request because of a copyright violation.
[0054] When a takedown request is processed and a video is removed
from the video hosting website 100, the content provider 185
associated with the video receives a strike against his or her
account. Generally, a strike is a violation of the rules of the
content hosting web site that led to the removal of a video
associated with a content provider 185 from the video hosting
website 100. The strikes are accumulated in the content provider's
account record stored in the user database 150. The strikes are
generally classified under two categories: copyright strikes and
miscellaneous strikes. Copyright strikes are issued if a video was
removed from the video hosting website 100 because the content
provider 185 did not own the material in the video. Thus, the
content provider 185 received a copyright strike due to an alleged
copyright violation.
[0055] Miscellaneous strikes can be issued due to videos being
removed from the video hosting website 100. Videos are removed from
the video hosting website 100 because a take down request may have
been received indicating the video had inappropriate content.
Additionally, miscellaneous strikes may be issued if other rules of
conduct of the video hosting website 100 are violated. For example,
if one content provider 185 is using an account of another content
provider without proper consent, a miscellaneous strike may be
issued. Additionally, if the content provider 185 is caught
modifying part of the video hosting website 100 without proper
consent from a system administrator a miscellaneous strike may be
issued.
[0056] The application analysis module 120 analyzes the strikes
against a content provider 185 who has applied to become a revenue
sharing partner by reviewing the content provider's account
information in the user database 150 and extracting the number of
copyright strikes and miscellaneous strikes against the content
provider 185. In one embodiment, a summary of the strikes is
included in a user interface 901 under the Strikes Ok column 905 so
that a system administrator can review the information. The Strikes
Ok column 905 comprises strike information such as the number of
miscellaneous strikes 913 and the number of copyright strikes 911
against the content provider 185.
[0057] The Strikes Ok column also includes a textual symbol
indicating a strike status 909 of the content provider 185. The
strike status 909 indicates whether the content provider 185 has an
amount of strikes against his/her account that is either tolerable
or intolerable. A tolerable number of strikes indicate that the
amount of strikes against a content provider 185 is not enough to
justify the content provider 185 from being denied entry into the
revenue sharing partner program. An intolerable number of strikes
indicate that the amount of strikes against a content provider 185
is an indication that the content provider 185 may not be eligible
for the revenue sharing partner program.
[0058] The textual symbol that indicates the strike status 909 will
either be shown as a "Y" implying that the number of strikes
against the content provider 185 is tolerable or a "N" implying
that the number of strikes against the content provider 185 is not
tolerable, for example. Any symbol can be used to represent the
strike status 909.
[0059] In one embodiment, the tolerability of the number of strikes
is dependent on the type of strike against the content provider
185. If the number of copyright strikes 913 that a content provider
185 received is greater than an intolerable threshold, such as one
or more strikes (or two or more in some embodiments), the strike
status would be "N" indicating that the number of copyright strikes
911 against the content provider 185 is intolerable. The number of
strikes that would facilitate a strike status of "N" is
reconfigurable and is determined by the system administrator of the
video hosting website 100. In one embodiment, the content provider
185 is automatically denied from the revenue sharing partner
program if the strike status was intolerable because the high
number of copyright strikes indicates that the content provider 185
has a history of uploading copyrighted content. Alternatively, a
system administrator may review the number of copyright strikes to
determine whether the content provider 185 is still eligible to
join the revenue sharing partner program.
[0060] If the number of copyright strikes 913 is equal to a
tolerable threshold, such as one strike, then the application
analysis module 120 reviews the information associated with the
copyright strike that is stored in the user database 150 to
determine the amount of time that has passed since the copyright
strike was issued against the content provider 185. In one
embodiment, if the copyright strike occurred more than a predefined
number of years from the present date, than the strike status would
indicate "Y" that the strike status is tolerable. For example, if
the copyright strike occurred more than 2 years from the present
date, the strike status would indicate "Y." In one embodiment, if
the copyright strike occurred within a predefined number of years,
the strike status would indicate "N" and the content provider 185
is automatically denied from the revenue sharing partner
program.
[0061] The miscellaneous strikes 911 information is configured in a
similar manner as the description relating to the copyright strikes
913. In one embodiment, the application analysis module 120
analyzes the number of copyright strikes 913 and miscellaneous
strikes 911 to determine the strike status 909 against the content
provider. Alternatively, the system administrator may analyze the
copyright strikes 913 and miscellaneous strikes 911 and determine
the strike status 909.
[0062] In step 303, receiving a revenue sharing partner application
prompts the application analysis module 120 to determine the
content provider's application score once the infractions against a
content provider are analyzed. The partner signup list user
interface 901 also includes a Final Score column 907. The Final
Score column 907 indicates how valuable the content provider 185 is
to the video hosting website 100. In one embodiment, the value of
the content provider 185 is measured on a scale from 0.0 to 10.0
according to various criteria where a score of 10.0 indicates that
the content provider 185 is a perfect candidate for the revenue
sharing partner program and a score of 0.0 indicates that the
content provider 185 is not eligible for the revenue sharing
partner program.
[0063] The application analysis module 120 determines a final
score, in one embodiment, for every content provider 185 who
submits a revenue sharing partner application. The final score is
determined using a final score algorithm comprised of the sum of
weighted sub-scores, where each of the sub-scores is based on
various criteria. The weighted sub-scores that are used to
determine the final score, in on embodiment include subscribers
sub-score, total views sub-score, views above 100 sub-score, views
above 1000 sub-score, amount of videos sub-score, channel views
sub-score, and user feedback sub-score.
[0064] The relationships of these sub-scores to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation as follows:
finScore=0.3subscribe+0.05totViews+0.1view100+0.25view1000+0.05amtVid+0.-
15chaView+0.1feedback
where: [0065] finScore=final score [0066] subscribe=subscribers
sub-score [0067] totViews=total views sub-score [0068]
view100=views above 100 sub-score [0069] view1000=views above 1000
sub-score [0070] amtVid=amount of videos sub-score [0071]
chanView=channel views sub-score [0072] feedback=user feedback
sub-score In the above equation, the various weighting parameters
preceding each sub-score are used for example purposes only and any
weighting value for each of the sub-scores can be used as
determined by the system administrator of the video hosting website
100.
[0073] In one embodiment, the subscribers sub-score is a measure of
long term interest of the content provider's uploaded videos. A
content provider 185 is capable of setting up a channel associated
with his or her account where the channel is a web page
illustrating only videos related to the content provider 185. Users
of the video hosting website 100 can join the content provider's
channel in order to view videos that the content provider 185 has
uploaded. In one embodiment, users join the content provider's
channel by providing contact information including an e-mail
address to the content provider 185, so that users can be notified
when new videos are uploaded to the channel by the content provider
185.
[0074] Once a user has joined a content provider's channel web
page, the user is said to be subscribed to the channel. Being
subscribed to a channel allows the user to view videos in the
channel and to receive updates when new videos are posted. In one
embodiment, users of the video hosting website 100 that are not
subscribed are still able to view the content provider's channel,
but are not allowed to view (i.e., load or watch) any of the videos
in the channel. Alternatively, users of the video hosting website
100 that are not subscribed are able to watch the videos in the
channel, but do not receive updates when new videos are uploaded to
the channel.
[0075] The subscribers sub-score is calculated based at least in
part on the number of subscribers (i.e., users who have joined the
content providers channel). In one embodiment, the following
variables are used in the equation representative of the
calculation used to determine a raw subscriber sub-score found
below: [0076] rawSub=raw subscriber sub-score [0077] numSub=number
of subscribers
[0078] The relationships of these variables to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation as follows:
rawSub = log ( n u m S u b 2 0 ) log ( 1 0 ) ##EQU00001##
[0079] For each of the sub-scores mentioned above, a raw sub-score
is calculated that will be used in a sub-score algorithm to
determine the sub-scores value. For exemplary purposes, a raw
sub-score for each of the sub-scores mentioned above will be
calculated and used in the calculation of an example final score
for a content provider 185 who applied to become a revenue sharing
partner. For example, assume that the number of subscribers to a
content provider's channel is equal to 600. Using this value, the
calculation of the raw subscriber sub-score using the above
equation would result in a raw subscriber sub-score of 1.48. The
raw subscriber sub-score will be later used in the calculation of
the subscriber sub-score.
[0080] In one embodiment, the total views sub-score is the total
number of views that the content provider 185 has received for his
or her uploaded videos. The total number of views that the content
provider 185 has received indicates the total interest that users
of the video hosting website 100 have for the content provider's
uploaded videos. In one embodiment, the following variables are
used in the equation representative of the calculation used to
determine a raw total views sub-score found below: [0081]
rawTotViews=raw total views sub-score [0082] numViews=total number
of views the content provider has received for his or her uploaded
videos
[0083] The relationships of these variables to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation to determine
the raw total views sub-score is as follows:
rawTotViews = log ( numViews 1 0 0 0 0 ) log ( 1 0 )
##EQU00002##
[0084] For exemplary purposes of a calculation of a final score,
assume that the total number of views the content provider 185 has
received for his or her uploaded videos is equal to 12,000 views.
Using the above equation, the calculated raw total views sub-score
is equal to 0.08. The raw total views sub-score will be later used
in the calculation of the total views sub-score.
[0085] In one embodiment, the views above 100 sub-score measures
the total interest in the content provider's uploaded videos with a
slight emphasis on popularity. The following variables are used in
the equation representative of the calculation used to determine a
raw views above 100 sub-score: [0086] rawViews100=raw views above
100 sub-score [0087] numViews=total number of views the content
provider 185 received for his or her uploaded videos [0088]
adjNumViews=numViews-100
[0089] In one embodiment, to determine the raw views above 100
sub-score, an adjusted value of the total number of views the
content provider 185 has received for his or her uploaded videos is
calculated as represented by the variable adjNumViews. Generally,
to determine the adjusted value of the total number of views, in
one embodiment a value of 100 is subtracted from the total number
of views the content provider 185 has received for his or her
uploaded videos. The value of 100 is used to determine a slight
emphasis in popularity when determining the raw views above 100
sub-score. If the value of adjNumViews is still greater than a
value of 0, the variable the adjNumViews will be set to the value.
Since the adjusted number of total views is still a positive
number, it is assumed that the content provider's video received
enough views to indicate that his or her videos are slightly
popular. Otherwise, the adjNumViews is equal to 0. The value of 100
is adjustable based on how much emphasis will be given on
popularity and can be set to any value by the system administrator
of the video hosting website 100. For example purposes to calculate
a raw total views above 100 sub-score, using the total number of
views the content provider 185 received for his or her uploaded
videos of 12,000 views from the calculation of the raw total views
sub-score, the adjusted number of views is 11,900 views. The
adjusted number of views is used in the calculation of raw views
above 100 as shown below.
[0090] The relationships of the above variables to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation to determine
the raw views above 100 sub-score is as follows:
rawViews 100 = log ( a djNumViews 1 0 0 0 0 ) log ( 1 0 )
##EQU00003##
[0091] Using the above equation and the previously calculated
adjusted number of views, the raw views above 100 sub-score is
equal to 0.075. The raw views above 100 sub-score will be later
used in the calculation of the views above 100 sub-score.
[0092] In one embodiment, the views above 1000 sub-score measures
the total interest in the content provider's uploaded videos with a
strong emphasis on popularity. The following variables are used in
the equation representative of the calculation used to determine a
raw views above 1000 sub-score:
[0093] rawViews1000=raw views above 1000 sub-score
[0094] numViews=total number of views the content provider 185
received for his or her uploaded videos
[0095] adjNumViews=numViews-1000
[0096] As previously discussed in regards to the calculation of the
adjusted total number of views the content provider 185 has
received for his or her uploaded videos in the calculation of the
views above 100 sub-score, an adjusted total number of views must
be calculated. The same calculation is performed in the
determination of the adjusted total number of views except that a
larger value is subtracted from the total number of views rather
than a value of 100. For example, to adjust the value of the total
number of views, a value of 1,000 is subtracted to determine the
adjusted value of the total number of views that the content
provider's videos have received. The value of 1000 is
reconfigurable based on the amount of emphasis that will be given
on popularity and can be set to any value by the system
administrator of the video hosting website. Generally, after
adjusting the total number of views that the content provider's
videos have received, if the value is still a positive value than
the content provider's videos are said to be popular and the
adjNumViews is set to the positive value. Otherwise, the
adjNumViews is set to zero. For example purposes to calculate a raw
views above 1000 sub-score, using the total number of views the
content provider 185 received for his or her uploaded videos of
12,000 views, the adjusted number of views is 11,000 views.
[0097] The relationships of the variables described above to each
other in an exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation to
determine the raw views above 1000 sub-score is as follows:
rawViews 1 0 0 0 = log ( adjNumViews 1 0 0 0 0 ) log ( 1 0 )
##EQU00004##
[0098] Using the above equation and the previously calculated
adjusted number of views, the raw views above 1000 sub-score is
equal to 0.04. The raw views above 1000 sub-score will later be
used in the calculation of the views above 1000 sub-score.
[0099] In one embodiment, the amount of videos sub-score is
factored into the final score as content providers 185 that have a
large number of uploaded videos associated with their account are
preferred. The amount of videos that the content provider 185 has
uploaded can be extracted from the revenue sharing partner
application that was previously described above. Alternatively, the
application analysis module 120 can determine this amount from the
content provider's account record in the user database 150.
Generally, content providers 185 with a large number of uploaded
videos have a potentially high revenue generating ability as they
have a large number of videos which web advertisements can
potentially be placed. Thus, content providers 185 with a large
number of uploaded videos are preferred. For example, a content
provider 185 with 30 uploaded videos would receive a higher amount
of videos sub-score compared to a content provider 185 with only 5
uploaded videos. For example purposes to calculate a raw amount of
videos sub-score, a content provider 185 with 30 uploaded videos
will be used in the determination of the raw amount of videos
sub-score.
[0100] The following variables are used in the equation
representative of the calculation used to determine a raw amount of
videos sub-score:
[0101] numVid=number of uploaded videos associated with the content
provider
[0102] rawAmtVid=raw amount of videos sub-score
[0103] The relationships of the above variables to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation to determine
the raw number of videos sub-score is as follows:
rawAmtVid = log ( n u m V i d ) log ( 4 ) ##EQU00005##
[0104] For the example of a content provider 185 with 30 uploaded
videos, the raw amount of videos sub-score is equal to a value of
2.45 using the equation shown above. The raw amount of videos
sub-score will later be used in the calculation of amount of videos
sub-score.
[0105] In one embodiment, the channel views sub-score is
calculated. As previously discussed, a content provider 185 is
capable of setting up a channel associated with his or her account
where the channel is a web page illustrating only videos related to
the content provider 185. The channel views sub-score is calculated
based at least in part on the number of views or hits a content
provider 185 has received on his or her channel. The number of
views (i.e., hits) represents the number of users of the video
hosting website 100 who have viewed the content provider's channel.
The number of views the channel has received is accumulated from
both subscribers of the channel and from users that are not
subscribed. Thus, when any user of the video hosting website 100
views the content provider's channel, the user's act of viewing the
channel is considered a single view. The viewing information is
accumulated each time a user of the video hosting website 100 views
the content provider's channel and is stored in the content
provider's account record in the user database 150.
[0106] The following variables are used in the equation
representative of the calculation used to determine the channel
views sub-score:
[0107] numChanViews=number of views (i.e., hits) a content provider
has received on his or her channel
[0108] rawChanViews=raw channel views sub-score
[0109] The relationships of the above variables to each other in an
exemplary embodiment is represented by the equation to determine
the channel views sub-score is as follows:
rawChanViews = log ( numChanViews 1 0 0 0 ) log ( 1 0 )
##EQU00006##
[0110] For exemplary purposes, assume that a content provider 185
has received 13,000 views on his or her channel. Accordingly, the
raw channel views sub-score calculated using the above equation is
equal to a value of 1.11. The raw channel views sub-score will
later be used in the calculation of the channel views
sub-score.
[0111] In one embodiment, the feedback sub-score reflects the
feedback that a content provider's videos have received from users
of the video hosting website 100. Feedback can include a user
providing a video rating such as rating one of the content
provider's videos with a star rating of 5 out of 5 stars or users
providing comments on a content provider's videos indicating that
the user enjoyed the video. Additionally, feedback can include the
number of instances users of the video hosting website 100 have
bookmarked web pages containing the content provider's videos to a
favorites category. The act of a user bookmarking a video indicates
that the user may have enjoyed the video or found the video
interesting enough to keep a record of the web page containing the
video for future viewing. Videos that have been bookmarked in the
user's favorites category are said to be favoritized. Each instance
of a user bookmarking a video and the rating information provided
by users is stored in the account record of the content provider
185 in the user database 150 that is associated with the bookmarked
video.
[0112] The following variables are used to determine feedback
scores pertaining to the feedback that each of the content
provider's video has received: [0113] numRatingStars=total number
of rating stars that the content provider has received for his or
her videos [0114] numRatings=total number of users who provided a
video rating (i.e., rating stars) [0115] numFav=sum of the total
number of instances that each of the content provider's video has
been favoritized.
[0116] The variables shown above are used in the equations below to
determine various feedback scores as follows:
rawRatingSum = numRatingStars + ( 5 numFav ) ##EQU00007##
ratingWeight = numRatings + numFav ##EQU00007.2## ratingSum =
rawRatingSum - e ( - ratingWeight 1 0 0 0 ) ( rawRatingSum - ( 2.5
ratingWeight ) ) ##EQU00007.3##
[0117] In one embodiment, the rawRatingSum is a score that is based
at least in part on the amount of feedback received from users of
the video hosting website 100 with a weighting factor associated
with the total number of instances that each of the content
provider's video has been favoritized. The weighting factor can be
adjusted by the system administrator of the video hosting website
100 in order to adjust the effect of the videos which have been
favoritized. Generally, the rawRatingSum is the total amount of
feedback received from users of the video hosting website. In one
embodiment, the ratingWeight is a score is based at least on the
number of users of the video hosting website who have left
feedback.
[0118] For exemplary purposes, assume that a content provider 185
received a total of 100 rating stars for his or her uploaded videos
from 30 users of the video hosting website 100. Additionally,
assume that a total number of 50 users of the video hosting website
have favoritized a video associated with the content provider 185.
Accordingly, the rawRating sum is equal to a value of 350 and the
ratingWeight has a value of 80. Using these values, the calculated
ratingSum is equal to a value of 211.5. The above feedback scores
are then used as variables in the calculation of the raw feedback
sub-score as follows:
rawFeedback = 2 ( r a t i n g S u m r a t i n g W e i g h t ) - 6
##EQU00008##
[0119] For exemplary purposes, using the previously calculated
feedback scores, the raw feedback sub-score is equal to a value of
-0.7125. The raw feedback sub-score will later be used in the
calculation of the feedback sub-score.
[0120] Each of the calculated raw sub-scores discussed above are
now suitable to be used in the calculation of their respective
sub-score. In one embodiment, any raw sub-score that has a value of
less than zero, the corresponding sub-score is equal to zero. For
example, in the calculation of the raw feedback sub-score, the
calculated raw sub-score is equal to a value of -0.7125. Thus, the
feedback sub-score is equal to zero. Otherwise, in one embodiment
the following equation is representative of an equation used in the
calculation of each sub-score:
sub - score = 20 ( .alpha. .alpha. + 3 ) ##EQU00009##
[0121] In the above equation, a is equal to any of the raw
sub-scores that were previously described above. Each raw sub-score
is used to calculate its respective sub-score, represented by the
variable sub-score, using the equation above. For exemplary
purposes, the previously calculated raw sub-scores are used to
calculate example sub-scores for a content provider 185. Using the
above equation and the previously calculated raw sub-scores, the
calculated sub-scores are shown as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 Raw Sub-Score Value Sub-Score Value Subscribers
sub-score 1.48 6.61 Total views sub-score 0.08 0.52 Views above 100
sub-score 0.075 0.49 Views above 1000 sub-score 0.04 0.26 Amount of
videos sub-score 2.45 8.99 Channel views sub-score 1.11 5.40
Feedback sub-score -0.7125 0
[0122] The above table is representative of the various sub-scores
used in the calculation of the final score for a content provider
185. The table illustrates each sub-scores raw sub-score value and
sub-score value. The sub-score values are then used in the
calculation of the final score using the final score algorithm as
was previously described:
finScore=0.3subscribe+0.05totViews+0.1view100+0.25view1000+0.05amtVid+0.-
15chaView+0.1feedback
[0123] Using the sub-score values shown in the table above, an
example final score for a content provider 185 would be equal to a
value of 3.38. In one embodiment, any content provider 185 that
receives a final score less than a predetermined final score
threshold value is automatically denied from joining the revenue
sharing partner program. For example, a final score threshold could
have a value of 6. Thus, the content provider 185 in the example
above would be denied from joining the revenue sharing partner
program as the content provider 185 did not receive a final score
value indicating that the content provider 185 is eligible to
become a revenue sharing partner. Alternatively, even though a
content provider 185 received a final score value less than the
predetermined threshold value, a qualitative judgment may be
performed by a system administrator of the video hosting website
100 to determine if the content provider 185 should be invited to
become a revenue sharing partner.
[0124] In one embodiment, content providers 185 who receive a final
score greater than the predetermined final score threshold value
will be automatically accepted in the revenue sharing partner
program. Alternatively, content providers 185 who receive a score
greater than the final score threshold will result in review of the
content provider's uploaded videos to determine video originality.
In an alternative embodiment, given multiple applicants who
received a final score greater than the predetermined final score
threshold, the applicant with the highest final score will have his
or her uploaded videos analyzed to determine video originality, as
will be further described below. Thus, the final score also
indicates the priority of applicants for review.
[0125] Referring back to FIG. 3, in step 305 the application
analysis module 120 analyzes videos uploaded by content providers
185 who have a final score 915 greater than the predetermined final
score threshold and a tolerable strike status 909 value based on
video originality. Original videos are considered videos to which
the content provider 185 owns the copyrights and distribution
rights for all audio and video content. In one example, a video
uploaded by a content provider 185 illustrating the content
provider 185 performing a cover song may not be considered original
because the content provider 185 may not own the rights to the
song.
[0126] Generally, the application analysis module 120 is in
communication with the video analysis module 120 that compares each
of the content providers' uploaded videos against videos stored in
the video database 155 that are considered reference sources to
determine if a content provider's video is original. The video
analysis module 130 determines if a video is original by using
known systems and methods for matching uploaded digital content
items against reference sources, described for example in U.S.
patent application Ser. Nos. 11/765,292 and 11/746,339, each of
which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0127] In one embodiment, a certain percentage of the content
provider's videos must be original in order for the video to be
deemed original. The video analysis module 130 determines an
originality percentage of the content provider's videos. The
originality percentage indicates the percentage of the content
provider's videos that are considered original. The originality
percentage is compared to a predefined threshold percentage to
determine whether the originality percentage of the content
provider 185 is above the predefined threshold percentage. The
video analysis module communicates the results to the application
analysis module 120.
[0128] Generally, at this point in the revenue sharing partner
application process, all videos being analyzed belong to content
providers who have a final score 915 greater than the predetermined
final score threshold value and a tolerable strike status 909.
Content providers 185 who have an originality percentage greater
than the predefined threshold percentage will be invited to the
revenue sharing partner application process. Content providers 185
with an originality percentage less than the predefined threshold
percentage will not be invited to the revenue sharing partner
application process. Alternatively, a system administrator of the
video hosting website 100 may determine whether content providers
185 with an originality percentage less than the predefined
threshold percentage should still be invited to the revenue sharing
partner application process.
[0129] In an alternative embodiment, a system administrator of the
video hosting website 100 may review the videos uploaded by the
content provider 185 to perform a qualitative judgment if the
videos are original. The system administrator may review revenue
sharing partner applications in an order based at least in part on
the final scores of the received applications. The system
administrator utilizes the final score values to properly allocate
his or her time of reviewing applications of content providers 185
that would be the most valuable to the revenue sharing partner
program. After the originality of the content provider's video is
determined, the functional steps in stage 203 of the revenue
sharing application process are complete.
[0130] Referring back to FIG. 2, in stage 205 of the revenue
sharing partner application process, the content provider 185 who
requested to join the revenue sharing partner program is notified
of the decision whether he or she has been invited to become a
revenue sharing partner. The notification may be in the form of an
e-mail or a message in the content provider's account in the video
hosting website 100. In an alternative embodiment, content
providers 185 that did not request to become revenue sharing
partners also receive an invitation. During predefined time
intervals, the application analysis module 120 searches the user
database 150 for all content providers 185 in the video hosting
website 100. The application analysis module 120 performs the steps
described above to determine content providers 185 that are
eligible to become a revenue sharing partner. The eligible content
providers 185 that are determined eligible to become a revenue
sharing partner are also sent an invitation to become a revenue
sharing partner.
[0131] To summarize, in one embodiment content providers 185 must
meet the following criteria before being invited into the revenue
sharing partner program: a tolerable number of strikes, a final
score 915 above a predetermined final score threshold and a certain
percentage of original videos. Content providers 185 that meet the
criteria are accepted into the revenue sharing partner program. In
an alternative embodiment, a system administrator of the video
hosting website 100 may determine which combination of the criteria
discussed above must be met in order to be invited into the revenue
sharing partner program.
[0132] Content providers 185 that are invited into the revenue
sharing partner program are sent a notification of the invitation
as shown in invitation user interface 1000 in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is
one embodiment of an invitation user interface 1000 that indicates
to the content provider 185 that they have been admitted in the
revenue sharing partner program. The invitation user interface 1000
also includes important reference material for the new revenue
sharing partner to review.
[0133] In one embodiment, all invited content provider 185 must
complete a revenue sharing partner tutorial indicated by the
partner tutorial link 1001. The revenue sharing partner tutorial
helps newly initiated revenue sharing partners understand the
revenue sharing partner program's key concepts such as how videos
generate revenue, how to enable a video for revenue sharing and/or
how to make sure that videos are eligible for revenue sharing.
[0134] In one embodiment, content providers 185 must also sign up
for an advertisement serving program such as Google AdSense.
Revenue sharing partners enroll in the advertisement serving
program to allow web advertisements to be placed on their websites.
In an alternative embodiment, revenue sharing partners are not
required to have web advertisements placed on their websites
through the advertisement serving program. Additionally, the
advertisement serving program establishes a mechanism for receiving
payments for revenue generated by the web advertisements placed in
a revenue sharing partner's website. In a further embodiment,
revenue sharing partners enroll in the advertisement serving
program only to receive payment. As revenue sharing partners
typically provide information such as bank information for receipt
of payment or a residence or business address where the revenue
sharing partner can receive payment, the enrollment in the
advertisement serving program also enables the video hosting
website 100 to verify the revenue sharing partner's identity since
personal information such as bank information must be
disclosed.
[0135] Once a newly invited revenue sharing partner has completed
the revenue sharing partner tutorial and enrolled in an
advertisement serving program, the revenue sharing partner's
account is activated for revenue sharing and the revenue sharing
partner application process is concluded. The revenue sharing
partner is now able to monetize videos to receive shared revenue as
will be further described below.
[0136] Video Monetization Process
[0137] The video monetization process is performed by the video
analysis module 130 to determine if a video uploaded by a revenue
sharing partner should be monetized. As previously discussed, a
revenue sharing partner receives a share of the revenue generated
from ad impressions occurring when monetized videos associated with
the revenue sharing partner are viewed by users of the video
hosting website 100.
[0138] Referring now to FIG. 4, the video monetization process
according to one embodiment has the following functional
stages:
[0139] 401: Receiving a video monetization request;
[0140] 403: Determining whether to monetize video; and
[0141] 405: Updating monetization status.
[0142] The first stage 401 entails receiving a request for
monetization of a video. A request for monetization can be received
when a revenue sharing partner uploads videos to the video hosting
website 100. Referring to FIG. 11, there is shown an example video
upload user interface 1100 in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. A revenue sharing partner clicks the browse
button 1101 to specify the file path of the video that the revenue
sharing partner wishes to upload to the video hosting website 100.
To enable monetization of the video, a revenue sharing partner must
submit the video for revenue sharing (i.e., monetization). The
revenue sharing partner clicks the revenue sharing checkbox 1103 to
indicate that he or she is requesting that the video be approved
for revenue sharing. Revenue sharing partners are not required to
submit each video they upload to be enabled for revenue sharing.
Revenue sharing partners that do not wish to enable a video for
monetization simply specifies the file path of the video using the
browse button 1101 and uploads the video to the video hosting
website 100 using the upload video button 1109.
[0143] To assist in the approval of the request for revenue sharing
of a video, revenue sharing partners provide details of the nature
and origin of the content included in the video that is being
uploaded in the notes field 1105. Generally, revenue sharing
partners give explanations of the content of the video in the notes
field 1105 that will be used in the evaluation of the video. Any
information that revenue sharing partners can provide about the
source of the music or visual images used in the uploaded videos
will assist in the approval of the video for monetization.
Additionally, a statement whether the music or visual images used
in the video have been included with the permission of the source
or the person appearing in the video will assist in the approval of
the video for monetization. For example, a statement in notes field
1105 may be "This video consists entirely of footage of me giving a
review of the Macbook Pro."
[0144] The video upload user interface 1100 includes a warning 1111
that indicates if the video being uploaded is not approved for
revenue sharing, the video will be removed from the video hosting
website 100. Revenue sharing partners run the risk of having their
videos removed from the video hosting website 100 if the videos
submitted for monetization are not approved. Revenue sharing
partners are provided a general disclaimer 1107 that provides
information regarding the type of content that should not be
uploaded to the video hosting web site. The general disclaimer 1107
assists in the decision if the video is eligible for revenue
sharing. If the revenue sharing partner still wishes to submit the
video for revenue sharing, the revenue sharing partner submits the
video to the video hosting website 100 using the upload video
button 1109.
[0145] After clicking the upload video button 1109, the video
hosting website 100 receives the video and the ingest module 115
processes the video for storage in the video database 155 as
previously discussed. Newly uploaded videos are made private so
that only the revenue sharing partner who uploaded the video can
view the video. In an alternative embodiment, newly uploaded video
are made public to the users of the video hosting website 100, but
the videos are not shown in conjunction with web
advertisements.
[0146] Alternatively, videos that were not initially submitted for
revenue sharing or videos that the revenue sharing partner uploaded
prior to being accepted in the revenue sharing partner program can
be enabled for revenue sharing. Referring now to FIG. 12, there is
shown an example of a revenue sharing partner's video user
interface 1200 in one embodiment of the present invention. The
video user interface 1200 illustrates to the revenue sharing
partner videos which have not been enabled for monetization. The
video user interface 1200 is comprised of one or more video rows
1201. A single video row is associated with a single video and
comprises a video avatar 1211. The video avatar 1211 may be a still
frame excerpt of the video or a moving frame excerpt. The video
avatar 1211 assists the revenue sharing partner in the decision
whether the video should be enabled for revenue sharing as the
revenue sharing partner can see a portion of the content in the
video. Additionally, revenue sharing partners can use the video
user interface 1200 to upload videos to the video hosting website
using the upload button 1209.
[0147] A video information section 1213 is also included in the
video row 1201. The video information section 1213 illustrates
general information associated with the video including video
title, video length, URL link to the video on the video hosting
website 100, date that the video was added to the video hosting
website 100 and the raw file name. Revenue sharing partners are
able to edit the video information section 1213 using the edit
video info button 1205.
[0148] More importantly, the video information section 1213
includes feedback information from users of the video hosting
website 100. The feedback information includes the average star
rating, the number of views the video received and the number of
comments the video received. This feedback information indicates to
the revenue sharing partner if the video is a good candidate for
monetization as a video with a large number of views can
potentially generate more revenue compared to a video with a lower
number of views, for example.
[0149] After reviewing the videos in the video user interface 1200,
a revenue sharing partner can indicate that he or she wants to
submit a video for monetization. Each video row 1201 includes a
video checkbox 1203. The video checkbox 1203 is used to indicate
which video will be enabled for revenue sharing. Additionally, each
video row 1201 includes an enable revenue sharing button 1207. The
enable revenue sharing button is pressed if a revenue sharing
partner wants to request a particular video be monetized. For
example, a revenue sharing partner can click on the checkbox that
is associated with the video that will be enabled for revenue
sharing and press the enable revenue sharing button that is
associated with the checkbox. After clicking on the enable revenue
sharing button 1207, the revenue sharing partner is directed to a
video confirmation user interface 1300 as shown in FIG. 13.
[0150] The video confirmation user interface 1300 allows revenue
sharing partners to provide details of the nature and origin of the
content included in the video that is being uploaded in the notes
field 1301. These details will assist in the approval of the
request, as was previously discussed with regard to videos that
were enabled for monetization during their initial upload. Revenue
sharing partners are displayed a warning 1303. The warning 1303
indicates to revenue sharing partners that they risk having their
videos, which are already publically displayed, removed from the
video hosting website 100 if the videos are not approved. Revenue
sharing partners who do not want to risk having their videos
removed may click the cancel button 1307. Revenue sharing partners
that still wish to have their video enabled for monetization can
click on the submit button 1305.
[0151] Once the revenue sharing partner has submitted a request for
monetization of a video to the video hosting website 100, the video
must be reviewed prior to being enabled for monetization. The
second stage 403 of the video monetization process determines
whether to monetize a video that has been requested for
monetization. FIG. 5 is representative of the steps performed by
the video analysis module 130 in the second stage 403. The second
stage 403 comprises the following functional steps to determine
whether a video should be monetized to allow a revenue sharing
partner to receive revenue generated by web advertisements shown
with the monetized video:
[0152] 501: Comparing video against reference sources;
[0153] 503: Determining length of partnership of the revenue
sharing partner; and
[0154] 505: Analyzing video according to the length of
partnership.
[0155] In the first step 501, the submitted video is compared
against reference sources. The video analysis module 130 compares
videos that have been submitted for monetization against reference
sources to ensure that the videos are original. Original videos are
considered videos which the content provider 185 owns the
copyrights and distribution rights for all audio and video content
that is uploaded. For example, a video illustrating a person
drawing a picture of a Ferrari on an Etch-A-Sketch toy may be
considered an original video. In another example, a video uploaded
by a content provider 185 illustrating the content provider 185
performing a cover song may not be considered original because the
content provider 185 may not own the rights to the song. As
previously described above, the video analysis module 130 utilizes
systems and methods for matching uploaded digital content items
against reference content are known, and some are described for
example in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/765,292 and
11/746,339, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0156] In one embodiment, videos that are matched to a reference
source by the video analysis module 130 are automatically denied
being monetized. The revenue sharing partner that submitted the
request for monetization of the denied video is notified that the
video has been denied and that the video will be removed from the
video hosting website 100. In an alternative embodiment, videos
that are matched to a corresponding reference source are manually
reviewed by a system administrator of the video hosting website
100. The system administrator will make the decision whether the
video contains original content.
[0157] In step 503, the length of partnership of the revenue
sharing partner is determined. If a video did not match any
reference source, the amount of time the revenue sharing partner
has been part of the revenue sharing partner program is determined.
In one embodiment, the length of partnership dictates if an
analysis is performed on the video submitted for monetization. The
video analysis module 130 determines the length of partnership of
the revenue sharing partner requesting monetization of a video by
extracting the information from the revenue sharing partner's
account record stored in the user database 150. Once the
partnership length is determined, the video analysis module can
begin to analyze the video.
[0158] In step 505, videos submitted for monetization that did not
match any reference source are analyzed. The video analysis module
130 reviews video information related to the video submitted for
monetization along with the strike status of the revenue sharing
partner. As previously discussed, a revenue sharing partner may
receive strikes to his or her account if a take down request of one
of the revenue sharing partner's videos is processed. The video
analysis module 130 reviews the infraction information stored in
the account record of the revenue sharing partner in the user
database 150. Revenue sharing partners must maintain proper
behavior and follow the rules of conduct of the video hosting
website 100 if they wish to have their videos monetized. In one
embodiment, the number of strikes against the revenue sharing
partner since they joined the revenue sharing partner program is
analyzed. In one embodiment, if the revenue sharing partner has
received a strike against his or her account, videos submitted for
monetization are automatically rejected and removed from the video
hosting website 100. In an alternative embodiment, if the revenue
sharing partner has a number of strikes greater than a predefined
strike threshold, the video is automatically rejected for
monetization and removed from the video hosting website. The
predefined strike threshold can be set by a system administrator of
the video hosting website 100 to determine the number of strikes a
revenue sharing partner may receive that will prevent monetization
of a video. In an alternative embodiment, a system administrator
can manually review the strike status of the revenue sharing
partner to aid in the determination if the video submitted by the
revenue sharing partner should be monetized. If the revenue sharing
partner did not receive any strikes against his or her account,
video information related to the video is reviewed as further
described below.
[0159] In one embodiment, video information includes feedback
information such as the number of views a video received, the
number of rating stars a video has received or the number of users
that have rated the video. Generally, the feedback information is
compared to a feedback threshold associated with the particular
type of feedback information. The number of views a video received
indicates to the video analysis module 130 the popularity of the
video. The video analysis module 130 retrieves the number of views
a video has received from the video record in the video database
155 and compares the number of views to a predefined popularity
threshold. Videos which receive an amount of views greater than the
popularity threshold are considered popular. In one embodiment,
popular videos are automatically monetized as long as the revenue
sharing partner did not have a strike status above the strike
threshold. Popular videos are automatically monetized since popular
videos can potentially generate a large amount of revenue since
many users view these videos.
[0160] The number of rating stars a video has received and the
number of users that have rated the video indicates the quality of
the video and can be used to determine an average rating of the
video. Videos that have an average star rating greater than a
predefined average star rating threshold may be allowed to be
monetized. For example, videos with an average star rating of 4 out
of 5 stars are allowed to be monetized. Videos with an average star
rating greater than the star rating threshold are said to be
quality videos. Quality videos are generally enjoyed by users of
the video hosting website 100 and are monetized as there is
generally a correlation between the quality of a video and the
number of views a video receives. For example, videos with a high
quality rating generally have a high number of views or may
eventually receive a high number of views through word of mouth of
the users of the video hosting website 100. Users may inform other
users of the quality videos by posting the video on websites 175
other than the video hosting website or by sending the URL link of
the quality video to other users.
[0161] Videos undergo the analysis described above depending on the
length of partnership of the revenue sharing partner who submitted
the video that was determined in step 503. The amount of time a
revenue sharing partner has been part of the revenue sharing
partner program dictates whether his or her videos undergo the
analysis described above. In one embodiment, the length of time
that the revenue sharing partner has been part of the revenue
sharing partner program dictates whether a video from a revenue
sharing partner will be reviewed. The length of time is compared
against various defined time intervals to determine whether a video
should be analyzed.
[0162] In one embodiment, within a first length of time that a
revenue sharing partner joined the revenue sharing partner program,
every video submitted by the revenue sharing partner is analyzed as
described above. For example, within the first two months that a
revenue sharing partner joined the revenue sharing partner program,
every video submitted by the revenue sharing partner is analyzed.
New revenue sharing partners have not established any credibility
as a revenue sharing partner. Thus, every video of new revenue
sharing partners must be analyzed. Revenue sharing partners must
follows the rules of the video hosting website 100 and only upload
original content in order to gain credibility on the video hosting
website 100.
[0163] In one embodiment, after a second length of time of becoming
a revenue sharing partner, all videos uploaded by the revenue
sharing partner are automatically monetized. At this point, the
revenue sharing partner has gained enough credibility that his or
her videos no longer need to be analyzed for monetization. For
example, every video submitted after the third month since the
revenue sharing partner joined the revenue sharing partner program
is automatically approved. In order to ensure revenue sharing
partners are still abiding by the rules of the video hosting
website 100, the analysis discussed above may be performed on a
yearly basis, for example, to ensure that the revenue sharing
partner is not abusing his or her credibility. The time intervals
mentioned above are merely exemplary of time intervals that can be
used in the determination to monetize a video. Any suitable time
interval can be used as determined by the system administrator of
the video hosting website 100.
[0164] In one embodiment, videos submitted between the first length
of time and the second length of time that a revenue sharing
partner joined the revenue sharing partner program are not always
analyzed. Only a certain percentage of videos submitted for
monetization are analyzed. For example, during the third month of
becoming a revenue sharing partner, only 75% of videos submitted by
the revenue sharing partner are reviewed for monetization. At this
point, the revenue sharing partner has gained credibility since the
revenue sharing partner has shown during the first two months of
partnership that he or she can abide by the rules of the video
hosting website and only upload original videos.
[0165] In one embodiment, a prevention mechanism is implemented to
prevent videos from automatically being monetized from revenue
sharing partners who did not request any videos for monetization up
to the second length of time. The video analysis module 130 reviews
the number of requests of monetization since the time when the
revenue sharing partner joined the revenue sharing partner program
up until the second length of time. If the revenue sharing partner
did not submit any requests for monetization up until the second
length of time, the revenue sharing partner's videos are analyzed
by the video analysis module 130 regardless if they are submitted
after the second length of time.
[0166] Referring back to FIG. 4, during the third stage 405 of the
video monetization process, the video analysis module 130 updates
the monetization status of videos submitted for monetization. The
account records in the video database 155 of videos that have been
enabled for monetization are updated to indicate that the videos
are capable of generating revenue through placement of web
advertisements shown on pages including the monetized video. Videos
which have been denied are deleted from the video database 155.
[0167] In one embodiment, videos which have been monetized are
removed from the video user interface 1200 and are placed in the
revenue sharing videos user interface 1400 as shown in FIG. 14. The
revenue sharing videos user interface 1400 illustrates all the
monetized videos associated with the revenue sharing partner.
Revenue sharing partners may view all their monetized videos and
can decide to disable the video for revenue sharing. The revenue
sharing videos user interface 1400 is similar to the video user
interface 1200. The revenue sharing videos user interface 1400
comprises video rows 1401 that is associated with a single video
and comprises the same features described in the video user
interface 1200. In addition, the revenue sharing videos user
interface 1400 comprises a disable revenue sharing button 1403.
Revenue sharing partners may disable videos from receiving revenue
if they decide to remove the video from the video hosting website
100 or for any other appropriate reason.
Revenue Generation
[0168] Videos which have been enabled for monetization are
displayed in conjunction with a web advertisement. Referring to
FIG. 15, there is shown an example video display user interface
1500 according to one embodiment. The video display user interface
1500 comprises a monetized video shown in the display region 1501.
Additionally, a web advertisement 1503 is shown in conjunction with
the monetized video. Revenue sharing partners generate revenue
(i.e., money) from the web advertisements 1503 shown in conjunction
with their monetized video. The method that revenue is generated
depends on the type of web advertisement displayed with the
monetized video. The amount of revenue generated by revenue sharing
partners is tracked by the revenue generation module 135. The
different types of advertisements and how these types of
advertisements generate revenue will now be described.
[0169] As shown in the revenue sharing videos user interface 1400,
in one embodiment the web advertisement 1503 is placed to the right
of the monetized video. Web advertisements that are placed outside
of the monetized video, such as web advertisement 1503 in FIG. 15,
are considered external web advertisements as they are displayed
separately from the monetized video. Additionally, pop-ups or web
advertisements that automatically appear in a new web page may
appear after the monetized video has finished playing. Pop-ups are
also considered external web advertisements. Pop-ups may also
appear automatically after a monetized video begins playing or
after a certain duration of the video has passed. Additionally,
pop-ups may appear as a result of a user clicking on
web-advertisements that are placed outside of the monetized video.
Users would be displayed additional web advertisements pertaining
to the web advertisement that was clicked. For example, web
advertisement 1503 displays an advertisement of a new automobile.
If a user clicks on the web advertisement 1503, a new web page
would be displayed containing another web advertisement of the same
automobile or other automobiles of the same make.
[0170] Web advertisements need not be shown in a separate area from
the monetized video as shown in the video display user interface
1500. Web advertisements displayed in the display region 1501 with
the monetized video are considered internal web advertisements. In
one embodiment, when a user starts to view a video by pressing the
play button 1505, an advertisement will be played somewhere in the
video display region 1501 that does not obstruct the viewing of the
content of the video. The web advertisement is essentially overlaid
onto the video content. For example, the advertisement may be
placed on the bottom right corner of the monetized video or
somewhere along the bottom edge of the monetized video so not to
obstruct the video content. Alternatively, a web advertisement may
be played in the display region 1501 prior to the playback of the
monetized video. For example, if a user clicks on the play button
1505, a web advertisement would be displayed prior to the monetized
video being displayed. A web advertisement also may be played in
the display region 1501 after the duration of the monetized video
has elapsed.
[0171] Revenue sharing partners may generate revenue in various
ways. In one embodiment, revenue may be generated based on payment
per view. For external web advertisements which merely are
displayed separately from the monetized video, a revenue sharing
partner may generate revenue each time the web advertisement is
shown in conjunction with the monetized video. External web
advertisements such as pop-ups that appear automatically after a
monetized video begins playing or after a certain duration of the
video has passed also can generate revenue each time the pop-up
appears. For internal web advertisements, a revenue sharing partner
may generate revenue as long as a portion of the monetized video is
played. In an alternative embodiment, a revenue sharing partner may
only generate revenue if the duration of the entire web
advertisement is played.
[0172] The revenue generation module 135 tracks the number of views
the monetized video received from users of the video hosting
website 100. The number of views is tracked as the number of views
a video received correlates to the number of times a web
advertisement was viewed. Using the number of views value the
monetized video received, the revenue generation module 135 can
calculate the revenue generated based on a rate per view value. The
rate per view value may be set by the system administrator of the
video hosting website 100 or may be automatically set by the
application analysis module 120 when the revenue sharing partner
was invited into the revenue sharing program. For example, a
revenue sharing partner may have a rate per view value of $0.001
for every view. The revenue generation module 135 may determine
that a revenue sharing partner has received a total of 1,000 views
for all his or her monetized videos. Thus, the revenue sharing
partner will have generated $1.00 from his or her monetized videos
in one example.
[0173] In one embodiment, the rate per view is the same for every
revenue sharing partner. A set rate per view value may be
determined by the system administrator depending on the length of
partnership of a revenue sharing partner. In an alternative
embodiment, the rate per view is based on the length of
partnership. Revenue sharing partners who have been part of the
revenue sharing partner program for a determined length of time
will have a higher rate per view compared to newly joined revenue
sharing partners. Thus, the rate per view value of each revenue
sharing partner will increase as their length of partnership
increases.
[0174] In another embodiment, revenue may be generated based on
payment per click. External web advertisements such as pop-ups
generate revenue each time a user of the video hosting website 100
clicks on an external web advertisement such as web advertisement
1503. Clicking of web advertisement 1503 would cause a web page
containing another web advertisement to be played. The revenue
generation module 135 tracks the number of times users of the video
hosting website 100 clicks on web advertisements shown in monetized
videos associated with each of the revenue sharing partners. For
revenue generated by payment per click, each revenue sharing
partner is assigned a rate per click value. The rate per click
value is similar to the rate per view value. The rate per click
value may be set by the system administrator of the video hosting
website 100 or may be automatically set by the application analysis
module 120 when the revenue sharing partner was invited into the
revenue sharing program. Like the rate per view, the rate per click
may be the same for every revenue sharing partner or may be
different depending on the length of partnership of the revenue
sharing partner.
[0175] In an alternative embodiment, revenue sharing partners may
receive a share percentage of revenue generated by web
advertisements placed in conjunction with their monetized videos.
Companies may negotiate a flat payment to the owners of the video
hosting website 100 for displaying their web advertisements.
Revenue sharing partners that display web advertisements of that
company would receive a percentage of the revenue that the owners
of the video hosting website 100 received. For example, assume that
a company paid the owners of the video hosting website $10,000 to
host their advertisements and 1,000 revenue sharing partners
display those web advertisements. Thus, each revenue sharing
partner generated $10 of revenue for displaying the company's web
advertisements. The revenue sharing partners would only receive a
set percentage of the generated revenue. For example, the set
percentage may be 50% of the revenue generated, thus each revenue
sharing partner would receive $5.00.
[0176] Alternatively, companies may negotiate a rate per view or
rate per click scheme as described above and revenue sharing
partners may receive a percentage of the revenue generated that is
shared with the owners of the video hosting website 100. For
example, assume that the company negotiated with the owners of the
video hosting website a rate of $1 per view of the company's
commercials. If a revenue sharing partner received 100 views of the
company's commercials, the revenue sharing partner generated $100.
The generated revenue is then shared with the owners of the video
hosting website 100 based on a share percentage. The share
percentage may be a fixed value for all revenue sharing partners or
may be different depending on the length of partnership as
previously described.
[0177] The features described herein beneficially provide a system
and method to admit content providers of a video hosting website
into a revenue sharing partner program where the content providers
may submit videos for monetization in order to generate shared
revenue. Revenue sharing allows content providers to receive
compensation for their original videos.
[0178] Some portions of above description describe the embodiments
in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations
on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations
are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to
convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in
the art. These operations, while described functionally,
computationally, or logically, are understood to be implemented by
computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or
the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to
refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, without loss
of generality. The described operations and their associated
modules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any
combinations thereof.
[0179] As used herein any reference to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular element, feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase
"in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0180] As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising,"
"includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation
thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For
example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a
list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements
but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to
such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless
expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive or
and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is
satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B
is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is
true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
[0181] In addition, use of the "a" or "an" are employed to describe
elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done
merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the
invention. This description should be read to include one or at
least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is
obvious that it is meant otherwise.
[0182] Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will
appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional
designs for a system and a process for collaboratively ranking a
set of digital content items through the disclosed principles
herein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have
been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction
and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and
variations, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, may
be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and
apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and
scope defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *
References