KR102795474B1 - Media processing method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of processing media content comprises submitting a broadcast to a computer or server of a receiving entity, wherein the broadcast is coded in a neutral manner so that the creator and associated identifying information cannot be identified for various purposes. The material is reviewed based on qualitative evaluations by a plurality of independent reviewers who do not have access to the identifying information, and a portion of the material is selected based on the reviewers' qualitative evaluations. The selected material is broadcast according to a predetermined schedule and may be placed in a content library for viewer access. Advertisements are associated with the selected material during the broadcast to generate revenue. The creator of the work is paid based on the revenue generated by the advertisements associated with the material.

Description

Media processing method and system

The present invention relates to methods and systems for processing media. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for creating a library of materials, such as music or movies, enabling viewing of such materials through distribution or broadcast, enabling evaluation of such materials, and effectively associating such materials with advertisements and advertisers.

Accordingly, the present invention is a mechanism or system that allows creators of original and other content to make their works available and to allow reviewers to selectively view and evaluate such works primarily based on the quality of the content or the appeal of the content to a demographic audience. Preferably, reviewers will view such works based solely on the content, without knowledge of the creator's name or identity. Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention is an invention that allows creators' works uploaded to a server or computer for others to review to be evaluated for their value, thereby allowing lesser-known or unknown creators to present their works to a more discerning playing field with others who have better access to entities or outlets that traditionally distribute such works. In other words, the systems and methods of the present invention allow works to be evaluated primarily on the content and inherent merits, rather than on the creator's reputation or recognition value, or any personal contacts or connections the creator may have.

In one aspect of the present invention, a reviewer of a creative work rates the content of the work on the merits of such work, which may include a number of parameters, and if the reviewer deems such work suitable for broadcast or distribution, the work is placed in a digital or computer-based library or location. Such content library may be accessed by the general public or subscribers by means of computers, smart phones, and other electronic devices, including tablets. In addition, in accordance with the present invention, the number of subscribers and demographics of subscribers are continuously monitored by software on a central computer to associate advertisers and advertisements with the content when the subscriber or viewer views the content. In a further aspect, the revenue derived from the advertiser in this manner is calculated by the central computer or other hardware and is used in part to pay the creative artist of the work, so that the artist directly benefits from the fruits of his or her creativity, preferably to a greater extent than is possible with current conventional procedures.

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention illustrated in schematic form.
Figure 2 illustrates how the current distribution model functions. The triangles represent distribution channels/distributors, the “X” represents content creators, and the arrows represent the paths that content creators take to get noticed and monetize their broadcasts. With too many content creators and too few channels available for broadcasting, thus limiting distribution as shown in the diagram, the current model allows distributors complete control to pick and choose what they broadcast and how much they pay their content creators.
Figure 3 illustrates how the broadcast allocation can be expanded at any time so that the distribution model can also be expanded to handle more content through the system.
The operations illustrated in the following three drawings are made possible by the ability of the present invention to expand broadcast availability (as indicated by the additional TV icon) by allowing for wider distribution channels (the inverted triangles) and increased throughput, thus allowing additional content to be broadcast, which equates to more content creators earning revenue and exposure, which in turn leads to more exposure and additional revenue.
Figure 3a illustrates a starting configuration of content creators flowing through the system of the present invention. In the current configuration, if a surge of content fills the distribution channel, it is adjusted as shown in Figure 3b.
Figure 3b illustrates how distribution channels can be broadened at the top to allow more content creators access to distribution, while also broadening distribution outside of the bottom of the distribution channel for broadcast to accommodate greater access to more broadcast options.
Figure 3c illustrates a wider field of view than detailed in Figure 3b, with a wider inflow at the top, a wider overall channel, and wider broadcasting outside the bottom with more broadcast options.

The following is a detailed description of the steps and processes for media processing of the present invention. It will be understood that there may be variations in the order of these steps or in the manner in which each of these steps is performed, all of which will fall within the scope of the present invention.

The process of the present invention is performed by uploading submitted materials to a computer or server and reviewing, evaluating, and posting the results of the process as one or more files on the computer or server. Reviewers and others who process the uploaded materials have various levels of access and may move or copy the uploaded materials to other parts or segments of the computer or server or to a remote computer, in original or edited versions, depending on whether the uploaded materials meet quality and/or creative standards, in accordance with security and authorization protocols. Other related materials may also be uploaded to the computer or server, including, but not limited to, advertisements, broadcast schedules, and viewership numbers, although more examples are provided below. Such other related materials may optionally be combined or associated with the uploaded submissions in various forms and combinations and may be stored on the computer or server. In one embodiment, a computer, server, central server, or data center may be defined as a grouping of integrated computer components including a set of networked servers connected to the Internet via a core router, the core router being configured to receive network traffic from around the world, balanced by a hardware load balancer and software, which filters network packets transmitted through a firewall and spine and leaf routers, and then stored and processed on high-computation plex node servers, and installed with a number of types of software for collecting, analyzing, and formatting information including (to name a few) viewers, associated advertisements, and accounting software, the software in one embodiment being defined as an iOS development software program, an Android development software program, a network operations management software program, and a Perforce Helix version control software program. Certain functions of the present invention require additional specialized software coding algorithms to operate, an example of which is advertisements placed in downloaded content that self-delete once the advertisements have been viewed a preset number of times.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the procedures and steps according to the present invention are all performed on electronic hardware including, without limitation, computers, servers, tablets, to name a few examples, and that the discussion of the various processes of the present invention takes place in this context and environment.

Current Issues and Responses

It is a well-known fact among artists that almost all the channels for distributing creative works are controlled by a few large corporations with limited distribution/broadcast time allocations based on the infrastructure of the company, resulting in fierce competition among content creators during such limited time when the large corporations cannot ultimately distribute/broadcast all the selected content they want to distribute. Just as having more people than jobs reduces salaries, having more content than broadcast capabilities reduces the value of the content and further reduces the revenue generated by the broadcast. The problem, especially for lesser-known artists, is how to get enough exposure to reach the top of the content pile and secure airtime to convert that exposure into revenue. The ability of the present invention to expand the airtime allocation without limitation allows the valuation of distribution channels to expand further and ultimately allows more quality content to flow to viewers, allowing content creators to generate significant revenue from their quality work without having to fight for the limited airtime allocations that the existing industry model allows.

The present invention seeks to isolate the best content from emerging and established creative artists, perform such works across multiple media platforms, and provide the artists with a more than reasonable income. The present invention provides content that is not tied to familiar seasonal programming that only offers viewers a new season of a show once or twice a year. In essence, the system of the present invention is capable of delivering continuously evolving, top quality content, exposing viewers to potentially thousands of new artists each year in direct contrast to familiar seasonal programming. What is consistent with all of the content is that it has been approved through a multi-step, blind, independent review process that rewards viewers who do not have to invest time and energy to find such content.

Submission and Review

The process is initiated by the artist or creator of the content. The content can take many forms, but will most likely be a film, video, or music. However, other creative works, including books, artwork, stand-up comedy, dance, scripts, etc., can also be processed according to the present invention.

The artist or the person who holds the rights to the work must create a personal account within the present invention, preferably via an Internet connection between computers in a secure manner, and once created, the person will receive his/her own ID number, and the uploaded content will additionally receive a specific I.D. which is an extension of the personal account I.D.

Once the creative work is completed, the artist or his/her agent uploads the content to a receiving computer or server through a submission repository, such as an online submission portal. Once this process, the content file transfer, and payment are complete, the artist may be provided with a receipt that may include an identification number and confirmation that the content has been uploaded for further review. Additionally, the artist may be charged a fee for the submission, which may be any number, but is typically a nominal fee of $25 to $75. The amount of the fee may be related to the length of the content, which of course affects the time required to review and evaluate the submitted work, as further described below.

Once a work has been submitted and uploaded to the repository, the next step in the process begins, which involves a review of the work to assess its quality or appeal and to determine whether the work should continue through the evaluation process. The nature of the review and the parameters by which the work is evaluated can vary greatly, depending on, for example, the work itself and the target demographics. The following describes a preferred review procedure, but may be modified or altered as determined and still remain within the scope of the present invention.

One important feature preferred in the review process is that it is "blind." This means that the reviewer of the work is unaware of the identity or past contributions of the work's creator. The goal, of course, is to provide an unbiased review of the work itself, without the influence of external factors such as the creator's relative fame or obscurity and any contacts or connections the creator may have. The review may involve multiple stages. In one embodiment, the first stage of the review process requires that the work or content be screened and reviewed by a number of review board members, typically eight to ten per level, as may be established in accordance with the present invention. Each of these reviewers reviews the work separately at this stage, either by accessing the content on the computer or server where the work is uploaded in an authorized and secure manner, or by copying the content to a remote device. Each reviewer grades the work, makes any notes that may be appropriate to ensure the sufficiency and completeness of the review, and also records his or her thoughts on the particular portion being reviewed as he or she moves on to the next level of the blind review. This may be done entirely within the confines of a central data center on a computer or server.

In one aspect of the present invention, a work will undergo three separate rounds of review by multiple or more reviewers, each of which will be blindly reviewed by the reviewers through these three separate rounds before the work or content is accepted for broadcast, as described in detail below, so that the result will be the combined contributions of a review board of 24 to 30 members who are unaware of the creator's identity, age, race, or gender.

By using a minimum number of reviewers, for example eight, in three separate stages, the triple-blind process is performed independently, without the fundamental current industry standard biases that influence the decision-making process, so that the process facilitates the identification of the best material to move to the next stage. In one aspect of the present invention, each of these reviewers independently reviews the work without reference to the other reviewers, although other variations are possible in which the reviewers may work in pairs or groups, whichever size is deemed most effective in evaluating the work in at least one of the evaluation stages.

Steps that can be incorporated to protect the integrity of the review include, for example, ensuring that a committee member cannot follow a particular portion of the content, such as when moving from one segment of the data center to another. Since all content, and indeed the reviewers themselves, are unidentified, a reviewer cannot effectively “push” any particular portion of the content into the broadcast stage on their own. When reviewed, no name or other identifying information is attached to the content item, no name is attached to the reviewer, the reviewer’s notes are not attached to the content being reviewed, but are kept with the content that is not disclosed to any other reviewer who may review the same content, and the final notes are reviewed only at the end of the evaluation process, with the lead review committee member actively facilitating the next step. The content creator of a pending broadcast is notified or informed of this, while the writing staff may also write a letter to the content creator of a work that is not accepted for broadcast informing them of this outcome. The notes prepared by the reviewer may include a random rejection (or acceptance) indicating that the creator is encouraged to consider the suggestions made, make changes, and resubmit. Additionally, another segment of the data center computer system may be required to track the reviewers who evaluate any particular piece of content to ensure that the quality control process for content review is maintained. In this way, the strict neutrality of the review process helps ensure that the same, best content almost always makes it to broadcast quality, regardless of how many times it runs through the process or which reviewer in the review board pool actually evaluates the content.

The evaluation of a work may be based on a number of set parameters, elements, or programs that the reviewer may have for guidance, including storyline, character development, acting, direction, and the overall production quality of the film or video. In the field of music, factors to consider when evaluating may include melody, harmony, rhythm, form, lyrics, and production quality. Of course, these are just examples.

Upon completion of the review process and steps described above, all content is subject to final screening or listening by a majority of the review committee, preferably in a screening room with appropriate equipment. The content may be screened directly from a computer or server, or may be copied or screened therefrom. This final screening may include content that survived the aforementioned steps and was approved, or may even include some or all of the content that did not pass muster in this initial review. Adding content that did not pass muster may serve several purposes, such as providing another opportunity for quality content that may have otherwise been overlooked. Additionally, if a requirement is not met, prior to the broadcast time, all those who attended the final screening may write a voice note during the broadcast, which may be uploaded to the server and associated with the content on the server. After the final screening review and approval of the selected work for further processing, the artist or creator of the work is contacted to inform them of the decision, and the broadcast schedule for that content is adjusted. The system may require the existence of an "Artist Relations Department" for this purpose.

The selected content is then coded and processed by a broadcast management system, which may reside in another segment of the central data system, and the broadcast schedule is set. The broadcast management system programming functionality allows for certain user preferences when utilizing the present invention. For example, it may be possible to pause, fast forward, rewind, and retain a position for later viewing. Other features, such as the ability to designate a work as a "favorite," may be provided. Additionally, the user may have the option of accessing the content from a content library generated in accordance with the present invention. The content library may be contrasted with the broadcast of the work, during which the viewer watches the selected material and program playing in real time, much like when watching network television. However, since the same content may be in the content library, the user or viewer may be able to access the work at any time, or perhaps start watching from the beginning, which he or she may have missed if the broadcast had only joined during the broadcast of the work.

In one aspect of the present invention, a work, which may be a video, will be placed on a specific rotating programming cycle for a period of up to eight weeks. In other words, the work will be broadcast over a period of eight weeks in a selected time slot. The broadcast management system will maintain a log of each time a piece of content is broadcast, thereby enabling an accurate accounting system to effectively control and accurately calculate payments to artists.

In one aspect of the invention, the artist's share of revenue generated by advertising during the broadcast of the work may be paid within 45 days after the content has completed its rotation of, for example, 8 weeks or 56 days. Shorter rotations may also be utilized, and payments to the artist may occur on shorter or longer schedules.

Specific numbers may vary depending on the current situation, but typically only the top 2% of submitted content is approved for broadcast. Furthermore, that 2% is all that is running on the broadcast system, which is broadcast or streamed continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This continuous streaming occurs simultaneously on multiple channels, each channel dedicated to a particular genre, in one aspect of the present invention. In some cases, two or more similar genres may occupy a single channel.

Content Acquisition Process

This approach allows the acquisition process to take advantage of and leverage the wealth of content being created by artists who may otherwise never see the light of day and who now take advantage of the array of newly developed audio and video production tools readily available to creators. By leveraging this wealth of content, the Review Board can build a vast library of works that can be broadcast or viewed 24 hours a day. Many of these works may include world-class content, created entirely by independent and unaffiliated external creators and producers, and may represent submissions submitted in accordance with the present invention, and therefore do not represent fees and up-front costs for the broadcast capabilities of the present invention. The importance of avoiding up-front costs and expenses serves many purposes and is one of the more important differences between the present invention and current industry business models. Thus, the methods and systems of the present invention leverage high-quality works that may otherwise be ignored by the relevant industry in conventional procedures currently used to find, publish, and broadcast high-quality works of art.

Thus, unlike conventional TV networks and studios, the system and process according to the present invention does not risk investing in the initial production costs of content that may or may not attract viewers and has not yet been created. This, of course, determines whether advertisers are willing to purchase advertising inventory. By tapping into a vast source that is otherwise unserved or underserved, the present invention selects the best from these sources that already exist, have been produced, and are essentially ready for broadcast.

For such submissions that are approved by the review board and selected for broadcast, the creator or other person associated with such submission may, under the present invention, receive a majority or at least a significant portion of the advertising revenue. The reality of the substantial income that the creator can earn ultimately raises the bar even higher, which is likely to produce better quality content. Furthermore, higher quality content has the potential to attract a larger audience, which naturally leads to higher advertising rates and revenue, which leads to higher revenue for the content creator, which leads to the production of higher quality content. According to the present system, the person who benefits most directly from the system is the artist himself, who is typically underpaid and undervalued in the traditional market. However, in a broader sense, the viewers and advertisers will ultimately benefit from the surfacing of high quality material, so this is a win-win for everyone involved.

Programmatic Advertising Relationship Model

The library of content submitted and/or approved in accordance with the present invention may span the entire spectrum and include films and videos of drama, comedy, action, and other genres. It may also include a variety of music genres, stand-up comedy, and dance, which may be broadcast on various streaming channels. As noted above, as the volume of submissions increases and the quality of content improves and reaches higher levels, the number of channels for music and film will continue to increase, providing viewers with more and more options and also providing advertisers with the ability to associate high-quality material and products in a particular genre. Additionally, the channels and the overall system generally allow for content of any length. Traditionally, broadcasters have tailored their programming to a set time schedule. This allows for the maximization of advertising time per 30 or 60 minute time slot. An example would be a 30 minute TV show that allows for 8 minutes of advertising and is 22 minutes long. This model requires that creative content be appropriate, which in many cases directly and profoundly affects the organic nature of the creative process by adding unnecessary material to fill the time requirements or removing material to fit. Additionally, by removing the timer for content combined with the ability of the present invention to calculate monetization down to the minute and even second, an artist who creates a great piece of art in just a few seconds on Vine or Instagram can also monetize that work.

The system according to the invention can set a programming schedule for all channels, much in the same way that network television has done in the past. Viewing is provided without any subscription fees, and advertising is limited. An additional feature of the inventive system is to attempt to address and solve the digital advertising algorithmic dilemma commonly faced by other streaming services. This is accomplished by determining with great accuracy how many people are watching any given target channel at any given time, along with the age, gender and location of each viewer. This information can be provided to advertisers, so that they can direct their advertising dollars to selected demographics whose parameters are much more well known than in conventional past and current usage.

The system of the present invention will also request and require viewers to watch and pay attention to advertisements shown during a performance, and viewers may be better equipped to watch such advertisements knowing that any revenue derived therefrom, or at least a significant portion thereof, will go to the artist who created the content they are currently enjoying. Thus, there is a mutually beneficial connection or link between the creator or artist, the viewer, and the advertiser, all of whom benefit from each other in a much more direct sense than has been achieved in the past. Furthermore, advertisements may ultimately be more relevant to specific potential viewers, since they are less likely to be aired in places where products with little or no relevance to known demographics may be ignored or disliked. Furthermore, the present invention allows viewers to save advertisements of interest to their personal library account, as well as provide viewers with the ability to provide feedback about the advertisement directly to the advertiser, further helping the company to better address the needs of their target market. The system also provides the ability for viewers to request additional information about the advertised product, while allowing advertisers to respond directly to the viewer via email or other forms of communication.

The present invention may also allow for advertisement sharing, whereby a viewer may forward interesting and potentially useful advertisements to others. In such cases, the advertiser may be notified and may also decide to send additional materials that may be helpful to the person or viewer who shared the advertisement. Upon signing up, the viewer may provide an email address to which primary or secondary advertisement content may be sent. Additionally, the library account may receive follow-up advertisement information, so that the user does not have to worry about advertisements or unwanted information being flooded into his or her personal email account.

Advertisements and commercials may be self-deleting. When downloading content from a library for free, the viewer must view a certain number of commercials included in the content in order to receive or obtain the free download. The advertisements are then automatically removed. Alternatively, the advertisements may be turned off rather than self-deleting. In this case, if the viewer shares the content with another person or transfers the content to another device, the advertisements will be turned back on for viewing, and the same process will begin again.

To monetize additional viewers or new devices, the invention may require that the account owner register the device. When content is shared to another device, the content must be connected to Wi-Fi or another form of connection to the service of the invention, which allows the system of the invention to observe where the content is going and whether the device can be recognized. If the device is recognized, a fee may be charged for one tier. If not, the new user must register an account with the system platform of the invention to view the content. At this point, the system may notify the advertiser of the additional viewing and associated fee.

The system of the present invention may also include an on-demand component, whereby a viewer watching a currently streaming production from a broadcast source such as a TV may additionally access a library of content and view such content from the library. This has multiple advantages. Thus, the viewer may watch the program as much as he or she wants, whenever he or she wants. Additionally, the viewer may be able to watch a performance from the beginning where he or she started watching it midway through the broadcast stream. Additionally, the viewer may have the ability to download the content or send such performance or a link to it to a friend if he or she enjoyed the content and believes that others may enjoy it as well. The performance may also be stored in the viewer's personal favorites or library file, and such performance may be viewed on many devices, including, but not limited to, mobile phones, laptops, and smart TVs, to name a few more common examples.

Rotation broadcast mode

It is important to understand that individuals who watch entertainment tend to have viewing patterns. For example, someone might sit down to watch TV after dinner and watch for two hours. That would be a recurring pattern that would be consistent with the person’s life schedule. The aforementioned pattern is not something that the typical viewer would see a lot of new content every day, because the entire media industry is not a model of exposing viewers to a lot of new content, but a financial model. This is somewhat similar to the automobile industry, which may add hundreds of new features to its cars next year, but because the business model of automobiles is capital-driven and does not provide everything available to the consumer, it would actually take three to five years to implement all of those features.

The present invention's rotational broadcast model is the antithesis of such models, where the goal is to expose as much new, quality content as possible, in the belief that there is always more content than can be viewed, and that viewers should have access to new and different content each time they take the time to watch entertainment.

The invention constructs content blocks, for example 6 hour blocks (blocks may be constructed longer or shorter in other examples). These content blocks have a corresponding position and rotate forward 24 hours each day, while the content within the corresponding time block also rotates daily. An example for one of the channels might utilize 8 time blocks with 6 hours of content in each block, filling a full 2 days of broadcasting. Blocks A B C D E F G H would begin with block A and begin broadcasting at midnight until 6 a.m., followed by block B starting at 6 a.m. and broadcasting until noon, and so on for 2 days or 48 hours. Then all the blocks rotate forward one position with the first block (typically block A moves to the end of the line along with block H in the next rotation), this time block B starts at midnight and broadcasts until 6 a.m., followed by block C from 6 a.m. to noon, and so on. The next cycle has a midnight broadcast starting with Block C. This rotation of content blocks allows viewers to watch the channel with a normal, consistent viewing pattern for 11 days before watching the same block of content again. Additionally, if the content within each 6-hour block is rotated forward by a full hour each time it arrives at its initial broadcast position, this creates a dynamic in which, when Block A returns to its patterned viewing time, the order of the content changes, giving viewers the opportunity to watch content from the 6-hour block that they may not have previously seen, due to the consistent viewership patterns. This means that if a viewer watches 1 hour of programming each night, it could take up to 60 days for them to watch all of the content presented in the first 8 6-hour content blocks. Broadcasts can be affected, for example, by streaming the content online or by delivering the content by other conventional means.

Access and Funding

Artists, whether musicians, writers, directors, actors, or producers, are well aware that large corporations control nearly all distribution channels and thus play a large role in determining what works are and are not available to the public. The vast majority of artists are left out. While readily available technology has enabled a new generation of artists to create broadcast content from their homes or small studios, whether in film, television, or music, the promise of the Internet to provide creators with an additional platform for mass exposure by providing them with the ability to monetize that content remains a significant challenge. This applies to both unknown and established artists who have the ability to capture an audience. So the key issue for many artists is how to convert exposure into revenue once they have sufficient exposure.

Indeed, with the multitude of media choices available across multiple devices and platforms today, it is difficult enough for billion-dollar advertisers to reach consumers, let alone small artists, regardless of the quality of their content. On the other hand, it is equally difficult to find great, high-quality content to watch, requiring viewers to wade through an almost infinite sea of average or even mediocre content to discover the gems contained within.

The present invention therefore provides a system featuring a collection of channels that broadcast very high quality content from both emerging and established writers, directors, recording artists and others who have passed the review process, broadcasting only the best of the best content and making this content available to the public through multiple media platforms and also through multiple types of digital devices. At the same time, a reasonable source of income is provided to the artist, potentially exceeding any currently available source of income, especially for unknown or little-known artists.

One of the major financial advantages for artists whose content is exploited by the present invention is that the revenues that artists can generate are tied to advertising rates that increase with viewership. Traditionally, artists license their content for broadcast and negotiate a set rate for use by a network. The network then seeks to maximize advertising revenue for spots sold within that licensed content. The network can generate several times more revenue than it paid for the rights to broadcast the content.

The present invention provides the opportunity to broadcast creative content across all genres, and also provides the same or similar financial arrangements currently available to producers to bring broadcast-ready media to major networks. It is emphasized that selection according to the present invention is based solely on the quality of the content.

The present invention provides a broadcast model that provides a compelling mix of network, streaming, and on-demand services available on multiple platforms. This is achieved through a combination of a method of delivering content, a method of scheduling programming, and a content library. Content creators can leverage the power of the present invention's system, and viewers can enjoy top-quality entertainment from both discovered and previously undiscovered talent without having to spend valuable time searching. The present invention's review process helps identify the highest quality submissions without bias. Finally, advertisers can collect critical viewer data in real time, more accurately and up-to-date than any other distribution channel in the industry. By requiring viewers to set up an account, and then additionally requiring subscribed viewers to access any channel using a passcode, the present invention is uniquely positioned to know exactly how many people are on each channel at any given time, specifically what viewers are watching on each channel, the approximate location of the viewers, and the age, race, and gender of the viewers. All of these features are not currently accessible to advertisers and are desperately needed to more efficiently manage their advertising campaign spending.

A conventional network or traditional broadcaster uses capital resources on the front end to create, license or purchase content. The expenditure can then be recovered through advertising revenue. However, there is an inherent risk. If the content is not popular, the advertising rates will be lower, which simply allows entertainment companies to remain with previously proven artists and creators, taking less risk and working safely for the revenue stream and recovering the revenue. The system of the present invention eliminates or substantially reduces risk aversion, since there is no up-front capital expenditure for content creation or acquisition. The present invention provides a review as described above to sift through a large amount of material to identify the best. The goal is to prioritize quality above all else.

In an entertainment industry that includes approximately 700 cable channels, hundreds of network channels, dozens of streaming channels, and countless free channels, you will understand that several things remain consistent: (1) how content is monetized; (2) how content is acquired; and (3) how content is controlled. The constantly changing factor is how content is delivered. Thus, faster downloads, higher resolutions, media used (TV, computer, phone, game console, etc.), contract or no contract, grouping, etc. are constantly evolving in an effort to meet changing demands. Perhaps more than 100 million households have cable TV, about 70 million households have Netflix, and there are many other choices. All of these options guarantee two things: first, many avenues for commercial advertising, and second, a large amount of content to sift through to find quality. It is also equally difficult for advertisers to find a market among these various viewing options. The system of the present invention provides an independent, “blind” review process that brings out the best quality content for distribution and broadcast.

Advertisers have real-time information about their audience, and most importantly, creative artists can make significant profits from their creations. Since broadcasting is funded by content submission fees, artists are supporting a platform that can support artists in return. Advertising revenue and its profitability are directly related to the number of viewers. The number of viewers is determined by the quality of the content. As the quality of the content is discovered, viewership increases, advertising revenue increases, and thus the artist's income increases even more significantly due to the overhead covered by the submission fees.

Advertising rates according to the present invention can be calculated by a mathematical equation based on, for example, the cost per thousand viewers of a particular show. A specific amount is charged based on this. The rate can be increased or decreased depending on the time of day or even the day of the week. This calculation can be scaled down to find the amount of advertising revenue per minute or even per second to more accurately compensate content creators. The ability to scale down to seconds allows the timer for content length to be eliminated. The timer is the length of time that content must fill or adhere to the traditional broadcast advertising model. This model directly affects the original and organic nature of creating content for entertainment purposes.

Additional explanation and discussion

(A) Commercial content embedded in free downloadable content self-deletes or turns off after a certain number of views. Currently, content (music, video, or movies) is available for download from various sites for a small fee. The content library takes a portion of the download fee and also sells advertising space on the library's pages to generate more revenue.

(A1) In the present invention, the content library (invention) has many features, including allowing content creators to download all content for free while paying more than what they would pay to create from an existing library. This is accomplished by placing advertisements at the beginning, middle, or end of the downloaded content. These advertisements (or advertisements based on the length of the downloaded content) self-delete or turn off after the content has been viewed a certain number of times. These advertisements generate revenue for the creators and the library.

(B) On-demand features can be linked directly to scheduled programming. Currently, on-demand services consist of a content library of past shows from a particular network or a standalone service that has thousands of content titles from past shows and movies. The on-demand service itself allows viewers to access these titles for free, and in fact, some of them can be viewed for free. However, most of these titles cost viewers a few dollars to view. Content that is selected for paid content allows viewers to watch as much as they want during a 24-hour period.

(B1) In the present invention, a viewer can move from watching a show that was turned on midway to watching the exact content in the library by clicking on the icon. From there, he or she can read notes, save it for later viewing, watch it from the beginning, or leave review notes for other viewers. A fair comparison would be, for example, switching on ABC Channel 7 midway through a show and clicking on the icon to reach ABC's content library and perform all of the aforementioned options. The viewer member can start watching the show on one of the channels that was started before joining, and by activating the on-screen icon (or using some other procedure) can jump right to that show in the content library with several options available to the viewer. These include (1) watching from the beginning, (2) bookmarking the show to watch later (placed in a personal content library), (3) reading notes about the show written by the creators, (4) leaving his or her own final comments after watching, and (5) having full control over the content. In this regard, many cable channels now allow the viewer to select a resume function and have the show start again. However, the viewer cannot fast forward, rewind, or pause for long periods of time. So, by comparison, this is not complete control for the viewer.

(C) It is standard for network TV to advertise using the Nielsen rating system. This system uses a small cross-section of homes with viewer boxes that track what each household is watching, including time, channel, etc. All of that data is then extrapolated to a Nielsen number that covers the entire country, which is then considered to be what the country is watching at once. Advertising rates are then based on that number. The advertiser pays for the current advertising campaign and receives a report after the entire campaign is completed and the advertising cost has been spent. Only then does the advertiser know whether his advertising campaign achieved the desired results. The main problem with the Nielsen model is that there are only about 40,000 homes with Nielsen boxes that capture this information, and about 118,000,000 homes with TVs. Essentially, about 0.00337% of the viewers' viewing habits are used to calculate what the remaining 99.99662% of viewers are watching.

(C1) In the present invention, each channel is programmed and, much like a network, can tell what is playing. However, because the present invention utilizes a streaming service, it may require the viewer to set up a personal account that assigns a personal access code. That code must be used each time the viewer attempts to access the channel. In a preferred form, the only personal data required is age, gender, and zip code. This data can provide advertisers with real-time data on how many people were on a given channel when the commercial was aired, and what their ages, genders, and zip codes were. For a company advertising in a local market, the company can also access other local markets in that area or any other part of the country. This real-time data (which can be accessed through the account immediately after the commercial airs to see the aforementioned figures) allows the advertiser to adjust their marketing strategy, as well as see figures for other nearby areas in that area and see if expansion is worthwhile in an educated manner that is currently unavailable in the advertising industry. In accordance with a feature of the present invention, advertisers can adjust their advertising campaigns mid-campaign, thereby greatly improving the success rate of a particular target.

(C2) Additionally, through the library, all commercials can be accessed later by viewers who are interested but have no way to record or enter information at that moment. By clicking on the favorite icon while the commercial is on the device screen, the commercial can be saved to a personal library account, and the advertiser can be additionally notified of the viewer's interest so that the information can be emailed to the viewer.

(C3) Another feature available to advertisers is the preload immediate drop process. This process allows advertisers to set marker numbers that trigger ad buys and placements into broadcast rotation. For example, an advertiser in the Dallas area may be interested in expanding into additional regional markets, but may only want to spend additional revenue if a certain minimum number of viewers is reached. The advertiser can set a minimum number, set the markets of interest, and set their budget. Once those numbers are met in some or all of the additional markets, the ad is placed into broadcast rotation for viewing. This provides advertisers with several specific benefits: (1) It reduces the risk typically associated with ad buys based on current viewership, which may be irrelevant or out of date at the time the advertiser's ad actually runs. This risk reduction process is directly related to the overall ability to know exactly how many people are watching each channel in every city across the country, across borders. (2) It allows advertisers to test new markets and/or new creative content “now,” versus months of waiting for rotations to be booked as is the current method. (3) It allows advertisers to monitor immediate results and structure long-term ad buys based on real-time metrics by potentially running multiple ads at once to compare impact and results. This contrasts with the current method where advertisers buy ad time in bulk for placement over a set period of time, with the full ad buy results coming in after the campaign is complete. This is a system that inherently increases financial risk for smaller advertisers. Hopefully, the ads they run are the better of the two or three they created to choose from, but there is certainly no upfront payment.

(D) Acquiring content to broadcast: The current way an artist can broadcast any form of creative content can be as follows. For example, for a film, a script must first be written, and then funding must be secured to begin pre-production. To obtain funding, a successful track record of past work is required. Otherwise, the creator may have to beg and borrow from friends and family, which will not cover anything larger than a short film at best. Even if the creator can raise enough capital to produce a feature film, distribution and broadcasting will be necessary. For distribution, the creator will need a connection, manager, or agent, but again, a successful track record often controls the acquisition of these connections. Since the industry invests a great deal of capital in every aspect of the creative process, it tends to go with proven success, which is often unrelated to quality. Since distribution requires a great deal of money to advertise and sell the product, it is extremely difficult for an independent artist to obtain support or sponsorship from a distribution company or broadcaster. If fortunate enough to make it that far, the artist typically receives a small percentage of any reported profit, if any. In addition to the need for funding, there is also the fact that there is no limit to the number of slots available for viewing. A few decades ago, a movie would stay in theaters for two or three months. Today, a few weeks is a long time before a movie is replaced by the next one. On TV/cable, channels are filled with endless reruns. Networks sell advertising spots at a premium, but can pay less for older content that is safe and known to attract existing viewers. While spots are limited, channel owners are reluctant to take risks and spend money on unknown content because of the costs associated with it and the service fees associated with it. When unknown content is publicly traded, channel owners are forced to produce results for their shareholders, dramatically reducing their ability or desire to take risks. When artists do get distribution, they typically make little to no money, because the company claims that the profits went to the cost of selling the work. On the other hand, if the content is a huge hit, the artist can earn better revenue, but usually only through negotiations backed by their previous track record for the next project they create.

(D1) The process according to the present invention is very different from the above. Assuming that the artist has completed the creative process and has now completed the content ready for distribution or broadcast, the artist can submit the completed content according to the present invention at minimal cost, and the content then goes through the review process as described above. If the content makes it to broadcast, the content may have been reviewed by 24 to 30 or more industry experts (and there may also be non-experts registered to review the content). None of these experts have any money involved, no reputation involved, and no knowledge of the creator of the content. Names are reduced to codes, reviewer names are also reduced to codes, and reviewers may be required to write notes about the content, but other reviewers may not have access to those notes. Thus, all aspects of the review process are blind and independent. In addition, age, race, gender, social status, and creative achievements are blind to everyone involved in the review process. This means that you no longer need an agent or manager to open the door, you don't have to be young and fresh, you don't have to be slim and attractive. What you need is quality content. Also, artists who want to make a feature film (the most expensive film to achieve) can submit a trailer for review. If the trailer makes it all the way to broadcast, the invention provides that the trailer can run on a trailer channel for interest. The system can also allow viewers of the trailer to invest in the production of the film, such as through crowdfunding. One aspect of the invention can allow artists to raise capital to continue the project, such as by issuing a letter of intent to broadcast the trailer to the artist based on the quality of the submitted trailer.

(E) Monetization of Creative Content: In the current environment, there is an understanding that the creators of content, whether it be movies, TV, music, or other content, receive the smallest share of the money generated by the content they create. Distribution companies, as mentioned above, have huge overheads and use that logic to justify the smallest share going to the content creators. Distribution and advertising can be very expensive because there is no way to really know how to find an audience. Therefore, distribution companies are assumed to be taking the biggest financial risk.

(E1) According to the present invention, the space or spot for distribution and broadcasting is infinite because of the scalability of the format. Since it is a streaming service, channels can be added at a minimal or relatively low cost when needed. Because of the non-traditional marketing according to the present invention, the cost is considerably lower than the existing forms of marketing. The process of the present invention does not require excessive pricing because good content itself attracts viewers. No cost for quality attracts viewers, which in turn increases advertising rates and generates more revenue for content creators. Good content that increases viewership also attracts advertisers. Therefore, the system of the present invention allows each of the three external components, namely, (1) artist, (2) viewer, and (3) advertiser, to support the other components while benefiting from the other components.

Claims (41)

A system for processing media content, including a functional platform,
The above functional platform provides services to artists, viewers and advertisers by allowing arbitrary content to be submitted for a fee.
Any submitted portion of content with all ownership information converted to an ID code will be reviewed by at least some members of said platform for consideration of placement on the platform and eventual broadcast to at least one registered user of said platform;
Additionally, content placed on platforms and broadcasts will receive a significant portion of the revenue generated from advertising sold to content creators for placement on broadcasts;
The above system provides a free policy for platform registration and access, registration only requires the user to submit the user's age, gender, and zip code, and when the registered user receives an access code, this code allows the user to,
A) Watch pre-programmed sets of channels that broadcast content and advertising for free;
B) Access the content library for “self-service” selection of streaming content to watch for free;
C) Download content from the content library for free through the free download policy, and the downloaded content generates revenue for the content creator.
Required to access platform features,
The system allows advertisers to use the platform to place their advertisements on pre-programmed channels, content libraries, and content downloaded to users' media devices.
The above platform requires each user to log in each time they access the platform;
A system for processing media content, wherein the advertiser is provided with access to the exact number of users who are viewing the advertiser's advertisements when the advertisements are broadcast in real time, and further, the advertiser is provided with access to a data file of non-personal information, consisting of age, gender, and zip code, regarding each user who is viewing the advertiser's advertisements when the advertisements are broadcast, and which each user submits to register with the platform. In the first paragraph,
A system for processing media content, comprising the additional steps of recording the length of each piece of content each time the content is broadcast in a particular block of broadcast content, calculating the amount of advertising revenue paid to the platform by advertisers for all advertisement broadcasts in the particular block of broadcast content for a revenue share amount, establishing a per-minute revenue share for the content by dividing at least 51% of the advertising revenue by the minutes of content in the block of broadcast content, and paying the established per-minute revenue to the content creator for each minute of the content creator's broadcast in the block of content. In the first paragraph,
Content creators who are scriptwriters have the ability to place their works in the script section of the above content library using an anonymous ID code generated through the submission process and associated with the creator's account on the platform.
The platform allows agents, managers, producers, and directors to search the content library for quality scripts without copying or downloading the content.
Without any history or knowledge of the author, it is possible to base interest in a work on the quality of the work without any bias from the creator's past success or reputation.
The platform also provides letters of intent for content that requires external funding to be produced, thereby increasing interest in the script as securing the broadcast medium in advance shortens the return period for investment.
A system for processing media content, whereby interest in the script is transmitted to the platform for contact with anonymous content creators. In the first paragraph,
Further including the ability to increase or decrease daily broadcasting capabilities by the process of adding or removing channels on the above platform;
The amount of channels on the platform
1) To fill the broadcast time slots that provide users with the same content across multiple channels at the same time, the platform will reduce the number of channels so that it does not broadcast the same content on multiple channels.
2) A system for processing media content, which allows users of the platform to access all submitted content accepted for broadcasting by increasing the number of channels. In the first paragraph,
Content is uploaded to a part of the platform upon payment of a submission fee;
Submitted content goes through multiple levels of pre-review, where all content creator information associated with the submitted content is converted into an ID number, allowing the content to be reviewed by at least some members of the platform without the content creator’s knowledge or history, and this anonymity removes some or all potential bias from the review process.
Additionally, the identities of member reviewers are converted to anonymous ID numbers for the review process, and this anonymity eliminates potential reviewer bias among member reviewers.
Two levels of anonymity keep the entire review process blind, so that once submitted content passes the review process, it is judged solely on the quality of the content.
After the content is accepted, it is moved to other parts of the platform where it can be accessed for viewing by registered users of the platform through a number of features of the platform, for example:
On a number of pre-programmed channels on the platform (similar to how network TV is scheduled),
There is a library of content available for streaming of user-selected content whenever the user selects it;
A system for processing media content that can be downloaded free of charge to a user's media device from the platform's content library. In the first paragraph,
The content library allows users to download content from said content library for free through a free download policy in exchange for viewing advertisements embedded in the downloaded content a set number of times.
The above system can count the number of times an advertisement has been viewed, and if at least one predetermined number of views has been achieved, the inserted advertisement is hidden on the media device used during future viewings of the downloaded content,
The system can identify when and if previously downloaded content has been shared to a secondary media device, and the computer coding displays a notification on the secondary device instructing the user of the device to register with the platform to view the recently shared content, and the embedded computing coding notifies the platform when the secondary device registers with the platform that content downloaded by another user is now on the secondary device.
The system then records the number of ad views required for the particular content transmitted and downloaded to the secondary device to be ad-free on the secondary device, and places information in the advertiser's platform account detailing the additional views and additional revenue to be billed to the advertiser, as well as a record of any additional revenue attributable to the creator of the downloaded content transmitted to the secondary device;
A system for processing media content, wherein the revenue paid to the platform by advertisers for embedding advertisements in content that is downloaded for free is divided between the content creator and the platform so that a significant portion of the revenue goes to the content creator. In the first paragraph,
Including allowing said advertiser access to continuously updated reports on the exact number of users who view said advertiser's advertisements while said advertisements are being broadcast;
Access to the data files associated with each user on the platform who is watching the advertisement being broadcast in the location where it is being broadcast is given to the advertiser, and the accessible user data includes certain non-personal information required for the user to register on the platform, said non-personal information only including the user's age, gender, and zip code,
The above platform provides access to non-personal user data associated with users of the platform in other cities at the same time that the advertiser's advertisement is broadcast, when the advertiser wants to purchase an advertising spot in that city for the success of the advertising campaign.
The above non-personal user data is provided to advertisers.
1) Know exactly how many users have viewed your ads;
2) Find out the exact age, gender, and zip code of the people who viewed the advertisement;
3) Identify demographics in different locations;
4) To instantly adjust advertising campaigns to suit your goals.
A system for processing media content, providing functionality. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete