System and method maximizing video license utilization using billboard services

Abstract

Key to overall video license utilization lies in a cooperative sharing of licenses between the different branch operators of the licenses before the expiry of the licenses. A branch operator has a region of operation and stimulating the demand for licenses that are about to expire across multiple regions increases the overall license utilization. Billboard service provides subscribers with information and facility to preview and select movies for viewing online and it provides an opportunity for branch operators and central operator to maximize the utilization of available licenses. Central billboard provides a platform for branch operators to submit and trade their surplus licenses while a local billboard that is part of a branch operator infrastructure helps create demand for such surplus licenses. Central billboard supports both regulated and unregulated pricing and trading thereby enhancing the chances of trading of licenses that are about to expire.

1 . A system for maximizing the utilization of a plurality of plurality of licenses available with a plurality of branch operators of a video distribution system based on real-time centralized management of said plurality of plurality of licenses to meet an overall demand of a plurality of required licenses, said system comprising a central billboard subsystem for managing said plurality of plurality of licenses of said plurality of branch operators, said central billboard subsystem comprising:
 means for determining a plurality of plurality of surplus licenses from said plurality of branch operators at periodic intervals based on a plurality of plurality of surplus costs associated with said plurality of plurality of surplus licenses, wherein each surplus license of a plurality of surplus licenses of said plurality of plurality of surplus licenses is used to meet said plurality of required licenses;   means for obtaining a plurality of plurality of on demand licenses based on a plurality of demands from said plurality of branch operators and a plurality of plurality of on demand costs associated with said plurality of plurality of on demand licenses, wherein each on demand license of a plurality of on demand licenses of said plurality of plurality of on demand licenses is used to meet said plurality of required licenses;   means for determining a plurality of plurality of branch operator licenses to be obtained from said plurality of branch operators, wherein a plurality of branch operator licenses of said plurality of plurality of branch operator licenses associated with a branch operator of said plurality of branch operators is determined based on a plurality of licenses of said plurality of plurality of licenses available with said branch operator, the expected utilization of said plurality of licenses, and an apportioned demand based on said plurality of required licenses, and each branch operator license of a plurality of branch operator licenses of said plurality of plurality of branch operator licenses is used to meet said plurality of required licenses; and   means for buying a plurality of bought licenses to meet said plurality of required licenses based on said plurality of plurality licenses available with said plurality of branch operators, wherein said buying comprises of means for buying a license of said plurality of bought licenses comprises:
 means for checking if said license ought to be purchased; 
 means for setting a buying price (BuP) of said license as blank; and 
 means for submitting said buying price as bid. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said means for buying a license further comprises:
 means for obtaining a base price (Bp) of said license;   means for computing a risk factor (Rp) of said license based on the possibility of selling said license at a lower price;   means for computing an inventory price (Ip) as the sum of Bp and Rp;   means for obtaining a market price (Mp) for said license;   means for setting a buying price (BuP) as Ip if Ip<Mp;   means for setting said buying price (BuP) as Mp if Ip not<Mp; and   means for submitting BuP as bid.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said means for buying a license further comprises means for negotiating a price of said license, wherein said negotiation comprises:
 means for determining an available time for negotiation (TN);   means for computing a negotiation margin (NM) as the difference between an inventory price (Ip) and a market price (Mp);   means for computing a buy price increment (BI) based on TN and NM;   means for obtaining of a buying price (BuP) of said license;   means for computing a revised buying price (RBP) as the sum of BuP and BI;   means for checking if RBP<Ip;   means for setting RBP as blank if TN< a predefined threshold;   means for submitting RBP as bid.