Content item allocation

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for content distribution. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining reservation data specifying a reservation period and a number of impression reservations for the reservation period; receiving, during the reservation period, content item request data specifying that a resource was requested; identifying candidate content item providers; determining an expected revenue that will be obtained by selecting one of the candidate content item providers to provide a content item; providing, to a content item exchange, auction data including a reserve price; receiving positive response data specifying that the content item exchange will provide an exchange content item for a price that meets the reserve price; and in response to receiving the positive response data, selecting the exchange content item as the content item to be provided in response to receiving the content item request data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A method performed by one or more data processing apparatus, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a data processing apparatus and during a reservation period, a request for a resource that includes a content item slot that has been reserved by one or more reservation content item providers;   determining, by the data processing apparatus, an expected revenue that will be obtained by selecting one of the reservation content item providers to provide a content item in response to receiving the content item request data; and   providing, by the data processing apparatus and to a content item exchange, a reserve price that is based on the expected revenue.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 receiving positive response data from the content item exchange, the positive response data specifying that the content item exchange will provide an exchange content item for a price that meets the reserve price; and   in response to receiving the positive response data, selecting the exchange content item as the content item to be provided in response to receiving the request.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 receiving negative response data from the content item exchange, the negative response data specifying that the content item exchange will not provide an exchange content item for a price that meets the reserve price; and   in response to receiving negative response data, selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers as the content item to be provided in response to receiving request.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving negative response data, selecting one of the reservation content item providers as a winning content item provider, the winning content item provider being the reservation content item provider corresponding to a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; and   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item provided by the winning content item provider.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving negative response data:
 determining that two or more of the reservation content item providers each correspond to a same impression score that is a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; 
 assigning each of the two or more reservation content item providers an assignment probability based on one or more characteristics associated with the request; and 
 selecting one of the two or more reservation content item providers based on the assignment probabilities; and 
   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item that is provided by the selected reservation content item provider.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving negative response data:
 determining that two or more of the reservation content item providers each correspond to a same impression score that is a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; 
 assigning each of the two or more reservation content item providers an assignment probability based on a particular combination of the two or more reservation content item providers that each correspond to the same impression score; and 
 selecting one of the two or more reservation content item providers based on the assignment probabilities; and 
   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item that is provided by the selected reservation content item provider.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising:
 determining that a number of remaining resource requests for the reservation period exceeds a number of unfulfilled impression reservations for the reservation period; and   wherein the providing a reserve price is only performed in response to determining that the number of remaining resource requests exceeds the number of unfulfilled impression reservations.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the reserve price is determined based on an impression score for at least one of the reservation content item providers, each impression score specifying, for a reservation content item provider, a measure of quality of the impression to the reservation content item provider. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein each impression score is based on one or more characteristics associated with the request, the one or more characteristics including a predicted click-through rate. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein each reservation content item provider for which an expected revenue is obtained has at least one unfulfilled impression reservation. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the reserve price is generated based on a function of the expected revenue and a probability of selection. 
     
     
         48 . A system comprising:
 a data processing apparatus; and   a data store storing instructions that, upon execution, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, during a reservation period, a request for a resource that includes a content item slot that has been reserved by one or more reservation content item providers; 
 determining an expected revenue that will be obtained by selecting one of the reservation content item providers to provide a content item in response to receiving the content item request data; and 
 providing to a content item exchange, a reserve price that is based on the expected revenue. 
   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving positive response data from the content item exchange, the positive response data specifying that the content item exchange will provide an exchange content item for a price that meets the reserve price; and   in response to receiving the positive response data, selecting the exchange content item as the content item to be provided in response to receiving the request.   
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving negative response data from the content item exchange, the negative response data specifying that the content item exchange will not provide an exchange content item for a price that meets the reserve price; and   in response to receiving negative response data, selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers as the content item to be provided in response to receiving request.   
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 in response to receiving negative response data, selecting one of the reservation content item providers as a winning content item provider, the winning content item provider being the reservation content item provider corresponding to a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; and   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item provided by the winning content item provider.   
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 in response to receiving negative response data:
 determining that two or more of the reservation content item providers each correspond to a same impression score that is a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; 
 assigning each of the two or more reservation content item providers an assignment probability based on one or more characteristics associated with the request; and 
 selecting one of the two or more reservation content item providers based on the assignment probabilities; and 
   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item that is provided by the selected reservation content item provider.   
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 in response to receiving negative response data:
 determining that two or more of the reservation content item providers each correspond to a same impression score that is a highest impression score relative to all other reservation content item providers; 
 assigning each of the two or more reservation content item providers an assignment probability based on a particular combination of the two or more reservation content item providers that each correspond to the same impression score; and 
 selecting one of the two or more reservation content item providers based on the assignment probabilities; and 
   wherein selecting a content item that is provided by one of the reservation content item providers comprises selecting a content item that is provided by the selected reservation content item provider.   
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining that a number of remaining resource requests for the reservation period exceeds a number of unfulfilled impression reservations for the reservation period; and   wherein the providing a reserve price is only performed in response to determining that the number of remaining resource requests exceeds the number of unfulfilled impression reservations.   
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the reserve price is determined based on an impression score for at least one of the reservation content item providers, each impression score specifying, for a reservation content item provider, a measure of quality of the impression to the reservation content item provider. 
     
     
         56 . A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, during a reservation period, a request for a resource that includes a content item slot that has been reserved by one or more reservation content item providers;   determining an expected revenue that will be obtained by selecting one of the reservation content item providers to provide a content item in response to receiving the content item request data; and   providing to a content item exchange, a reserve price that is based on the expected revenue.