Content distribution system and method

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide an electronic marketplace that matches units of content from secondary content providers with suitable vacancies from primary content providers. Vacancies may constitute, or be included in, any digital transmission containers, such as a television or radio programming, web pages, and the like. Specifically, the electronic marketplace automatically matches content offered by secondary content providers with vacancies offered by primary content providers thus filling the vacancies in these containers through a real-time content trading, placement, and distribution system. To do so, attributes associated with the vacancies and with units of secondary content are used to trade and match suitable vacancies with suitable content. This invention enables both secondary content owners and vacancy owners (primary content providers) to obtain the full commercial benefit of their secondary content and containers.

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         4 . A system for insertion of video advertisements into a video program comprising:
 at least one server for storing video advertisements;   at least one server for transmitting a notification of a designated region in the video program;   in response to the notification, at least one server for selecting a video advertisement for insertion into the designated region in real-time, wherein the selection is based on (a) matching the video advertisement to targeted criteria and (b) a monetary bid for providing the video advertisement to a consumer; and   at least one server for transmitting the video program to a consumer device, wherein the video advertisement is delivered to the consumer device separately from the video program;   wherein, as a result of the selecting, the selected video advertisement is transmitted over a packet network to the consumer device such that (a) the video advertisement is presented to a consumer within the designated region as the consumer is watching the video program, and (b) while a first and second consumer are watching the same video program, a first video advertisement is presented to the first consumer and a second video advertisement is presented to the second consumer.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the consumer device is a computer. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the consumer device is a mobile device. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising at least one server for transmitting the video program to the consumer device, wherein the at least one server for transmitting the video program is a different server than the at least one server for transmitting the selected video advertisement. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the selected video advertisement is inserted into the designated region in real-time. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein at least one attribute is associated with the video program, wherein at least one attribute is associated with a video advertisement and wherein the video advertisement is selected based on a comparison of the at least one attribute associated with the video program and at least one attribute associated with the video advertisement. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the targeted criteria comprises consumer profiles. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the targeted criteria comprises contextual content. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the packet network is the Internet. 
     
     
         13 . A system for selective insertion of digital video advertisements into video programs, comprising:
 one or more servers for transmitting video programs to a plurality of consumer devices, the video programs having designated regions for receiving digital video advertisements inserted by the consumer devices; and   one or more servers for selecting and sending selected digital video advertisements to the consumer devices, wherein the selection of the digital video advertisements is based on matching the advertisements to targeted criteria of consumers and on a bidding process, wherein the selected digital video advertisements are sent to the consumer devices separately from the video programs and wherein different consumer devices insert different digital video advertisements within the same video programs.