Customizing Media Content on Online Social Networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving from a media-player device an indication that a plurality of client systems of a plurality of respective users are currently proximate to the media-player device, accessing from user profiles associated with the respective users social-networking information and watch-history information of each of the plurality of users based on privacy preferences of the respective user, wherein the privacy preferences specify what social-networking information and watch-history information are accessible, selecting one or more media-content items from a plurality of media-content items based on the accessed social-networking information and watch-history information of the plurality of users, and sending instructions to the media-player device for presenting the selected media-content items with the media-player device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, from a media-player device, an indication that a plurality of client systems of a plurality of respective users are currently proximate to the media-player device;   accessing, from user profiles associated with the respective users, social-networking information and watch-history information of each of the plurality of users based on privacy preferences of the respective user, wherein the privacy preferences specify what social-networking information and watch-history information are accessible;   selecting one or more media-content items from a plurality of media-content items based on the accessed social-networking information and watch-history information of the plurality of users; and   sending, to the media-player device, instructions for presenting the selected media-content items with the media-player device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting the one or more media-content items is further based on context information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the context information comprises one or more of geographic-location information, time of day, or weather information. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the social-networking information of each of the plurality of users comprises demographic information of the one or more users. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of users comprise a first user, the first user being registered as an owner of the media-player device, and one or more second users, the one or more second users being registered as guest users of the media-player device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of users are associated with an online social network, wherein the online social network comprises a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising:
 a first node corresponding to the owner of the media-player device; and   one or more second nodes corresponding to the one or more guest users of the media-player device.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein social-networking information of the owner comprises one or more affinity coefficients of the first node with respect to one or more second nodes corresponding to the one or more guest users. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the affinity coefficient is based on one or more edges connecting the first node to the one or more second nodes. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein selecting the one or more media-content items is further based on the one or more affinity coefficients. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first node is within one degree of separation from each second node in the social graph. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more media-content items comprise at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more media-content items comprise at least one recommendation. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media-content items is retrieved from at least one third-party content provider. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein selecting the one or more media-content items is further based on criteria set by the at least one third-party content provider. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the criteria comprise guidelines for placing the at least one media-content item retrieved from the at least one third-party content provider, the guidelines being retrieved from the at least one third-party content provider. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the criteria comprise an amount to be paid by the at least one third-party content provider per display of the at least one media-content item retrieved from the at least one third-party content provider. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining one or more commonalities between the plurality of users based on an analysis of the accessed social-networking information and watch-history information of the plurality of users.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein selecting the one or more media-content items is further based on the determined one or more commonalities. 
     
     
         19 . One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:
 receive, from a media-player device, an indication that a plurality of client systems of a plurality of respective users are currently proximate to the media-player device;   access, from user profiles associated with the respective users, social-networking information and watch-history information of each of the plurality of users based on privacy preferences of the respective user, wherein the privacy preferences specify what social-networking information and watch-history information are accessible;   select one or more media-content items from a plurality of media-content items based on the accessed social-networking information and watch-history information of the plurality of users; and   send, to the media-player device, instructions for presenting the selected media-content items with the media-player device.   
     
     
         20 . A system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:
 receive, from a media-player device, an indication that a plurality of client systems of a plurality of respective users are currently proximate to the media-player device;   access, from user profiles associated with the respective users, social-networking information and watch-history information of each of the plurality of users based on privacy preferences of the respective user, wherein the privacy preferences specify what social-networking information and watch-history information are accessible;   select one or more media-content items from a plurality of media-content items based on the accessed social-networking information and watch-history information of the plurality of users; and   send, to the media-player device, instructions for presenting the selected media-content items with the media-player device.