Abstract:
A computer-implemented method for providing online advertising is provided. The method includes providing, by a video delivery module, online video content to a user and maintaining, by a tracking module, a content consumption counter tracking an amount of time the user has watched the video content. The method also includes preventing, by a blocking module, the user from controlling playback of the video content if the content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic. The method further includes providing, by an advertisement delivery module, a portion of an advertisement section to the user during the preventing. The duration of the portion of the advertisement section is dependent on the time characteristic.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The technology generally relates to systems and methods for providing online advertisements, and more particularly, to controlling playback of advertisements in an online program. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In typical network broadcasting, about eight minutes of advertisements are included in a thirty-minute program, representing a ratio of content to advertisements of about 3 to 1. In addition, each advertisement break in a full-length program lasts at most 90 seconds, usually between 30 seconds to 60 seconds. For online content viewing, however, it has been found that viewers tend to tolerate longer advertisement breaks. Online viewing patterns are also different than broadcast viewing patterns. For example, online users can instantly jump to a new program section during playback, while users of even Digital Video Recorders (DVR) require more time to skip to a different section of a program. 
         [0003]    In general, it is advantageous to maximize advertising time in a program because it enhances values to advertisers and increases revenue to broadcasters. To measure the value of advertisements, the Nielson&#39;s rating system provides the C3 ratings, which is a metric that rates average commercial minutes in live broadcast programming plus three days of online playback of the program after live broadcasting. To comply with the C3 rating system, a program provider can encode Nielsen audio watermarks in each program file formatted for online viewing. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Because advertising in online content is valuable to both advertisers and broadcasters, systems and methods are needed to strategically determine the frequency and duration of online advertisement playback so as to maximize c3 credits while ensuring that an online viewer is engaged with the content. 
         [0005]    In one aspect, the invention features a computer-implemented method for providing online advertising. The method includes providing, by a video delivery module, online video content to a user and maintaining, by a tracking module, a content consumption counter tracking an amount of time the user has watched the video content. The method also includes preventing, by a blocking module, the user from controlling playback of the video content if the content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic. The method further includes providing, by an advertisement delivery module, a portion of an advertisement section to the user during the preventing step. The duration of the portion of the advertisement section is dependent on the time characteristic. In some embodiments, the method additionally includes resetting the content consumption counter when the portion of the advertisement section has been viewed by the user. In some embodiments, the video content includes multiple video content sections interspersed among multiple advertisement sections in a schedule lineup. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, the invention features a computer-implemented method for providing online advertising. The method includes providing, by a video delivery module, online video content to a user. The video content includes multiple video content sections interspersed among multiple advertisement sections in a schedule lineup. The method also includes maintaining, by a tracking module, a content consumption counter tracking an amount of time the user has watched the video content. The method further includes receiving, by a receiver module, an input from the user to advance from a current video content section to a next video content section. The method includes providing, by an advertisement delivery module, at least a portion of an advertisement section to the user before advancing to the next video content section if the content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic. The duration of the portion of the advertisement section is dependent on the time characteristic. The tracking module is adapted to reset the content consumption counter when the advertisement section has been viewed by the user. In some embodiments, the method further includes preventing the user from advancing to the next video content section when the advertisement section is being provided to the user. 
         [0007]    In yet another aspect, the invention features a computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for playing online advertising. The computer program product includes instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus to provide online video content to a user and maintain a content consumption counter tracking an amount of time the user has watched the video content. In addition, the computer program product includes instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus to prevent the user from controlling playback of the video content if the content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic and provide at least a portion of an advertisement section to the user during the preventing step. The duration of the at least a portion of the advertisement section is dependent on the time characteristic. 
         [0008]    In other examples, any of the aspects above can include one or more of the following features. In some embodiments, the user is prevented from moving from a current video section to a next video section if the content consumption counter satisfies the time characteristic. The advertisement section served can be immediately before the next video content section in a schedule lineup. 
         [0009]    In some embodiments, the content consumption counter tracks a cumulative amount of time the user has watched the video over the multiple video content sections. 
         [0010]    In some embodiments, the user is allowed to control playback of the video content if the content consumption counter is less than 60 seconds, such as allowing the user to move to another video content section or advertisement section. In some embodiments, if the time characteristic includes 60 to 179 seconds of video content viewing time, the duration of the portion of the advertisement section served is 60 seconds. In some embodiments, if the time characteristic includes 180 to 359 seconds of video content viewing time, the duration of the portion of the advertisement section served is 120 seconds. In some embodiments, if the time characteristic includes greater than 360 seconds of video content viewing time, the duration of the portion of the advertisement section served is 180 seconds. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The advantages of the technology described above, together with further advantages, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the technology. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows an illustrative online program including advertisements and video content. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary process for controlling playback of advertisements in an online program. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary system configured to control playback of advertisements in an online program. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4A-F  show examples illustrating the playback control technology of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show exemplary online interfaces when a viewer&#39;s control is blocked during playback of an advertisement. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show exemplary online interfaces when a viewer&#39;s control is unblocked during playback of an advertisement. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary online program including advertisements and video content. For purposes of illustration, the length of the program  100  is thirty minutes, including twenty-two minutes of online video content  102  and eight minutes of online advertisements  104 . The video content  102  can be divided into sections, such as content sections  102   a,    102   b,    102   c,  and  102   d,  which are interspersed among advertisement sections  104   a,    104   b  and  104   c.    
         [0019]    The content sections  102   a,    102   b  and  102   c  can have varying durations. For purposes of illustration, a block  108  in the program  100  represents one minute of online video content programming. Therefore, the content section  102   a  includes nine minutes of video content, the content section  102   b  includes three minutes of video content, the content section  102   c  includes seven minutes of video content and the content section  102   d  includes three minutes of video content. 
         [0020]    The advertisement sections  104   a,    104   b  and  104   c  can also have varying durations. As shown, the advertisement section  104   a  is three minutes in duration and includes six advertisement slots  106 , with each slot  106  thirty seconds in duration. In some embodiments, the slots  106  are sponsored by different advertisers. The advertisement section  104   b  is also three minutes in duration, and the advertisement section  104   c  is two minutes in duration. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments, to capture c3 ratings, Nielsen audio watermarks are first encoded into the video feed of broadcast content and advertisements. The file is then transcoded into a format suitable for online viewing with the Nielsen audio watermarks intact. The file can be uploaded to a distributor&#39;s video management system and published to an online video player or website for time-shifted viewing. A unique audio watermark is assigned to every few seconds of the broadcasted program. A watermark can include information identifying the origin of the content, such as the name of the channel that originally broadcasted the content as well as the date and time of the broadcast. For example, “Slot #1” in the advertisement section  104   a  can have a different Nielsen audio watermark than the same creative that runs in the advertisement section  104   c  under “Slot #1.” 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary process for controlling playback of advertisements in an online program. The process starts when an online program is provided to a viewer (step  202 ), such as the program  100  of  FIG. 1 , which includes one or more video content sections  102  and one or more advertisement sections  104 . Upon the start of playback, a content consumption counter begins to track the amount of time the viewer has watched the video content portion  102  of the program  100  (step  204 ). In addition, the viewer&#39;s attempt to control playback of the online video content, such as skipping from a current frame to a next frame, is monitored (step  206 ). The next frame selected by the viewer can be ahead of the current frame or behind the current frame in the program schedule  100 . In addition, the next content frame can be in a video content section  102  or an advertisement section  104 . 
         [0023]    Upon receiving an input from the viewer to skip to a different frame, the process determines an appropriate course of action based on whether the content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic (step  208 ). If the time characteristic is satisfied, a minimum advertisement viewing (MAV) time is computed and at least a portion of an advertisement section  104  having the MAV time is provided to the viewer (step  210 ). While the advertisement portion is being presented, the viewer is prevented from controlling the playback, such as skipping to another frame without watching the advertisement or fast-forwarding through the advertisement. Only after the MAV time has elapsed does the viewer gain playback control (step  214 ). In some embodiments, if the MAV time is less than the duration of the entire advertisement section  104 , that is, if the viewer is only provided with a portion of the advertisement section  104 , playback control simply becomes active after the MAV time has elapsed. The viewer needs to recognize the change in control status and manually skips to the desired frame. Alternatively, playback can automatically resume from the viewer-selected frame. In some embodiments, if the MAV time is equal to or greater than the full-length of the advertisement section  104 , the advertisement section  104  is played back to the viewer in its entirety, after which playback automatically resumes from the viewer-selected frame. In addition, after a viewer has consumed the MAV-time worth of advertisement, the content consumption counter is reset (step  212 ). 
         [0024]    However, if the content consumption counter does not satisfy the time characteristic, playback skips to the user-selected frame without playing any advertisement to the viewer (step  214 ). The content consumption counter continues to track the cumulative time the viewer has viewed the video content portion  102  of the program  100 . For example, assuming that the threshold for triggering advertisement playback is 60 seconds of video content viewing time, if a viewer consumes 10 seconds of the advertisement content  104   a,  40 seconds of the advertisement content  104   c , followed by 5 seconds of the advertisement content  104   b,  the content consumption counter becomes 55 seconds and the content consumption counter is not reset, but continues to track the viewer&#39;s cumulative content-viewing time. 
         [0025]    In some embodiments, the advertisement section  104  presented to the viewer is the advertisement section that immediately precedes the next frame the viewer chooses to advance to. For example, if the viewer is currently viewing a frame in the video content section  102   a  and chooses to skip to a frame in the video content section  102   d,  and the viewer has watched a sufficient amount of the video content to satisfy the time characteristic, then at least a portion of the advertisement section  104   c  is played back to the viewer. In general, the advertisement section  104  presented to the viewer upon satisfying a content-viewing time characteristic can be any advertisement section  104  scheduled for the program  100 . For example, the advertisement section  104  presented can be immediately after the desired content frame the viewer chooses to advance to. In some instances, the advertisement section  104  is randomly selected among all the advertisement sections. 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, the MAV time is dependent on the time characteristic, which includes one or more video content consumption ranges. According to one exemplary set of MAV rules, if the content consumption counter is greater than or equal to 60 seconds, but less than or equal to 179 seconds, the MAV time is 60 seconds minimum. This means that if the viewer has continuously watched 60 to 179 seconds of video content, a minimum of 60 seconds worth of advertisement is played back to the viewer. In addition, if the content consumption counter is greater than or equal to 180 seconds, but less than or equal to 359 seconds, the MAV time is 120 seconds minimum. Furthermore, if the content consumption counter is greater than or equal to 360 seconds, the MAV time is 180 seconds minimum, which may be the full length of an advertisement section  104 . However, if the content consumption counter is less than or equal to 59 seconds, the MAV time is zero. This means that no advertisement is shown to the viewer before allowing the viewer to skip to the desired content. 
         [0027]    In general, the MAV rules can be such that if the viewer has watched more than 60 seconds of the video content  102 , the viewer needs to watch at least 60 seconds of the advertisements  104 , during which viewer control is blocked. The reason that at least 60 seconds of advertisement is played back at once is that each C3 credit in the Nielsen rating system requires at least one minute of advertisement consumption. However, other minimum viewing time can be implemented, such as 30 seconds, 90 seconds, etc. 
         [0028]    The time characteristic and the MAV time can be variable. For example, in a thirty-minute program, if there are twenty-two minutes of video content and eight minutes of advertisements, the ratio of content-to-advertisement is about 3:1. Therefore, a set of rules can be developed such that for every three minutes of content viewing, the viewer needs to be served at minimum one minute of advertisements. The time characteristic and the MAV time can also be set based on other content-to-advertisement ratios such as 4:1 or 2:1. In some embodiments, the time characteristic and the MAV time are user configurable. For example, the values can be configured client-side by the online content distributor. The values can also be configured server-side by the broadcaster of the original program. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary system  250  configured to control playback of advertisements in an online program, such as the online program  100 . The system  250  includes a delivery module  252  for delivering the online program  100  to a viewer. The online program  100  can include one or more video content sections  102  interspersed among one or more advertisement sections  104 . In some embodiments, the delivery module  252  includes a video delivery module (not shown) for delivering the video content portion  102  of the program  100  and an advertisement delivery module (not shown) for delivering the advertisement portion  104  of the program  100 . 
         [0030]    The delivery module  252  can deliver the online program  100  to a variety of computing devices, including, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, portable computers, laptop computers, personal players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones, e-mail clients, tablets, televisions and game consoles. In addition, the online program  100  can be displayed in a variety of user interfaces, including, but not limited to, mouse interfaces, touch interfaces, dpad (4-way) interfaces. 
         [0031]    The system  250  also includes a content consumption counter  254  that monitors program playback by the delivery module  252  to track an amount of time the viewer has watched the video content of the program  100 . In addition, a MAV rule module  258  is provided that, upon detecting a viewer input  256  to control the playback, determines whether at least a portion of an advertisement section needs to be shown to the viewer. The MAV rule module  258  makes such a determination based on the content consumption counter  254  and one or more rules stored in the system  250 . If the MAV rule module  258  determines that the content consumption counter  254  satisfies a MAV rule, the MAV rule module  258  determines a MAV time for playing an advertisement section and supplies the MAV time to the delivery module  252 . 
         [0032]    The delivery module  252 , upon receiving the MAV time, selects an advertisement section  104  and presents to the viewer at least a portion of the advertisement section  104  having the MAV duration set by the MAV rule module  258 . In addition, the delivery module  252  can interact with the blocking module  260  to prevent the viewer from controlling the playback while the MAV-portion of the advertisement section is being shown. Thereafter, the delivery module  252  can reset the content consumption counter  254  and unblock viewer control by interacting with the blocking module  260 . 
         [0033]    In some embodiments, if only a portion of an advertisement section  104  is provided to the viewer, the delivery module  265  needs to crop the advertisement section  104  while capturing sufficient information to receive c3 ratings for the portion presented to the viewer. For example, when cropping an advertisement section  104 , the delivery module  265  captures the following information: name of the channel that originally broadcasted the advertisement section  104 , franchise, episode, original air date, advertisement section number, advertisement section duration, location of the slot  106  within the advertisement section  104 , advertiser identity and/or advertisement identification. 
         [0034]      FIGS. 4A-F  show various examples illustrating the playback control technology of the present invention. For all the examples, the following rules for selecting the MAV time are provided: if the content consumption counter is between 60 and 179 seconds, the MAV time is 60 seconds minimum; if the content consumption counter is between 180 and 359 seconds, the MAV time is 120 seconds minimum; and if the content consumption counter is above 359 seconds, the MAV time is 180 seconds minimum. 
         [0035]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4A , a viewer watches seven minutes (420 seconds) of the video content section  102   a,  the duration which, for the purposes of illustration, is represented by the shaded region  302 . Then, the viewer attempts to jump to the beginning of the video content section  102   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  304 . At this point, the content consumption counter is 420 seconds. Therefore, according to the MAV rules, the viewer is required to watch 180 seconds of the advertisement section  104   a,  which is the full length of the advertisement section  104   a,  as represented by the shaded area  308 . Hence, playback skips to the beginning of the advertisement section  104   a,  as indicated by the position arrow  306 . The advertisement section  104   a  is selected for playback to the viewer because it immediately precedes the viewer-selected content section  102   b.  After watching the advertisement section  104   a,  the viewer can be automatically redirected to the beginning of the desired content section  102   b  at the position  304 . In addition, the content consumption counter can be reset. 
         [0036]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4B , a viewer watches less than 60 seconds of the video content section  102   a.  Then the viewer attempts to skip to the middle of the video content section  102   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  310 . In this instance, according to the MAV rules, the viewer is not required to watch any advertisements because the content consumption counter is less than 60 seconds. Therefore, the viewer immediately skips to the desired content section  102   b  at the position  310 . In this case, the content consumption counter is not reset. 
         [0037]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4C , a viewer watches less than 60 seconds of the video content section  102   a  and then jumps to the middle of the video content section  102   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  312 . Similar to the example shown in  FIG. 4B , because the content consumption counter is less than 60 seconds, the viewer is allowed to skip to the desired frame indicated by the position arrow  312  without being required to watch any advertisement. The viewer then watches another minute (60 seconds) of the content section  102   b,  the duration of which is represented by the shaded area  314 . Thereafter, the viewer attempts to jump to the middle of the content section  102   c,  as indicated by the position arrow  316 . However, because the content consumption counter at this point is greater than 60 seconds, but less than 180 seconds, the viewer is required to watch at least 60 seconds of the advertisement section  104   b  that precedes the desired video content  102   c.  Hence, playback starts at the beginning of the advertisement section  104   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  318 , instead of at position  316 . 
         [0038]    In some embodiments, the viewer is prevented from controlling the playback until he has watched the 60 seconds worth of the advertisement section  104   b,  as represented by the shaded area  319 . In some embodiments, after the viewer has watched the requisite amount of advertisement  319 , the control is unblocked. The viewer can skip to another frame in the program  100 , including to a different position in the same advertisement section  104   b,  to a different advertisement section, or to a video content section. In general, the viewer may not be automatically redirected to the previously-selected position  316  in the content section  102   c.    
         [0039]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4D , a viewer watches less than 60 seconds of the video content section  102   a  and then jumps to the beginning of the video content section  102   c,  as indicated by the position arrow  320 . Because the content consumption counter at this point is less than 60 seconds, the viewer is allowed to skip to the position  320  without being required to watch any advertisement. The viewer then watches another three minutes (180 seconds) of the content section  102   c,  the duration of which is represented by the shaded area  322 . Thereafter, the viewer attempts to jump to the middle of the content section  102   d,  as indicated by the position arrow  324 . However, because the content consumption counter at this point is greater than 180 seconds, but less than 360 seconds, the viewer is required to watch at least 120 seconds of the advertisement section  104   c  that precedes the desired video content  102   d.  Hence, playback starts at the beginning of the advertisement section  104   c,  as indicated by the position arrow  326 , instead of at position  324 . In some embodiments, after the viewer has watched the 120 seconds worth of the advertisement section  104   c,  which is the full-length of the advertisement represented by the shaded area  328 , playback automatically resumes at the desired position  324 . Alternatively, the viewer has the freedom of choosing the next position to watch the program. 
         [0040]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4E , a viewer watches less than 60 seconds of the video content section  102   a  and then jumps to the middle of the video content section  102   c,  as indicated by the position arrow  328 . Because the content consumption counter at this point is less than 60 seconds, the viewer is allowed to skip to the position  328  without being required to watch any advertisement. The viewer then watches another three minutes (180 seconds) of the content section, the duration of which is represented by the shaded area  330 . Thereafter, the viewer attempts to skip backward to the middle of the content section  102   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  332 . However, because the content consumption counter at this point is greater than 180 seconds, but less than 360 seconds, the viewer is required to watch at least 120 seconds of the advertisement section  104   a  that precedes the desired video content  102   b.  Hence, playback starts at the beginning of the advertisement section  104   a,  as indicated by the position arrow  334 , instead of at position  332 . 
         [0041]    During the playback of the 120 seconds worth of the advertisement section  104   a , which is represented by the shaded region  336 , the viewer is prevented from controlling the playback, such as fast-forwarding through the advertisement portion  336  or skipping the portion  336  altogether. Playback control is only active after the viewer has finished watching the advertisement portion  336 . Thereafter, the viewer can manually move to a desired position. However, if no input is received from the viewer, playback continues with the remaining portion of the advertisement section  104   a.  Alternatively, after the advertisement portion  336  is shown to the viewer, playback automatically skips to the desired content position  332  without any additional input from the viewer. 
         [0042]    According to the example shown in  FIG. 4F , a viewer watches seven minutes (420 seconds) of the video content section  102   a,  the duration which is represented by the shaded region  338 . Then, the viewer attempts to jump to the beginning of the video content section  102   c,  as indicated by the position arrow  340 . However, because the content consumption counter at this point is 420 seconds, which is greater than 360 seconds, the viewer is required to watch 180 seconds of the advertisement section  104   b , as represented by the shaded area  342 . Hence, playback skips to the beginning of the advertisement section  104   b,  as indicated by the position arrow  344 . Thereafter, the viewer can be automatically redirected to the beginning of the video content section  102   c  at the position  340 . In addition, the content consumption counter is reset. 
         [0043]    After the viewer watches the content section  102   c  in its entirety, as represented by the shaded area  346 , the viewer is required to watch all of the advertisement section  104   c  because the content consumption counter is now 420 seconds, which is greater than 360 seconds. After the viewer has watched the advertisement section  104   c,  the duration of which is represented by the shaded area  348 , the content consumption counter is reset again. At this point, if the viewer proceeds to watch the content section  102   d  in its entirety, which is represented by the shaded area  350 , the content consumption counter becomes 180 seconds. 
         [0044]    In some embodiments, if the viewer skips backward to re-watch a part of the content section  102   c,  since the content consumption counter is now 180 seconds, the viewer is required to watch at least 120 seconds of the advertisement section  104   b  that precedes the desired content section  102   c.    
         [0045]    In some embodiments, if the viewer skips backward to re-watch a part of the content section  102   a,  since there is no advertisement section that precedes the content section  102   a,  the viewer is allowed to watch the desired content without watching any advertisement, even though the content consumption counter is 180 seconds at the time of the jump. In some embodiments, even though there is no advertisement section that precedes the content section  102   a,  the viewer is presented with at least a portion of one of the advertisement sections  104   a,    104   b  and  104   c  before being allowed to view the desired content. 
         [0046]    Even though the present invention is described within the framework of Nielsen&#39;s C3 rating system, the technology described herein can be independently implemented without being tied to any rating systems while still maximizing values to advertisers. Therefore, to implement the present technology, it may not be necessary to encode the Nielsen watermarks into the online program  100 . 
         [0047]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show exemplary online interfaces when a viewer&#39;s control is blocked during playback of an advertisement. This situation occurs when, for example, the viewer&#39;s content consumption counter satisfies a time characteristic. As a result, at least a portion of an advertisement section needs to be played back to the viewer, the duration of which corresponds to a MAV time selected based on the time characteristic.  FIG. 5A  shows an exemplary interface  400  presenting an advertisement frame  402  to a viewer. In addition, the interface  400  can display a message  404  notifying the viewer that his control is blocked as well as including a countdown to the time he will regain control of the playback.  FIG. 5B  shows another exemplary interface  405 , which can be a hover display. Similar to  FIG. 5A , the hover display  405  can include an advertisement area  406  and a message area  408 . During playback of the MAV-portion of the advertisement, the viewer cannot interact with the progress bar  410  of the hover display  405 , such as skip to a different frame. For example, the progress bar  410  may be inactive until countdown in the message area  408  is completed. 
         [0048]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show exemplary online interfaces when a viewer&#39;s control is unblocked during playback of an advertisement. This situation occurs when, for example, the viewer has finished watching a portion of an advertisement section that satisfied the MAV time. The remaining portion of the advertisement section is now being shown to the viewer, but the viewer has playback control.  FIG. 6A  shows an exemplary interface  500  presenting an advertisement frame  502  to the viewer. In addition, the interface  500  can display a message  504  notifying the viewer that regular content programming will resume shortly. However, the viewer has the option of advancing to a different frame, either within the advertisement section or outside of the advertisement section.  FIG. 6B  shows another exemplary interface  505 , which can be a hover display. Similar to  FIG. 6A , the hover display  505  can include an advertisement area  506  and a message area  508 . During playback of the advertisement, the viewer can interact with the progress bar  510  to skip to a different frame. For example, button  512  associated with the progress bar  510  allows a user to seek forward or backward during playback of the program content. 
         [0049]    One skilled in the art will realize the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting of the invention described herein. Scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.