Patent ID: 8065697

Claim:
A method to identify a time-shifted broadcast program, the method comprising: using a preferential organization of measurement data corresponding to presentation of the time-shifted broadcast program by a time-shifting device, the preferential organization comprising: determining whether the measurement data comprises a final distributor code corresponding to the time-shifted broadcast program; determining first reporting data to identify the time-shifted broadcast program based on the final distributor code when the measurement data comprises the final distributor code; and only when the measurement data does not comprise the final distributor code, determining second reporting data instead of the first reporting data to identify the time-shifted broadcast program, wherein determining the second reporting data comprises: (a) determining a recording time corresponding to when the time-shifting device previously recorded the time-shifted program for later presentation, and a presenting time corresponding to when the time-shifting device later presented the time-shifted broadcast program that was previously recorded; (b) processing the recording time and the presenting time for the time-shifted broadcast program to determine a possible broadcast time approximating when the time-shifted broadcast program was originally broadcast to the time-shifting device; and (c) including the possible broadcast time in the second reporting data.