Systems and methods for obtaining and displaying videos

Abstract

Systems and methods for obtaining and playing video advertisements in conjunction with play of video content use information about the viewability of an instantiation of a video player software application. An instantiation of the video player software application generates a viewability score which is intended to reflect a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application is located on a part of a webpage that currently appears on a user's display screen. The instantiation of the video player software application provides the viewability score to video providers when sending bid request to the video providers. The video providers then use the viewability score to help decide what to bid to have the instantiation of the video player software application play a particular video.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by a video provider for providing a video to be played to a user, comprising:
 receiving, from an instantiation of a video player software application on a webpage of a website rendered by a user's browser that is being presented to the user on a display screen, a request for a bid to play a video to the user, wherein the bid request includes a viewability score that represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and where the higher the viewability score, the greater the likelihood that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and wherein the instantiation of the video player software application generates the viewability score included with the bid request;   generating a bid that includes a price that the video provider will pay to have a video played to the user, where the bid is based, at least in part, on the viewability score that was included with the bid request; and   sending to the instantiation of the video player software application a bid for playing the video to the user, where the bid includes information that enables the instantiation of the video player software application to obtain and play the video.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about the viewability of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about user-performed actions that were previously taken by the user before the instantiation of the video player software application sent the bid request to the video provider. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the user-performed actions are user-performed actions taken in connection with the play of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information that is indicative of the user's level of engagement with a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the viewability score represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen for at least a predetermined period of time when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application. 
     
     
         7 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when performed by one or more processors of a video provider computer system, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
 receiving, from an instantiation of a video player software application on a webpage of a website rendered by a user's browser that is being presented to the user on a display screen, a request for a bid to play a video to the user, wherein the bid request includes a viewability score that represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and where the higher the viewability score, the greater the likelihood that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and wherein the instantiation of the video player software application generates the viewability score included with the bid request;   generating a bid that includes a price that the video provider will pay to have a video played to the user, where the bid is based, at least in part, on the viewability score that was included with the bid request; and   sending to the instantiation of the video player software application a bid for playing the video to the user, where the bid includes information that enables the instantiation of the video player software application to obtain and play the video.   
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about the viewability of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about user-performed actions that were previously taken by the user before the instantiation of the video player software application sent the bid request to the video provider. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the user-performed actions are user-performed actions taken in connection with the play of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information that is indicative of the user's level of engagement with a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the viewability score represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen for at least a predetermined period of time when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application. 
     
     
         13 . A system for providing a video to be played to a user, comprising:
 a memory configured to store computer processor instructions; and   at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform a method comprising:   receiving, from an instantiation of a video player software application on a webpage of a website rendered by a user's browser that is being presented to the user on a display screen, a request for a bid to play a video to the user, wherein the bid request includes a viewability score that represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and where the higher the viewability score, the greater the likelihood that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application, and wherein the instantiation of the video player software application generates the viewability score included with the bid request;   generating a bid that includes a price that the video provider will pay to have a video played to the user, where the bid is based, at least in part, on the viewability score that was included with the bid request; and   sending to the instantiation of the video player software application a bid for playing the video to the user, where the bid includes information that enables the instantiation of the video player software application to obtain and play the video.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about the viewability of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information about user-performed actions that were previously taken by the user before the instantiation of the video player software application sent the bid request to the video provider. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the user-performed actions are user-performed actions taken in connection with the play of a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the viewability score is generated by the instantiation of the video player software application based on information that is indicative of the user's level of engagement with a prior video that the instantiation of the video player software application previously played to the user. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the viewability score represents a degree of confidence that the instantiation of the video player software application will be located on a portion of the webpage that appears on the display screen for at least a predetermined period of time when a new video plays within the instantiation of the video player software application.