Apple Patent: Personalised Programming for Streaming Media Breaks

Apple have been awarded a patent for ‘content pods’

A content delivery system determines what personal content is available on the user device through connecting to available information sources. The delivery system then assembles the content pod from these elements in addition to invitational content from content providers. In some embodiments, a bumper message is included in the content pod to provide a context for the elements that are being assembled in combination with each other. Once the content pod is generated, it is sent to the user device to be played during content breaks within the online streaming playback.

The patent doesn’t specify whether this pod is made for breaks in video streaming – Apple TV – or audio – Apple Music. This means automatically generated audio and video content to pepper the ‘stream’ (or Facebook/Twitter/Instagram feed). Apple already creates animated video ‘Memories’ based on photos on iOS and macOS.

‘Pod’?

Interesting that Apple refers to these bundles of content as ‘pods.’ Seems that when they applied for this patent, they saw the value of the podcast brand. As people have had problems widening understanding of podcasts outside their niche, perhaps Apple were considering modifying the meaning of ‘pod’ to integrated customised programming bundle.

On the advent of Apple’s ‘iTunes Radio’ in 2013, I had some thoughts on what else might be included in automatically generated personalised media feeds might be like:

Adding the visual to a media feed would make a playlist item an act of a TV show or feature film, a short film, a YouTube video or a family video. It would include content from broadcast TV (news and sport and drama premieres), purchased TV, feature films and content from streamed subscription services. If you wanted to jump into a TV series or Soap after the first episodes, recap content would be playlisted in advance of the show you want to start with.

Almost 10 years ago Apple got a patent for inserting advertising into a feed. Just because Apple has a patent, it doesn’t mean they will produce a product or service that relies on the patent.