Abstract: An insertion marker mechanism may be used to generate and evaluate insertion markers in media content. The system may place candidate markers at silent pauses and/or anomalies such as changes in pitch/timbre of an audio signal, and/or at points where a video has a blank screen. In response to a request for the media content, the system may place secondary content at a subset of the candidate markers. The system may select different insertion markers in response to different playback requests of the content. Based on feedback such as user engagement with the secondary content and/or drop rate, the system may determine which insertion markers correlate with better engagement and/or retention. Based on the feedback, the system may prioritize content insertion at better performing markers, while continuing to insert a smaller proportion of secondary content randomly at lower performing markers to monitor for changes in user behavior over time.

Abstract: A system may provide a voice user interface (VUI) for sending a media comment (e.g., brief clips of audio data representing speech) to a media content creator such as a podcaster, talk show, music app, etc. The system can identify a destination for the media comment based on context (e.g., an identifier corresponding to media content currently or recently output by a user device) and/or via voice dialog with the user. Content creators can invite, receive, and play users' media comments on the show, thereby increasing audience engagement. A media comment may include a request for or dedication of a song, a “shout out” to another listener, a story/opinion, a question, a response to a poll, a contest entry, etc.