Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for displaying information related to content playing. In one aspect, a method is performed at a device with a display. The device: (1) determines whether media content is playing at a second device in its proximity; (2) in accordance with a determination that media content is playing, displays on the display a first affordance with a first user-selectable election; (3) receives a selection of the first election; (4) samples at the device program information from a media content item playing at the second device; (5) sends the information to a server; (6) receives from the server an identification of the media content item and second user-selectable elections; (7) displays second affordances providing the second elections; (8) receives a selection of a first one of the second elections; and (9) displays information regarding an entity relevant to the identified media content item.

Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for clarifying media content. In one aspect, a method is performed at a client device that includes a microphone, memory, and one or more processors. The method includes: (1) receiving, via the microphone, audio content of a media content item playing on a second client device in proximity to the client device; (2) receiving, via the microphone, a verbal query from a user of the client device to clarify a portion of the media content item; (3) sending a request to a remote server system; (4) receiving from the remote server system information responsive to the verbal user query for the portion of the media content item; and (5) presenting the information to the user.

Abstract: A process identifies a search query spike from queries submitted by users during a first span of time, which is less than a predefined duration. The spike corresponds to a set of queries identified as equivalent. The frequency of submitting queries from the set during the first time span exceeds the frequency of submitting queries from the set during an average span of time. The process correlates the spike to a video program by matching terms from the set of search queries to subtitle terms appearing in the video program at a first location. The first location in the video program was presented within a predefined time before the first span of time. The process receives notification from a user device indicating user interest in the video program. The process transmits to the user device search results corresponding to some search queries from the set of search queries.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for presenting supplemental information corresponding to on-demand media content are provided.

Abstract: An audience measurement service may monitor broadcasts in a region, ingesting closed captioning data, metadata, displayed text or logos, performing facial recognition on people, and/or generating audio/video fingerprints of broadcast content to create a database of content and associated keywords, along with times at which the content was broadcast. The audience measurement service may receive user search queries from a search provider and detect “spiking” queries. The audience measurement service may determine whether the spiking queries are related, contextually and temporally, to an item of content identified in the database, and infer that users generating the queries likely viewed the item of content. In some implementations, the audience measurement service may also infer that the users likely viewed other items of content (e.g. advertisements) displayed during the prior or subsequent few minutes on the same broadcast channel as the query-triggering item.

Abstract: A process adapts user-initiated search queries. The process executes at a client device with a microphone. The process downloads audio fingerprints from a remote server for a plurality of video programs, and downloads information that correlates the audio fingerprint to the video programs. The audio fingerprints are preselected according to relevancy criteria, including stored user preferences and prior search queries by the user. The audio fingerprints and correlating information are stored locally. The process detects ambient sound using the microphone and computes one or more sample audio fingerprints from the detected ambient sound. The process matches a sample audio fingerprint to a locally stored audio fingerprint and uses the correlating information to identify a first video program corresponding to the matched sample audio fingerprint. The process then receives user input to initiate a search query. The process provides auto-complete suggestions for the search query based on the first video program.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating search queries in response to obtaining audio samples on a client device. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of i) receiving audio data from a client device, ii) identifying specific content from captured media based on the received audio data, wherein the identified specific content is associated with the received audio data and the captured media includes at least one of audio media or audio-video media, iii) obtaining additional metadata associated with the identified content, iv) generating a search query based at least in part on the obtained additional metadata, and v) returning one or more search results to the client device, the one or more search results responsive to the search query and associated with the received audio data.

Abstract: A process identifies a search query spike from queries submitted by users during a first span of time, which is less than a predefined duration. The spike corresponds to a set of queries identified as equivalent. The frequency of submitting queries from the set during the first time span exceeds the frequency of submitting queries from the set during an average span of time. The process correlates the spike to a broadcast video program by matching terms from the set of search queries to subtitle terms appearing in the video program at a first location. The first location in the video program was broadcast within a predefined time before the first span of time. The process receives notification from a user device indicating user interest in the video program. The process transmits to the user device search results corresponding to some search queries from the set of search queries.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing customized television advertisements. In one aspect, television advertising templates are used for generating customized television advertisements. The television advertisement templates include targeting criteria specifying targeting conditions for the television advertising template, which are conditions for selecting the television advertisement template for an advertisement availability, and content selection criteria specifying availability content associated with an advertisement availability for use in selecting variable advertisement content elements for inclusion in a customized television advertisement generated from the television advertising template. The variable advertisement content elements can include video elements, audio elements, and text elements.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for detecting the presence of a digital media device on a network are provided. In some embodiments, methods for detecting a presence of a particular type of digital media device is provided, the methods comprising: identifying cached device details for devices previously associated with the network; performing a simple device discovery protocol (SSDP) on the network, and substantially concurrently sending a unicast message to an address associated with the identified cached digital media device using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP); and indicating the presence of a digital media device on the network in response to either (i) receiving a response to the unicast message, or (ii) determining that a type of a device discovered using SSDP is the same as the particular device type.

Abstract: A method at a computing system includes receiving from a first device a request from a user indirectly referencing a media content item and content information including one or more portions of audio and/or video components of media playing in proximity to the first device in response to the user request, the media having originated from a third party content provider independent of the server system; and in response to receiving the user request and the content information from the first device: matching the content information received from the first device to a portion of content stored in the server system; and identifying the media content item based on the matching.

Abstract: A process adapts user-initiated search queries. The process executes at a client device with a microphone. The process downloads audio fingerprints from a remote server for a plurality of video programs, and downloads information that correlates the audio fingerprint to the video programs. The audio fingerprints are preselected according to relevancy criteria, including stored user preferences and prior search queries by the user. The audio fingerprints and correlating information are stored locally. The process detects ambient sound using the microphone and computes one or more sample audio fingerprints from the detected ambient sound. The process matches a sample audio fingerprint to a locally stored audio fingerprint and uses the correlating information to identify a first video program corresponding to the matched sample audio fingerprint. The process then receives user input to initiate a search query. The process provides auto-complete suggestions for the search query based on the first video program.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for presenting supplemental information corresponding to on-demand media content are provided.

Abstract: In accordance with some implementations of the disclosed subject matter, mechanisms for determining channel information are provided. In some implementations, a method for providing media guidance is provided, the method comprising: associating with a local area network; detecting at least one media device on the local area network; determining device information associated with the at least one media device on the local area network; determining, without user intervention, television provider information based on the device information; determining location information of the at least one media device; determining channel information based on the determined television provider information and the determined location information; and causing media guidance information to be presented that includes at least a portion of the determined channel information.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing customized television advertisements. In one aspect, television advertising templates are used for generating customized television advertisements. The television advertisement templates include targeting criteria specifying targeting conditions for the television advertising template, which are conditions for selecting the television advertisement template for an advertisement availability, and content selection criteria specifying availability content associated with an advertisement availability for use in selecting variable advertisement content elements for inclusion in a customized television advertisement generated from the television advertising template. The variable advertisement content elements can include video elements, audio elements, and text elements.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for detecting the presence of a digital media device on a network are provided. In some embodiments, methods for detecting a presence of a particular type of digital media device is provided, the methods comprising: identifying cached device details for devices previously associated with the network; performing a simple device discovery protocol (SSDP) on the network, and substantially concurrently sending a unicast message to an address associated with the identified cached digital media device using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP); and indicating the presence of a digital media device on the network in response to either (i) receiving a response to the unicast message, or (ii) determining that a type of a device discovered using SSDP is the same as the particular device type.

Abstract: A method at a computing system includes: receiving a request from a user; and in response to the user request: identifying a first media content item playing on a first client device concurrently with the user request, identifying a playback position in the first media content item temporally proximate to the user request, identifying a reference to an entity within a content portion of the first media content item, where the content portion corresponds to the identified playback position, identifying an event associated with the referenced entity, and setting a reminder of the event for the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing customized television advertisements. In one aspect, television advertising templates are used for generating customized television advertisements. The television advertisement templates include targeting criteria specifying targeting conditions for the television advertising template, which are conditions for selecting the television advertisement template for an advertisement availability, and content selection criteria specifying availability content associated with an advertisement availability for use in selecting variable advertisement content elements for inclusion in a customized television advertisement generated from the television advertising template. The variable advertisement content elements can include video elements, audio elements, and text elements.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and media for identifying content are provided. In some implementations, systems for identifying content are provided, the systems comprising: at least one hardware processor that: receives content having audio; generates a representation of the audio of the content; performs a first database search based on the representation; performs a second database search based on text corresponding to words that are sung or spoken in the content; responsive to determining that the first database search yielded a match and the second database search yielded a match, causes a first indication that the content contains a known performance of known content to be output; and responsive to determining that the first database search failed to yield a match and the second database search yielded a match, causes a second indication that the content contains an unknown performance of known content to be output.

Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods, devices, and systems for clarifying media content. In one aspect, a method is performed at a client device that includes a microphone, memory, and one or more processors. The method includes: (1) receiving, via the microphone, audio content of a media content item playing on a second client device in proximity to the client device; (2) receiving, via the microphone, a verbal query from a user of the client device to clarify a portion of the media content item; (3) sending a request to a remote server system; (4) receiving from the remote server system information responsive to the verbal user query for the portion of the media content item; and (5) presenting the information to the user.