Brightcove Announces Beta of New Online Video Platform

By Derrick on June 26, 2008 11:07 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Brightcove Inc. announced the beta of its next-generation online video platform, Brightcove 3. The beta program provides access to a completely new version of the Brightcove service, which is already used in its current form by major media companies, businesses and organizations worldwide to reach more than 135 million unique Internet users every month.

Scheduled for release this fall and immediately available to selected Brightcove customers, Brightcove 3 is built around the company's vision for increasing video consumption and engagement by introducing a completely new model for incorporating video players and information about videos into the context of Web pages. Brightcove 3 also brings TV to the Web by enabling the delivery of long-form, broadcast-quality content through any website without the need for proprietary software plug-ins. These powerful Brightcove 3 capabilities are unified in a new suite of visual tools for site producers that greatly accelerate the production of video websites.

"Brightcove pioneered the publishing of professional online video with the first release of our platform in the summer of 2005, and in the last three years we've learned a great deal about online video by working with major media companies around the world," said Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove chairman and chief executive officer. "The Brightcove 3 platform combines all the learning we've done with a range of breakthrough innovations that promise to transform how online video is published and consumed."

Already deployed by selected customers, the new Brightcove 3 contextual publishing model gives site producers the ability to deeply integrate videos with the other content on their website. This integration increases the number of video views per website visitor and deepens user engagement with video content by freeing viewers to follow their own self-directed narratives through online video content. Brightcove 3 also integrates new player design and publishing capabilities that empower online video programmers to develop highly-customized viewing experiences, blending short clips and long-form broadcast-quality shows, all within the same website.

Fox Entertainment Group's Beliefnet, Lifetime Networks, and Showtime Networks are just a few media customers already taking advantage of the Brightcove 3 beta.

Senior vice president and general manager of Showtime Digital Media, Rob Hayes, said: "Brightcove has been an important partner in Showtime's online video initiatives. With Brightcove 3, we have launched ad-supported video clips on Sho.com, as well as attracted thousands of Academy voters to our groundbreaking Emmy website which offers full-screen, broadcast-quality access to entire seasons of our most popular programming."

Commenting on the announcement, senior vice president of Lifetime Digital Media, Evan Silverman, added "We are delighted to use Brightcove 3 on myLifetime.com to deliver thousands of videos to our audience. The new online video platform is built to maximize search engine optimization (SEO) and we are excited to be one of the first customers to take advantage of the functionality that represents a major step forward for online video publishing and the business of Internet TV."

Currently, the Brightcove 3 beta is only available to selected Brightcove customers through a private beta program. Specific feature details about the new service will be revealed at launch which is scheduled for the fall of 2008.