Brightcove announces 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.

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.

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. For more information, visit http://www.brightcove.com/bc3/