• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 7, 2010

So as to reach new audiences, online video platform Brightcove said Thursday that its publisher customers can now distribute their fare through Yahoo's Widget Engine, which powers widgets on Yahoo-Connected TVs.

Manufactured by Sony, Samsung, Vizio, and LG, Yahoo-Connected TVs already display low-hanging widgets carrying a range of Web content, including Facebook and Twitter streams, stock quotes, weather reports, and Amazon on-demand videos.

"We are constantly striving to extend the Brightcove platform to enable new three-screen distribution strategies for our customers," said Chris Johnston, director of technology partnerships at Brightcove.

Presently, Brightcove's customer base includes roughly 900 professional media publishers. Those already using the new distribution channel include Time Inc., Cars.com, TheStreet.com, Wine Spectator, Slate, and The Hollywood Reporter.

"Online video continues to be a strategic tool for driving traffic and increasing audience engagement," said Nikki Hamedani, senior digital marketing manager with The Hollywood Reporter Online.

Today, 71% of the U.S. online audience watches video online, while Forrester expects the number of streams consumed to more than double by 2013. Driving this growth is an explosion of video content from users, professional studios, and marketers.

The distribution deal with Yahoo relies on Brightcove's Universal Delivery Service, which was introduced as part of the recently launched Brightcove 4 platform. With UDS, Brightcove customers can upload a single master video file, which is then transcoded into multiple formats for delivery on PCs, mobile devices, connected televisions or set-top boxes.

Separately, Yahoo has announced a partnership with MIPS Technologies, which makes processors for Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes.

Founded in 2004, Brightcove turned a profit for the first time this year -- while this year and in 2009, CEO Jeremy Allaire says the company will post 50% better year-on-year revenue.

Driving growth during a difficult period for media companies, Allaire recently projected that business from non-media companies will make up 65% of Brightcove's revenue during the fourth quarter of the year.

As the adoption of video platforms proliferates beyond the realm of media and entertainment, Brightcove and rival Ooyala were recently cited by Forrester Research as the top vendors to beat.

Brightcove -- rumored to be a Google acquisition target -- separated itself from the pack with leading scores in distribution and integration, while Ooyala earned its highest marks in monetization and analytics. Each platform, however, is fully capable of serving all segments of the video market on a global basis, according to Forrester.