A faster, simpler way to build interactive video that actually engages

Interactive video has always had huge potential, but it hasn’t always been easy to create.

Chapters, overlays, and polls can transform how viewers engage with content, but building those experiences can take more time and effort than it should.

Now, it’s much easier to get there.

What’s new, and what it changes

Interactivity in Brightcove turns your video into something viewers can actively engage with, helping them move through content, explore key moments, and participate directly within the experience.

Now, it’s easier than ever to create those experiences.

We’ve reworked Interactivity from the ground up to make it faster, simpler, and more intuitive to use, so you can build more engaging videos without slowing down your workflow.

Here’s what’s new:

A redesigned editor

The editing experience has been rebuilt to feel more modern, and easier to use. The most common actions are intuitive to find and use, and the overall flow is more straightforward.
→ What this means: less time figuring out the tool, and more time shaping the video experience you want to create.

A new timeline view

Interactive elements are now visualized directly on a timeline, giving you a clear view of how each element fits into the video from start to finish. It’s easier to understand the full experience at a glance and adjust it as needed.
→ What this means: quicker edits, and better control—especially for longer or more layered content.

Updated interactive elements

Chapters, text overlays, image overlays, and polls have all been updated with a more polished, modern look.
→ What this means: you can create more engaging video experiences without extra effort, while delivering something that feels seamless and professional to your audience.

Why interactive video this matters now

Viewer expectations have changed. People don’t just want to watch, they want to navigate, explore, and engage with content in the moment.

At the same time, there’s more content to produce, more to keep up to date, and less time to do it. As interactive experiences become richer, building and updating them quickly can start to slow things down.

We’ve simplified how interactive video is created and managed, so it fits naturally into existing workflows, making it easier to create engaging experiences at scale.

Built for a wide range of use cases

The new Interactivity experience is flexible enough to support many different kinds of video strategies:

Guide viewers through content

Use Chapters to break videos into clear sections so viewers can jump to what matters most, especially useful for long-form or episodic content.

Reinforce key moments as they happen

Add text or image overlays to highlight important information, add context, or strengthen your message right when it matters.

Capture feedback and drive engagement

Use polls to invite viewers to participate directly, turning passive viewing into an interactive, two-way experience.

What’s next in Interactivity

We’re continuing to invest in making powerful features like Interactivity easier to use, easier to adopt, and easier to scale across teams.

Looking ahead, we’re building on this foundation with more interactive elements, deeper insights into how viewers engage with interactive content, and everything working together more smoothly across the platform.

We’re also exploring Live Interactivity—bringing polls, chat, Q&A, and reactions directly into live streams, without the need for third-party tools. The goal is to make live video feel just as interactive and responsive as on-demand experiences.

If you’re already using Interactivity, this update makes it faster and more intuitive to build. And if you’ve been meaning to explore interactive video, this is a great time to jump in.