Mobile video broadcast service Qik has raised a $3 million second round and is adding interoperability with upstart UK-based web TV platform WorldTV. At MipTV in Cannes on Thursday, we can reveal, the pair will announce users of the latter, who create their own embedded channels from a library of web video clips, can begin using Qik to stream live to those channels.
From Foster City, California-based Visivo, and occupying similar spaces as Kyte and Ustream, mobile app Qik lets users stream live to the web from a camera-enabled phone, though clips are also recorded on the site for posterity. I’ve been using it on my new N95 for a few weeks and it works great. (Heavy users include Robert Scoble and Jason Calacanis.)
Qik already lets users simulcast to Justin.tv and Mogulus, and auto-copy their videos to YouTube, Seesmic and Blogger. The WorldTV deal is in the same vein - recorded Qik clips can be strung together with those from other sources in a repeating playlist and a live Qik broadcast will, somewhat comically, interrupt the loop to go on-air. For WorldTV, it will add a much-needed live element, though it does already have interoperability with LiveVideo.com.
A $3 million second round of funding for Qik this week comes from Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Arjun Gupta (Telesoft Partners) and George Garrick (Jingle Networks), NewTeeVee reported, confirming and adding to VentureBeat’s earlier story. Visivo is now dropping its name in favor of Qik, according to NewTeeVee.
