Video services sign up Web streaming firms

NEWS Two US Web streaming companies have announced alliances with video services that want to reach their customers online. Video-on-demand service, MusicVideos.com, has teamed up with Intervu, which will stream broadband feature films over the Web to its 420,000 users. Meanwhile, video production company, Medialink Worldwide, has teamed up with Broadcast.com. The two companies will pool their resources, enabling Medialink's business customers to broadcast their public events. Broadcast.com will use Medialink's production skills to boost its own Webcasts. No financial details of the deals have been disclosed. The news fuels competition between bitter streaming video rivals, RealNetworks and Microsoft. Broadcast.com's service is based on RealNetworks' technology, while Intervu's primary platform is Microsoft's Windows Media Player.