Skype acquires Qik video streaming service to bolster its mobile offerings

Skype has announced it will acquire mobile video service Qik. In a blog post (and accompanying video) Skype CEO Tony Bates said that Qik's technology and team of 60 employees will complement Skype's existing video calling service. Qik is a cross-platform mobile app that can broadcast and save video from a wide variety of mobile devices. It currently has over 5 million users.

The two most important things Qik brings to Skype are its wireless-optimized steam technology (and the engineering team behind it) and relationships with mobile carriers. Qik works on over 200 phones, and those inroads will presumably help Skype achieve better streaming video on more devices.

According to Mashable, the purchase price for Qik was $100 million.

Tags: acquisition, apps, mobile, qik, skype, streaming, video, voip