I originally wrote the following as a response to a comment on a popular technology site. Long story but it never actually saw the light of day. One of our team really liked it and thought I should share it elsewhere...

The clear trend is towards video sites opening themselves up to other portals, aggregators and distribution outlets doing innovative things with online video. The walled garden approach is a highway to isolation and you only have to look at the massively expanding range of API's and strategic partnerships between sites to see this.

This announcement (regarding WorldTV and Qik) is about just such a partnership between one video site and another - allowing content to be freely shared between two video sites and offered in an alternative player environment that gives due credit, branding and linking to the other site.

YouTube, which you could argue has the most to lose, has itself begun offering a new chromeless (skinnable) player to empower sites like WorldTV to create new and innovative offerings. This is unquestionably the way forward and will help drive further growth for them in new markets.

If a playlisting and tools site like WorldTV which has an international focus and audience can bring awareness to new audiences, of video hosting sites (and those sites get significant branding and linking), this is clearly of benefit to both parties.

I think you will see a lot more of these types of partnerships being announced in the coming months.