Akamai Technologies has announced variable bit rate streaming support for live video content on the iPhone and iPod touch. The company claimed that this new capability helps it to provide consumers with video streaming support on their iPhone and iPod touch.

The company’s HTTP Streaming for the iPhone is already available as part of its media delivery offering. The company said that variable bit rate streaming over HTTP helps the consumers by enabling video streaming at any bit rate.

Tim Napoleon, chief strategist of digital media at Akamai, said: Apple’s extensive support for new web standards like HTML 5 and HTTP streaming of live and on-demand video to the iPhone and iPod touch has transformed the quality of video content that consumers can now view while mobile. To be able to watch video anytime, anywhere at a quality this high is nothing short of amazing.

According to the company, studies revealed that content owners and publishers consider it as an opportunity to increase consumer access to their content, by delivering video to iPhone and iPod touch.

Reportedly, content owners can deliver live and on-demand content while using a fault tolerant infrastructure of HTTP servers, by using Akamai’s Media Delivery offering.

The company is also launching the iPhone 3.0 Video Showcase to demonstrate this new offering. Content owners and publishers including Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery, FOX News, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, MTV, NPR, Turner Sports and USA TODAY are participating in the showcase site.