Close on the heels of Google’s YouTube launching YouTube Live - which streams video channels via the Internet - MySpace announced on Wednesday that it now testing a streaming video service for mobile phones. With this announcement, social network MySpace Mobile has claimed the title of the first social portal to launch video streaming, though in beta, for mobile phones.

Only last month, MySpace released a mobile app for the BlackBerry, which lets users send and receive MySpace messages, comment on profiles, update their status, post photos, and send bulletins.

The video beta for MySpace Mobile is being rolled out globally, with support for streaming-enabled phones like the BlackBerry Bold, Palm Centro, Motorola Q9, LG Voyager, Nokia N95, and Samsung Instinct.

Users that access the site at m.myspace.com on their phones will be able to view videos they have uploaded or marked as favorite. Moreover, there will be content available from TMZ, National Hockey League, National Geographic, The Onion, and College Humor.

Mobile videos will be supported by RipCode, which utilizes real-time transcoding to allow for video viewing on different handsets.

John Faith, vice president and general manager of Mobile for MySpace, said in a statement: “Video is a natural next step for us in mobile. MySpace will continue to grow our video library as we increase delivery channels in order to keep pace with our users’ accelerating desire for video consumption.”