Popular web site sharing web site YouTube today announced
the launch of local language versions in nine countries. The move was
long expected, especially since many YouTube.com users are visiting the website
from foreign nations.
"Video is universal, and the incredible variety of the international
content that we see on YouTube confirms just that," said Sakina Arsiwala,
YouTube international manager.
Users
in the following countries have access to a localized version of YouTube:
Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and United
Kingdom. Google will also be able to please advertisers who wish to reach
a specific geographic or cultural market.
All content posted on a localized YouTube site is translated for native
speakers while search functions, page browsing and country-specific video rankings
are also offered.
Analysts are curious to see how YouTube deals with possible copyright
infringement issues that may arise in some of the new countries. Even
though the company already has as many as 150 licensing agreements for
copyrighted material in Europe, a lot of copyrighted content -- including
Premier League soccer coverage -- will be posted but removed by YouTube UK.
Additional localized versions of the file sharing web site are expected in the
immediate future.
