Google has launched a local Indian version of Youtube to cater to the growing Indian subscribers and partners, and provide local region-specific content.
NEW DELHI: Google has launched a local Indian version of Youtube to cater to the growing Indian subscribers and partners, and provide local region-specific content.
YouTube said India is in the top 15 countries for the video sharing website with 5 million unique Indian users, and added that they have already roped in 24 partners for the youtube.co.in portal. “India is the 20th country for YouTube to go local, and from now on all searches on the Indian portal would be specific to India,” YouTube International Manager Sakina Arsiwala said.
The company did not divulge any financial details or investment plans for India. Last month, Google’s top boss chief executive Eric Schmidt said that it is his “top priority” to make money off its YouTube video-sharing site. Schmidt added that YouTube planned to introduce a series of new products aimed at generating advertising revenue. The YouTube India launch could push Google to drive more revenue streams for the technology major from partners, search related advertising and in-video advertisements.
Arsiwala added that YouTube India would help its partners to open and earn new revenue streams with various revenue sharing models. When asked if YouTube’s copyright protection safety technology is apt to safeguard the original content of the partners and other proprietary videos, Arsiwala replied to DNA saying, “Nothing can be foolproof… as we detect more bugs and flags on copyright violations, we take necessary actions, it is a ongoing process”.
She added that many “new trials” are going on to further improve the quality of the YouTube videos and are taking feedback from the users.
Rajshri Media, one of the partners of YouTube in India said it will co-launch a 90 minute video series on Vikram aur Vetaal with the portal, as it will help them to get the required feedback on the niche product, and to target the international audience.
“YouTube channel will be a new revenue stream for us and will help us engage with the users,” Rajshri Media’s MD Rajjat Barjatya said. YouTube India has already signed on Eros Entertainment, Rajshri Films, Ministry of Tourism, IIT Delhi etc as partners for the Indian portal.
India is increasingly becoming important for Google as the launch comes within a month after it opened up Orkut to developers, where half of the applications are from India.
vivek_s@dnaindia.net
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