Technology

Add Your Photos and Video to This Story

YouTube Canada Launches

by Rob Walker | November 6, 2007 at 01:05 pm | 619 views | 1 comment | 2 recommendations

Is there really a need for a Canadian youtube site? It's not that we don't have good content, I just don't personally see a need to make it distinct. It's not like we speak a different language, eh?

Popular video-sharing website YouTube launched a Canadian version at an event in Toronto on Tuesday. Company officials said the new site will give Canadian users the chance to increase their exposure.

"We're very excited to bring a local version of YouTube to Canada, and are committed to continuing to improve the YouTube experience for our Canadian users," YouTube CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley said in a release. "Our goal is to satisfy the unique needs of the local users and to further strengthen Canada's vibrant YouTube community."

In a blog entry, titled "Hello, Canada!," the YouTube team wrote that some of the site's top users are Canadian, and "in developing a territory-specific YouTube site, we wanted to bring YouTube to you, in your language, while making local talent more visible and getting closer to our users around the world."

Luis Garcia, international product manager for YouTube, said the content on both YouTube.com and YouTube.ca will be the same, but the new site will promote Canadian submissions.