Philippines outraces Southeast Asian neighbors to its own Youtube

OCTOBER 17, 2011, PHILIPPINES: From Cebu’s dancing inmates to Maria Aragon, all the way up to singing phenomenon Charice, there’s no doubt that Filipinos are indeed as YouTube –savvy as any of its neighbors in the global village. As a result, the country finally got to seal the deal, as Google debuted Youtube Philippines : a localized version of the website now designed to further reflect Philippine culture through loaded videos.

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Partners and Google execs welcome YouTube Philippines

    The brand new YouTube offers a local interface to easily and quickly find videos most relevant to Filipinos, as well as an expanded content database that covers videos from local and global partners. The site will also create a new online space for the national community and give Filipino creators the opportunity to increase their exposure.

    YouTube Philippines is the latest addition to the brand’s growing roster of localized versions, the 34th in the world to be exact. It is also the first localized version in Southeast Asia. While new in many ways, the recently – launched YouTube seems to have already found some of its most powerful fans in the country, the most notable of which is the Philippine president himself.

 

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Ricky Carandang on the President’s YouTube account

    Launching in time with YouTube Philippines are youtube.com/govph and youtube.com/rmtvmalacanang. Both are attempts by the administration to leverage new media in promoting messages from the country’s biggest and most important institution. “Our government recognizes the significant impact the internet on the quality of life of more than 30 million Filipinos. The Presidential Channel provides a powerful relevant way to demonstrate good governance and transparency,” claims Ricky Carandang, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary of Communications Development.

    Other media outfits also seemed to have followed suit, among which are ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5. Pinoy Tuner, Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (FILSCAP), and Procter & Gamble have also partnered with YouTube Philippines for its inaugural run. “The Philippines has and will always remain an important market for YouTube. And with its own version in place, we look forward to giving a more innovative video-streaming experience for audiences in the Philippines,” concluded Julian Persaud, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia.