One thing that has always been true of the Internet is that it can bring people from all over the world together, no matter where they’re connecting from. Over the past couple of decades, we think it’s fair to say that they world has gotten a lot smaller since the Internet reached further-flung corners of the world. YouTube has become an entertainment powerhouse that a lot of people use as their main source of entertainment these days, and just like their parent company Google, it’s available all over the world. Now, YouTube is introducing local home pages that better represent their home nations in Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In a blog post from earlier this week, Google outline what these new pages would have to offer, and said that users in the three South Asian nations will “see a new YouTube homepage that’s customized in your local language and domain”. While Google is happy to remind users that YouTube is available in Nepali, Sinhalese and Urdu the website itself is banned by the Pakistani government. YouTube has suffered bans in Pakistan a number of times before due to “blasphemous” content, but perhaps the use of a localized home page with more wholesome content could persuade the Pakistania government to change their mind.
In their blog post, Google also outlined what were some of the most watched videos in the three regions. In Nepal, the most-watched video is Nai Nabhannu La 3 | नाईं नà¤à¤¨à¥à¤¨à¥‚ ल ३, a musical from part of the series. Further South in Pakistan, a Coke Studio video is one of the most popular, a channel which hosts some of the best musical talent performed live. Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, Amazing ඉස්පයිඩර් මà·à¶±à·Š (Sri Lankan Spider Man), is one of the most popular local videos, which is a fun tongue-in-cheek reflection on everyday life in the region. YouTube is a truly global service, and one that’s recently become a big deal in the US thanks to the launch of YouTube Red and such. Offline support has come to these regions as well recently, and YouTube could be a big part of their ongoing Android One play to sew up emerging markets.