YouTube has announced that its YouTube Go app will be expanding to over 130 more countries across the globe. The Google-owned streaming site initially launched the YouTube Go app last year in India, with the hope of bringing the service to those who couldn’t afford powerful smartphones or had poor connectivity. Shortly after its launch, availability was expanded to a further fourteen markets, and now, thanks to its popularity, YouTube has confirmed that a further 130 countries will be able to make use of the application.
Other than some core tweaks designed to save data, one of the major features of YouTube Go is the ability to download videos for offline viewing free of charge, a feature the company charges for in other markets through its YouTube Red subscription service. Furthermore, the stripped back alternative also allowing users to share their downloaded videos locally with others without using any data through the app’s nearby sharing function. The advantages of YouTube Go do not stop there, though. With the app’s international debut, Google has also included a variety of new features. Among these is an option to stream and download higher quality videos, as well as a new set of recommended content, which is unique to each user, while notifications for channel uploads are also arriving. In addition to this, YouTube Go will now allow the sharing of more than one video at a time, speeding up the process significantly. The data-saving alternative to the YouTube app will be launching in a variety of countries situated in Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and elsewhere. In terms of more developed markets, though, it appears Google has no plans to bring the app to these anytime soon.
The international debut of YouTube Go comes shortly after YouTube announced a deal with the Los Angeles Football Club, which will see any matches streamed on YouTube TV – the company’s live TV service which was recently said to have hit 300,000 subscribers. As part of the deal, all LAFC content will be shown exclusively via YouTube TV, and the YouTube TV name will be features on player jerseys, while the deal itself marks the first time a soccer team has signed a multi-year deal with a streaming service in the US.