YouTube South Africa now speaks Afrikaans and Isizulu with the official launch of the additional local language versions today at the second annual Google South Africa event in Johannesburg. This is an event where experts from around the world meet with businesses, marketers, entrepreneurs, and web developers to discuss the future of online business and web application development.
The announcement comes one year after the launch of the South African version of the world’s largest video sharing site. YouTube.co.za, launched in May 2010, enables South Africans to find and share local content and was the first local YouTube domain in Africa.
Luke Mckend, who delivered the keynote at the event said that “œThe new language versions mean that Internet users whose first language is isiZulu or Afrikaans can now fully enjoy what YouTube has to offer.“ Popular Afrikaans channels include HuisgenootTempo, Die Heuwels Fantasties and Pasella TV while Mducomics and JusGorilla offer Zulu content. A useful tool offered by YouTube South Africa is YouTube Feather, a ‘light’ version which allows users with a slow internet speed to use the site’s most basic features to have a fast video watching experience.
Some interesting statistics you may not know: In South Africa, YouTube views have increased by 175% in the past year and according to a survey conducted by Ipsos and TNS, 50% of smartphone users watch videos on their phones every month.
You can set up an account with YouTube South Africa here.
