The African usage of Youtube has grown by 90 per cent across the continent in the last 12 months.
Julie Taylor, Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Google in Sub-Saharan Africa, revealed the region had seen views grow by 90 per cent from 2011 to 2012, while uploads grew by 40 per cent.
YouTube in tackling the challenges of low internet speed and preference of mobile internet, the video streaming site has launched initiatives to make it easier for Africans to gain access to videos on the site.
“YouTube is accessible via mobile, which is important for African users. We also offer YouTube Feather which helps videos load and play faster for those with a low speed connection,” Taylor said.
In order to make the viewing of local content easier for users, the video streaming site has implemented a number of local versions in Africa – with the top three regional users of local domains being South Africa, Kenya and Ghana, with Nigeria following in fourth.
“We have launched local domains in six countries. A localized version of YouTube means that it is easier for users to find and view locally relevant videos. For example, content uploaded by South African users will surface first in the browsing pages for users who visit YouTube within South Africa.” She said.
