YouTube goes international

YouTube has today announced that it has rolled out local versions of the video service in nine different countries.

The countries it has chosen are an interesting mix with Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK. Probably the most notable omission from the initial rollout is a Chinese version of the site which, considering it's the most widely spoken language in the world, seems strange.

However, Sakina Arsiwala, International Manager at YouTube, stated in a blog posting that the company has "plans in the works to launch in many more countries in the near future." So this is merely the first part of its international rollout.

Ultimately, this is going to make YouTube accessible to an even wider audience, as the service is now fully translated, features localised homepages, content and search functionality for the newly translated versions of the site.

With the massive Chinese market still not catered for, there's still even more potential for the service. Share your thoughts on YouTube's quest for world domination in the forums.