Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Do we really need a YouTube Canada?

Mathew Ingram, November 6, 2007 at 1:49 PM EDT

YouTube launched a Canadianized version of the popular video-sharing site at a press conference on Tuesday, the latest in a series of international versions that have been launched over the past few months, including YouTube Brazil, YouTube Poland and YouTube Ireland.

 

The press conference -- which had a giant mockup of the YouTube home page as a backdrop, with a big-screen TV where the video player would be -- featured a live performance by singer Naomi Streimer (who recently released a single on YouTube) as well as a panel of Canadian YouTube “stars” such as Mememolly, an 18-year-old from Ottawa who said she was inspired to upload videos by watching Lonelygirl15.

 

Even after all the panels and presentations by various YouTube staffers, however, one question remained largely unanswered: Why does a website like YouTube need a Canadian version? Does it matter where the videos come from? Does a clip of someone singing or a funny video of a cat have more impact if we know it’s a Dutch singer or a French cat? Do Canadians want to watch Canadian content or do they just want to be entertained?

 

With some sites, such as YouTube Brazil or YouTube Italy, there’s obviously a language issue. But Canada doesn’t really fall into that category, despite a YouTube executive’s joking reference to a search for videos related to the term “beaver tail” or the word “loonie.” (Memo to that YouTube staffer: Don't quit your day job for a career in standup comedy).

 

As an example, two members of the YouTube “star” panel belong to a group of young comedians from Halifax called Picnicface. One of their YouTube clips is a fake TV ad for a Powerade-style sports drink called PowerThirst, which lampoons all the over-hyped language and ridiculously exaggerated claims that are used in such ads. It’s hilarious.

 

Does it matter that Picnicface is from Halifax? I’m not sure it does. In fact, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t, or at least not to me. I remember watching the clip a few months ago after it popped up in my RSS feeds and thinking it was funny. But it didn’t occur to me to care where it came from -- it came from YouTube.

 

In addition to Picnicface and Mememolly, the panel also included a YouTube user who calls himself Ghostwise (otherwise known as Chris Binkowski, an Ottawa man with muscular dystrophy who uploads videos about his life), and a Toronto man known as The Wine Kone, who admitted that he was really just “some random weird Internet guy.”

 

YouTube also had several new Canadian partners at the news conference, including the CBC, Dose.ca, the CommandN video blog and a site called NewsCanada. Partners are featured in a special location on the YouTube home page, and the company says it plans to share advertising revenue with its partners at some point in the future.

 

One spokeswoman for YouTube said clips from the Canadian version of the site might make their way to the home page at YouTube.com as well, in the same way that videos from anywhere do -- that is, by being watched a lot or voted up by users. She said there was no specific program of featuring specific geographical content at YouTube.com.

 

If having a Canadian version of the portal doesn't really have much impact in terms of raising the profile of content creators, then what's the rationale for a localized site at all? One possible answer is that it's an advertising play, since a YouTube executive said that advertisers would be able to buy ads specifically targeted to the Canadian site as well as to the entire YouTube audience. Globe reporter Matt Hartley has more in his story.

 

Another YouTube staffer said that the site won’t be doing IP redirecting for now -- that is, sending a visitor to YouTube.ca if their IP address is located in Canada. But she said the site might do so in the future, if they thought it would make for “a better user experience.”

 

It appears that YouTube might already be doing some kind of traffic spotting -- that is, looking at the location of the IP address you’re coming from. When I went to YouTube.com, a video promotion for the Canadian site showed up along with other Canadian content, and when I went to the British version (uk.youtube.com) the top “promoted videos” included two episodes of the CTV comedy Corner Gas.

 

BlogTV.ca, a video-sharing site launched with much fanfare this year by Alliance Atlantis, tried to use IP redirection to create a Canadian-only video site. Anyone who went to BlogTV.com was automatically sent to BlogTV.ca, where only Canadian content was available. The site failed to develop an audience, however, and was merged with the broader BlogTV.com site (which is owned by a different company) in September.

  1. Rob Hyndman from Toronto, Canada writes: It strikes me as a little troubling that Youtube thinks that depriving me of choice could ever result in "a better user experience".
  2. Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: As usual Ingram is way behind the curve.

    Many, many sites re-direct based on IP. And of course, it's an ad play.

    Must suck to lose your fast-ball and still be on the mound....
  3. Mathew Ingram from Canada writes: I may be behind the curve, Clark -- but only because I hate the curve, and/or don't see the point of the curve :-)
  4. Eleen Je from Canada writes: YouTube would be fanastic for Canada if we only had the means to recognize talent and support it to the scale that America and other countries do as seen on Oprah today. Canada certainly has to get on board with the dynamics of IT. It could be another way to discover talent, especially for those who do not fit into the age category for the recent talent (Canadian Idol) and other citizens who miss out on opportunities to get in on reality shows etc. YouTube would be a breath of fresh air giving others (diverse populations) a chance to show their "stuff".
  5. Richard Thompson from Winnipeg, Canada writes: I think the communal quality of Youtube will weaken if the site is customized for each country. I also think it's ridiculous that videos from all around the globe won't necessarily be available from every country. I think Canada is an okay country, but if I want to see clips about my country I'll search for them on the main site. The whole concept seems to promote not just limitation of choice but also national insularism.

    On a side note, I think giving companies like Canwest a larger market (with dose.ca being a featured partner) is just wrong. The media is way too concentrated in this country as it stands and Canwest's propensity for making copycat versions of American shows doesn't deserve to be rewarded.
  6. Allan Sorensen from Toronto, Canada writes: Well, Matt, let me tell you something.
    I really enjoyed your coverage/reporting above - interesting and helpful.
    Also, YouTube is going to rule the world.
    Or at least that device you have in your hand and that big LCD screen above the fireplace.

    In our formative McLuhan-like years, we imagined a thousand television stations available from around the world.
    What he have now is ONE television station for all the world.
    The YouTube party in Toronto last night was great. People traveled from all over to see and be seen, and say hello to each other in living colour.
    You felt like you were part of an expanding community of creative, fun people.
    People who don't need the approval of the established media, with their government/advertiser agenda.
    People who seemed to value and respect each other, for trying to make our world more fascinating and compassionate.
    Be skeptical, Matt, but I know you dig it too.
  7. Chris Williams from Toronto, Canada writes: Instead of whole .ca it would have been simpler to include a "videos from Canada" button in the same way that Google.ca does it. As other posters have said it - Youtube is international, further to that Canadians have seen success with it's international scope - witness Dove Evolution winning the Grand Prix at Cannes. Would it have had that success if it's viewing had been limited to us Canucks?
  8. Lawrence Davis from United States writes: Great blog with lots of useful information and excellent commentary! Thanks for sharing.

    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Direct-TV.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Dish-Network.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Satellite-Radio.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/T1-Internet-Service.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Satellite-DSL.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Satellite-Internet.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/VoIP.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Phone-Systems.html
    http://www.1-satellite-tv-facts.com/Affiliate-Programs.html

Join the Conversation, Leave a Comment

This conversation is semi-moderated What is moderation? | How do I report a comment?

You must be logged-in to submit a comment — login now!

Not registered with globeandmail.com? Register now. It is quick and free.

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to Ingram 2.0

Back to top