Online video-sharing giant YouTube on Tuesday called South Korea one of its key markets and predicted more growth in online video streaming in the country given the ubiquitous use of mobile devices.
"Korea has always been an exciting market for us. It was one of the first countries we launched in. And the success we have seen here is great. We have seen an over 110-percent growth here on-year (in this year’s first quarter) in watch time," Gautam Anand, director of YouTube contents and operations, told Yonhap News Agency in an interview.
"Globally, we are 50 percent mobile, but in Korea, it's 70 percent mobile. So we have to make sure to continue to invest in technology…and make sure we have the best video products out there."
Though declining to provide more detailed information like the number of users and watch time in Korea, the company said views from outside of the U.S. comprise 80 percent of its total.
Anand said the South Korean market for online video streaming will "absolutely" continue to grow, adding that Psy’s hit “Gangnam Style” still gets a million hits per day.
By D.H.Peter Kim
