Argentina: YouTube shows CFK’s inauguration

As Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is inaugurated for a second consecutive term as president of Argentina today, the ceremony and festivities will be webcast live and in high definition for the first time in the Latin American nation's history. The broadcast will be available to audiences worldwide via YouTube. Now a Google subsidiary, YouTube allows not only traditional TV broadcasters but also any company, NGO or government to launch their own virtual channels using its successful Web platform. Like US president Barack Obama, the "Casa Rosada" (Pink House) has been running its YouTube online channel (www.youtube.com/casarosada) for some time. The inauguration will be show live there today, December 10, starting at 11:45 AM local time (2:45 PM GMT). It will also mark the first time that YouTube broadcasts the inauguration of a head of state live and in HD. According to Argentina's state news agency Télam, the presidential online channel – which has over 16,000 subscribers and an archive featuring over 600 videos – will, starting today, be used to offer live webcasts of all major events attended and speeches given by the president. Among other regional heads of states attending today's inauguration will be the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff. Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chávez, won't be attending as he decided at the last minute to monitor developments following heavy rains in his country.