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The APIs will allow developers to upload videos and metadata from within their own site, as well as customise the embedded player's interface to match their own website's theme.

"That means that if, for example, you run a site just for iguana enthusiasts, your users can upload videos of JubJub to their YouTube accounts, post comments, create iguana playlists, and more, all without leaving your site," YouTube explains on its blog.

"And with the new player APIs and the new chromeless player, you can completely customize and skin the YouTube embedded player to match the look and feel of your site (a green theme, buttons that look like scales?)."

With the move YouTube now describes itself as "an open, general purpose, video services platform, available for use by just about any third-party website, desktop application, or consumer device."