The site, yahoo.com.my, will initially offer localised news and movies sections, however, the portal has plans to introduce local search capabilities in mid-February, according to Yvonne Tey, head of marketing, Yahoo Southeast Asia.
"We do have a Malaysia edition already, but the difference is that this will be a fully-fledged site for the market," said Tey.
The site will be managed from Yahoo's Singapore office. It was designed in line with the new US homepage design introduced last year. "Other sites in Asia will also roll out this new look over the next three months," noted Tey.
Yahoo kicked off the 'Y!10 Search Contest' for the site's launch. The contest requires web users to predict the top 10 search words of the week for the prize of a trip for 10 friends to Pangkor Laut Resort. "Each week, the theme will be different. The '10' ties to our anniversary this year," said Tey.
Yahoo, which is looking to appoint resellers of advertising space for its Malaysia site, has announced revenues passed the US$1 billion mark in the last quarter of 2004. The internet portal also predicted strong growth for 2005, expecting revenue to rise by 31 per cent this year.