Twitter’s chargeable blue tick verification service is expected to roll out in India in “less than a month”, the microblogging platform’s new owner, billionaire Elon Musk has said.
Earlier this month, Musk had announced that verification blue tick in front of a user’s name that authenticates an account will be charged $8 (roughly Rs. 660) per month. Twitter’s strategy to introduce a monthly charge for the verified badge has polarised users globally.
Musk, the CEO of electric car maker Tesla, completed his $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3.61,740 crore) takeover of Twitter in October-end, placing the world’s richest man at the helm of one of the most influential social media apps in the world.
He also fired the social media company’s four top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde.
Twitter then proceeded to fire majority of its over 200 employees in India as part of mass layoffs across the globe, ordered by Musk who is looking to make the blockbuster acquisition work.
Musk has now said that Twitter Blue rollout can be expected in India within a month, clearing the air around when the chargeable service will be available in this key market.
“Hopefully, less than a month,” Musk tweeted in response to a Twitter user’s query on when the service is expected to be launched in India.
There is no official word on India pricing just yet. A blue tick signifies that a particular account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.
“Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk had tweeted on November 1, and added that the price is adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.
“You will also get: Priority in replies, mentions and search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam; ability to post long video and audio; half as many ads,” he added.
Musk had said the monthly payments from users for the blue tick will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.
There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians, he had pointed out.