The most popular instant messaging service in China, WeChat is now offering a more personal way for its users to communicate with their favorite celebrities. However, the new service is not free and it comes with a price. Once they pay a membership fee, users of WeChat can use the app in a different way, as their favorite stars can wake them up, they can view unretouched photos of celebrities and even read books written by some of the most famous writers.
For example, popular Chinese actor Chen Kun now has an official WeChat account and users need to pay 18 yuan per month to be able to get exclusive content. Due to Chen’s huge popularity in the country, as well as over 400 million WeChat users, analysts have predicted that the actor’s account will most likely generate a significant amount of revenue.
After the launch of the messaging app, many celebrities in the country started using WeChat so that they can become more personal with the public. The app was launched by Chinese Internet company Tencent in early 2011 and it quickly gained popularity among smartphone users.
Most of the revenue for parent company of WeChat, Tencent comes from gaming, despite the rising popularity of the app. In June 2013, Morgan Stanley said that Chinese Internet giant’s profit margins are most likely going to narrow additionally in 2013, due to investment plans of the company in e-commerce and mobile Internet.
Photo Credits: China Daily
