Twitter allows users to send short messages of up to 140 characters. The 5-year-old site has been instrumental in connecting protesters and relaying on-the-ground developments during this year’s Arab Spring uprisings.
Globally, the San Francisco-based company has more than 100 million active users who post an average of 250 million messages, or “tweets,’’ a day.
“We believe that social media will fundamentally change the media industry landscape in the coming years,’’ Ahmed Halawani, KHC’s executive director of private equity and international investments, said in a statement. “Twitter will capture and monetize this positive trend.’’
Twitter spokesman Matt Graves confirmed the investment but was unable to provide further details.
Alwaleed owns 95 percent KHC, which has a major stakes in Citigroup Inc., Apple Inc. and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
His Twitter investment comes as Arab activists from Tunisia to Bahrain have flocked to Twitter to coordinate protests and voice their opposition to long-ruling autocratic regimes.
Arabic is now the fastest growing language on Twitter, according to a study released last month by French social media research firm Semiocast.
Although Arabic tweets account for just over 1 percent of all Twitter messages, their volume has jumped 22 times over the past year, Semiocast said.
“Twitter is growing exponentially, especially in the context of the Middle East,’’ said Ismail Patel, who follows digital media in the region for the research firm Informa Telecoms & Media. “The Middle East is an important region for Twitter. And Twitter is becoming increasingly important for all Middle East residents … because of the Arab Spring protests.’’
Alwaleed is launching a new Arabic news channel that will challenge established players such as Qatar’s Al-Jazeera and Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya.
