Elon Musk Announces New Premium Subscriptions for X Platform
Published: Fri 20 Oct 2023, 2:35 PM
By Reuters
Elon Musk, the CEO of social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), announced on Friday that the platform will soon introduce two new tiers of premium subscriptions. According to Musk, one subscription will offer all features at a lower cost but will not eliminate ads, while the other subscription will be more expensive but will be ad-free.
Musk did not provide further details about the subscription plans. However, earlier this week, the company began charging new users $1 in New Zealand and the Philippines as a test case for platform access. New users who choose not to subscribe will only have “read-only” access, allowing them to read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts.
The introduction of these premium subscriptions is part of X’s efforts to combat spam, manipulation, and bot activity on the platform. Since Musk took over the platform in October 2022, he has implemented several changes, including mass layoffs and disbanding content moderation teams. These changes have resulted in advertisers pausing their ads on the platform.
In an attempt to generate revenue, Musk previously introduced the blue check subscription service, charging $8 per month. Additionally, he has tried to attract advertisers back to X by offering discounts. However, revenue has been impacted, and Musk has blamed activists for pressuring advertisers.
Overall, the introduction of premium subscriptions is a further step in Musk’s ongoing efforts to improve the X platform and address revenue challenges.
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