Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has been vocal about his plans to introduce a subscription fee for all users of the platform. The latest development in this direction is a report by Bloomberg that the company is testing three different subscription tiers, with the most premium tier showing the fewest number of advertisements.
According to sources, the three tiers will be Basic, Standard, and Plus, with the Basic tier showing the same number of ads as the current free tier. The Standard tier will show half as many ads, while the Plus tier will be completely ad-free. There is no word yet on the pricing for these tiers, but it is likely that the Premium tier, which currently costs $8 a month, will be adjusted to fit into this new structure.
One concern is that by making X a subscription-only platform, millions of casual users may leave the platform, as they are not willing to pay for a service that they previously received for free. To mitigate this risk, X may choose to retain a free tier, but with more ads than the current free tier. Alternatively, the company may offer a low-cost Basic tier with some perks to encourage sign-ups.
Elon Musk (Via Elon Musk/Twitter)
Musk’s decision to introduce a subscription fee is rooted in the desire to combat the issue of bots on the platform. Bots, which are automated accounts, can swamp DM inboxes and replies with spam, hateful material, or content designed to influence elections. By making it costlier for bot operators to set up fake accounts, X hopes to reduce the number of bots on the platform. Additionally, the hassle of setting up a new payment method for each bot would also help to fight against this practice.
Musk has been clear about his desire to increase X’s revenue, and the introduction of a subscription fee is seen as a key way to achieve this goal. The company has faced a significant decline in advertising revenue since Musk acquired it in a $44 billion deal last year. The hope is that a subscription-based model will attract more revenue from users who are willing to pay for a premium experience.
It is also worth noting that X has not officially confirmed the new subscription tiers, but recent reports and leaks suggest that something is in the works. The exact details of the new tiers and pricing plans will likely be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
