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X unveils Premium Plus and Basic subscription tiers

Stevan

A few days ago, X CEO Elon Musk promised two new tiers of premium subscriptions that would be coming to the popular micro-blogging site. Now, nearly 10 days after the announcement, the F-K-A Twitter platform has officially launched its new lineup of subscription tiers, in addition to the platform’s existing Premium tier.

The two new subscription tiers are the Premium+ and Premium Basic tiers. As the default standard, X retains the Premium tier, which continues to be priced at $8 per month. This tier continues to provide the core features that users have come to expect from X. It should be noted that subscribing to the Basic tier will not give you the verified “coloured tick” checkmark – instead, the features available include longer posts, edit button, themes and custom app icons.

“X Premium is an opt-in, paid subscription that offers additional features* to improve your experience on X. X Premium has three tiers: Basic, Premium, and Premium+, with more features available in each tier. Subscribe now with localized pricing starting at $3/month or $32/year on Web in available countries,” reads X’s support page on the matter. The new Basic tier is the most pocket-friendly version of the three, coming at $3 per month. The Basic tier is also geared toward casual X users who are looking for enhanced features without a hefty price tag. Some of the features included in the Basic tier are the ability to make longer posts, edit posts after publishing, and access themes and custom app icons.

“We’re also launching a new Basic tier for $3/month (when signing up via Web) that gives you access to the most essential Premium features,” the social media company noted in a post on X. This could potentially prove to be a solution for X’s revenue woes, especially since the Basic tier aims to make enhanced X features accessible to a wider audience. While it does not provide access to the more premium features, it does offer an improved experience, and provide an option for users who are not looking for a significant financial commitment. And at a time when the Elon Musk-owned X is desperate for new sources of revenue, every little bit helps.

Speaking of the other tier, X has unveiled the Premium Plus tier, priced at $16 per month. This high-end tier is set to offer substantial advantages. Subscribers to Premium Plus can enjoy an ad-free X experience, and more notably, they receive the “largest reply boost” (though Twitter did not elaborate on this). This means their posts receive top priority when it comes to engagement on the platform. Some of the most attractive aspects of the Premium Plus tier is the removal of ads from the “For You” and “Following” feeds, along with the verified checkmark – subscribers of this tier receive a blue checkmark next to their name, signifying that their account is verified.

This marks a significant change for X users who have become accustomed to encountering ads in these areas. The absence of ads in these feeds promises a cleaner and more immersive experience. They also have the opportunity to earn a share of revenue generated from verified accounts’ organic impressions of ads displayed in replies, as well as offer subscription options to their followers. After verification, accounts can reply to posts limited to verified accounts only, and Premium and Premium+ subscribers can choose to hide their checkmark and get “ID Verified” labels. Last but not the least, they will also be given access to Media Studio and X Pro in order to manage and enhance their X presence.

The Premium Plus tier, offering an ad-free experience, is likely to attract users who prefer an uncluttered timeline. It is still too pricey, though, which may prevent interested users from subscribing to it. Nonetheless, subscribers of the Premium Plus tier can enjoy a cleaner and more immersive X experience, without the disruption of ads in their feeds, and can monetize their content. This can incentivize content creators to produce engaging content and benefit X by encouraging quality posts, while content creators on X have an opportunity to earn income from their content, potentially motivating them to produce high-quality posts.

In the end, both of the new subscription tiers are part of X’s larger strategy to diversify its revenue streams. The company has faced challenges in its advertising business, which has been on the decline over the past year (thanks to factors such as X’s looser content moderation policies). Reducing reliance on ad revenue is a strategic move to make X less vulnerable to changes in the advertising industry and to provide a more consistent income source. It also marks a step towards Musk’s ambition of turning X into an “everyday app,” and tap into newer sources of steady revenue. Users, in the coming weeks, will be given the ability to “upgrade or downgrade” their existing subscription tier, according to X.

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