Starting next month, Twitter users may have to pay to read news articles. Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, announced on Saturday that the microblogging network will allow media publishers to charge visitors to read the news.
Rather than purchasing a complete month or year subscription, as is the traditional technique used by paywall publications, customers will be paid “per article.” However, if they do not use the monthly subscription service, they may end up paying more, according to Musk.
“Rolling out next month, this platform will allow media publishers to charge users on a per-article basis with one click,” tweeted Musk.
“This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per-article price when they want to read an occasional article. Should be a major win-win for both media orgs & the public,” he added.
Rolling out next month, this platform will allow media publishers to charge users on a per article basis with one click.
This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per article price for when they want to read an occasional article.…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2023
It is yet unclear if Twitter will be taking a share of the pie of the subscription or if only the publisher will receive the money. Some netizens also quizzed if the media publishers that are already using a paywall for subscription-based content will also be participating in the service.
Also read: Elon Musk’s life documentary ‘The Cult of Elon’ to release this month
Ever since taking over Twitter after completing the $44 billion deal, Musk has been seeking new avenues to generate revenues for the company. He has already fired more than 80 percent of the Twitter staff to make the books leaner.
Musk started the Twitter Blue subscription service last year under which any user can receive the blue checkmark after paying a certain fee and providing identification proof.
Musk announced earlier this month that creators on Twitter will be able to charge consumers for access to their work, which will range from “long-form text to hours-long video.”
Creators now have the option to charge monthly membership fees of $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99. Musk stated in a Twitter thread that for the next 12 months, the creators will make the most of the money because Twitter will not charge anything.
Twitter changed its advertising policies earlier last week, allowing cannabis companies to freely market their products on the network.
“Going forward, certified advertisers may feature packaged cannabis products in ad creative,” the company stated in a press release.
