Twitter on Nov. 5 launched its revamped subscription service dubbed “Twitter Blue.”
The first major product update since Elon Musk bought the California-based company, Twitter Blue was being offered to certain users for $4.99 a month and to others for $7.99 a month.
While the subscription service is not new, Musk has given it a central role in his efforts to turn the company around.
Twitter Blue now gives people “exclusive benefits,” prospective subscribers were told, including early access to select features and the ability to edit posts.
People seeking the coveted blue check marks that are featured next to some usernames will also get one if they subscribe.
“We’re exploring ways to make the Twitter experience next level—and Twitter Blue is just the beginning. This opt-in, paid monthly subscription offers exclusive access to premium features that let you customize your Twitter experience,” the company said in a statement.
The subscription was being offered to users in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
In June 2021, the social media platform first introduced Twitter Blue as a subscription offering that provided additional features and perks to users who chose to enroll.
Twitter didn’t respond by press time to a request for more details, including why certain users were being offered a discount.
The lower price was being offered to at least one user who already had a blue check mark, The Epoch Times confirmed.
Musk bought Twitter in October for $44 billion. He has said he sees the company as providing a “digital town square” and that he disapproves of the rampant censorship in which the company has increasingly engaged in recent years.
The blue check mark, which means a user’s identity is verified, was a key aspect of subscriptions. In the past, users could submit an application for one, but many struggled to obtain one.
Musk said on Nov. 5 that, previously, the check marks were being handed out “often arbitrarily.”
“You can buy as many as you want right now with a Google search. Piggybacking off payment system plus Apple/Android is a much better way to ensure verification,” he wrote on Twitter.
Musk also voiced support for investigating allegations that Twitter employees were selling check marks for upward of $15,000.
If all goes well, Twitter Blue may be rolled out to other countries, according to Musk.
A number of companies have stopped buying advertisements on the platform in protest of Musk’s plans, which he says will better protect free speech while maintaining a good user experience. Critics say his ownership will result in a worse user experience, among other possible issues.
Musk has already laid off a number of workers, something he called necessary because the company has been losing more than $4 million per day. Some of the terminations would have happened regardless of who was in charge, because of the financial situation, the new owner said.
Of Twitter’s $2.3 billion in earnings through the first six months of 2022, more than $2.1 billion came from advertising.
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