From May, publishers can charge readers for every article read on Twitter

The new measure will allow users who would not like to sign up for a monthly subscription to read an occasional piece by paying a price per article

The Federal
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Elon Musk, Twitter, Twitter subscriptions, monetisation, per-article charge
Elon Musk is reportedly earning close to $98,800 (Rs 81 lakh) from his subscribers alone | File photo

Twitter is up for yet another change from May. Owner Elon Musk announced on the microblogging platform on Saturday (April 29) that media publishers will be able to charge users on a per-article basis from next month.

Twitter’s recently-rolled-out subscriptions feature allowed users to charge their followers a monthly fee to access their content. Users can access the feature by clicking on ‘Monetization’ in settings.

The new measure will allow users who would not like to sign up for a monthly subscription to read an occasional piece by paying a price per article.

Musk believes it should be “a major win-win” for both media organisations and the public.

“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. Should be a major win-win for both media orgs & the public,” Musk’s tweet read.

Also read: Microsoft drops Twitter from advertising platform; ‘Lawsuit time,’ says Musk

Subscription feature

Musk and Twitter have been promoting the subscription feature actively. On April 29, the official Twitter handle posted: “WORLDWIDE! Creators across the globe can now sign up and earn a living on Twitter. Tap on “Monetization” in settings to apply today.”

Sharing it, Musk tweeted: “Support content creators around the world in near & far away places! For many this represents a vital source of income & enables them to put more time into creating great content for you.” In another tweet, he added, “All proceeds go to content creators, we keep nothing.”

However, on Friday, Musk said Twitter would take a 10% cut on content subscriptions after the first year. The content eligible for subscription includes long-form text and hours-long video.

Musk himself is earning close to $98,800 (Rs 81 lakh) from his subscribers. In a screenshot posted along with a tweet, the billionaire recently showed that he has more than 24,700 subscribers. He charges every user around $4 per month. Hence, his monthly earning from subscriptions would be around Rs 80.9 lakh).

He shared the screenshot and urged content creators to enable subscriptions on the platform.

Also read: Kohli, SRK, Rahul, Kejriwal among big names who lost Twitter blue tick

Twitter has undergone a host of changes since Musk took over its ownership last year. The platform now allows people to pen longer tweets than before, subscribe to accounts by paying a monthly fee, and the like. Most significantly, the Blue Tick has to be bought for a monthly fee.

(With agency inputs)

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