Elon Musk’s social media platform X has started offering free premium features, including verification badges like “blue checks,” to certain users in an effort to reward influential individuals on the platform. X Premium is a subscription service with three tiers – Basic, Premium, and Premium+. Subscribing to these tiers gives users access to exclusive features, such as displaying a blue checkmark on their profile. The Basic tier starts at $32 a year in the U.S., while Premium+ costs $168.
Recently, Musk announced that accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers would receive Premium features for free, while those with over 5,000 followers would get Premium+ for free. Many users, including some CNBC reporters, were notified that they had received complimentary subscriptions for being influential members of the community on X.
The introduction of subscriptions on X was done to supplement the platform’s advertising revenue, as many advertisers have scaled back or stopped buying ads following Musk’s controversial Twitter activity in late 2022. Companies such as Disney and Apple halted online advertising campaigns on X after Musk promoted a conspiracy theory.
It is uncertain how long users will have access to the free premium features or if they can opt out of the service. X provided an automated response to CNBC’s request for comment.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has begun rolling out free premium features, such as verification badges, to select users. The platform offers subscription tiers for access to exclusive features, with the Basic tier starting at $32 a year in the U.S. Last week, Musk announced that accounts with over 2,500 verified subscribers would receive Premium features for free. X CEO Linda Yaccarino shared Musk’s post as the features were rolled out. Many users, including some CNBC reporters, received complimentary subscriptions as “influential members of the community.” The move to introduce subscriptions was in response to a decline in advertising revenue following Musk’s controversial Twitter activity. It remains unclear how long users will have access to free premium features or if they can opt out of the service. X responded to CNBC’s request for comment with an automated message.
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