Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) relaunched its ‘Blue’ subscription service on Monday, having delayed its introduction due to a spike in impersonated accounts.
Costing US$8, or US$11 for those paying through Apple’s AppStore, the subscription service sees users able to buy verification, meaning a small tick will appear on their profiles, which was previously only available to the likes of public figures and celebrities.
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark ???? pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
Elon Musk, chief executive, tweeted in mid-November: “Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.”
As well as being verified, paying users will experience less adverts and see their posts favoured by the platform’s algorithm.
Musk previously suggested that Twitter needed to shore up its revenue streams, with its main source of income very vulnerable due to relying on advertisers continuing to use the platform.
Pressure from civil rights groups has seen some companies, including Volkswagen Group (XETRA:VOW) and Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE), halt advertising on Twitter due to Musk’s plans.
Musk says he wants the majority of Twitter’s revenue to come from subscriptions.