New Twitter owner Elon Musk has considered putting all of Twitter behind a paywall, according to a report on Tuesday.
US technology journalist Casey Newton, citing an unnamed source, said on Platformer, his subscription newsletter, that Musk has “discussed putting the entire site behind a paywall”.
A move to throw up a paywall around the entirety of Twitter would be controversial but could make sense as the billionaire CEO of electric car maker Tesla seeks ways to make Twitter – which he bought two weeks ago for US$44-billion – more commercially sustainable.
The Platformer report, citing a person familiar with the situation, said Musk and his adviser at Twitter, venture capitalist David Sacks, had discussed the idea of an all-encompassing paywall in recent meetings.
“One such plan might allow everyone to use Twitter for a limited amount of time each month but require a subscription to continue browsing,” the report said, citing the source. However, Platformer said such a move was likely not imminent given that Twitter teams were wholly focused on the launch of paid-for verification.
Musk is clearly keen to find new revenue streams for Twitter and has in recent days has proposed an $8/month subscription fee for users who want a blue verification checkmark next to their names (among other benefits, including seeing less advertising in their timelines).
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Musk has drawn fire for that plan, with critics arguing that the value of the verified checkmark will be greatly diminished if anyone can pay to get one. Until now, a Twitter team has verified the identity of users with checkmarks, which are often assigned to celebrities, politicians, journalists and other high-profile people.
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The moves by Twitter’s new CEO come as the company struggles to win over major advertisers worried about its future under its new owner, with several big-name brands in recent days electing to pause their ad spend. These include Audi, General Motors, Interpublic Group, Pfizer and Volkswagen. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media