The new modality would begin “next month”, although the businessman did not give details about costs or what percentage the platform will take.
Elon Musk announced this Saturday a plan for his platform Twitter allow the media charge users for accessing each news article individually.
“This allows users who would not buy a monthly subscription to pay a higher price when they want to read an occasional article“said the mogul from his Twitter account. And added:” It should be a great win for both media organizations and the public.
He said the plan would start next month, but did not provide information on pricing or how much of a cut Twitter would get.
The announcement, according to the agency AFPcame as Musk has been fighting, amid frequent controversy, to make Twitter profitable.
Media outlets have also struggled for years to come up with subscription plans that allow them to cover their operating costs, especially as readers have grown accustomed to getting free news on the Internet.
Musk’s plan raises questions about how he hopes his form of micropayment will work when others have failed.
British journalist James Ball listed several problems with micropayments, an idea that “definitely has occurred to major publishers across the planet,” he wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review.
Many readers give up as soon as they hit a paywall, he said. And publishers “widely” prefer to have full-time subscribers, who generate far more ad revenue than the 20 cents or so a single article sale might bring.
However, some on Twitter reacted positively.
“Great idea,” tweeted user Greg Autry. “As a frequent author in publications such as Forbes, Foreign Policy y Ad Astra, I’m often frustrated when my work ends up behind a paywall that my followers aren’t willing to subscribe to. This is the correct solution.”
And Carlos Gil, author of a book on marketing, tweeted: “Finally, a pay-per-view for news that won’t make you feel like you’re buying an overpriced stadium beer. Get your items a la carte and keep your wallet happy.”
They threaten to bring Elon Musk to Justice for the blue tilde
The controversy that led to the verification of accounts on Twitter skyrocketed in recent days, and now it could have a destination in the US justice, according to sources warned the Wired Magazine.
After the announcement on April 20 that Twitter was going to remove the blue badges from accounts that did not pay for Twitter Blue, Elon Musk surprised everyone by keeping those of several famous people. This was the case with the writer Stephen King, the NBA star LeBron James and the Star Trek actor William Shatner, among others.
But these blue ticks were included with a suggestive and controversial label: “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.” Immediately, Stephen King objected to the move. “My Twitter account says I signed up for Twitter Blue. I did not do it. My twitter account says I gave him a phone number. I don’t”.