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| X formerly known as Twitter announced that live streaming is now available only to premium users. This makes X the first platform to change for this feature, unlike Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitch and Tiktok which remain free. X Premium subscriptions start at USD 3 per month. Initial user reactions have been negative. |
INFOPINTAR - X the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has announced a controversial move to restrict live streaming access to its premium users only. Thismakes X the first major social media platform to charge for this feature while other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitch and Tiktok continue to offer it for free.
X stated, "Soon, only Premium subscribers will be able to live stream (create live video streams) on X. This includes live streaming from encoders with X integration, which will also affect the ability to stream games on X."
Although no official explanation for this change has been given, Xhas used additional features such as post editing, lon-form writing and ad-free feeds to encourage users to subscibe to its paid plans. X premium subscriptions currently start at USD 3 per month for Premium and USD 16 per month for Premium+.
This change marks a shift from X previous practice of not restricting key features for free users. Additionally, X has introduced an annual fee of USD 1 for new accounts in New Zealand and the Philippines to gain posting rights. Elon Musk, the owner of X has hinted at the possibility of expanding this fee to all new users globally.
This move indicates a potential strategy shift for X transitioning from an ad-based model to a mixed model that combines ads and paid subscriptions. Although there is no specific date for when this change will be implemented, initial reactions from X users have been mostly negative. Many criticize that no other platform even those with superrior Ul and video players charges users for streaming.
It remains to be seen how users will react will react once the change is implemented and whether other platforms will follow suit.
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