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X moves live streaming behind a premium paywall

X will move live streaming behind a premium paywall, making it the first central social media platform to charge for the feature, starting soon.

In a recent announcement, X revealed that it would soon require a premium subscription for users to access live-streaming features. This shift will make X the first central social media platform to charge for live streaming, a free feature on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

โ€œStarting soon, only Premium subscribers will be able to live stream (create live video streams) on X,โ€ the company stated. This also includes live streaming via an encoder with X integration, referring to its game-streaming capabilities.

A new direction for X

With this new direction, X is making a significant change to its user experience. While the company has not provided a specific reason for this shift, it has previously used additional features like post editing, longform writing, and ad-free feeds to entice users to its paid subscriptions. The decision to move live streaming behind a paywall is a departure from the norm, as these features were not typically restricted in the past. X Premium subscriptions start at US$3 per month for the basic tier, with prices rising to US$8 per month for Premium and US$16 per month for Premium+.

The future of simple features

This move is not an isolated event. It’s part of a broader trend on the Elon Musk-owned platform to charge for previously free features. For instance, X recently introduced a US$1 annual fee for new accounts to have posting privileges in New Zealand and the Philippines. While X describes this as a test, Musk has hinted at plans to extend these charges to all new users, indicating a potential shift in the platform’s business model.

In conclusion, moving live streaming behind a premium paywall indicates X’s strategy to monetize more aspects of its platform. Users wishing to continue live streaming on X must subscribe to one of the premium tiers, starting at US$3 per month.

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