Twitter reportedly looking at alternative monetisation – including charging a subscription fee for Tweetdeck

Would you pay a subscription fee for Twitter? Of course not, it’s Twitter. Complaining about things on the internet should be free. But, according to a Bloomberg report, you might consider paying a subscription fee for access to Tweetdeck, or for so-called “unique content” on the microblogging service.

All a-Twitter

You see, you may consider a subscription fee the lesser of two evils. If, that is, you’d rather see the social media service reducing its reliance on advertising. But, in that case, you probably work for them.

The report claims Twitter is exploring alternative revenue options, including ‘tipping’ users for exclusive content on the service (gee, what does that remind us of?). There’s also the option of “…charging for the use of services like Tweetdeck or advanced user features like “undo send” or profile-customization options”, according to Bloomberg.

A subscription for Tweetdeck wouldn’t just repackage what we’ve already got, however. Access to the tool could be included in an undefined “…suite of services…”, or perhaps Twitter could design something wholly new (but useful) that it can justify charging its power users for. That would be our call, but we doubt the service is asking our opinions.

It’s not for you

But this move isn’t being made with users in mind. The service has been examining monetisation efforts for years, with a shift towards paid-for content and subs remaining on the table. The current reexamination is being driven by slow growth in advertising (those ‘promoted’ posts you see in your feed), the plateauing of users in the service’s main market (the States), and pressure from investors. Who, understandably, want to get paid at some point.

More information about any possible moves in this direction is expected this week, at the company’s Tuesday earnings call, but there are hints of what’s to come. Bruce Falck, Twitter’s head of revenue products, said, “Increasing revenue durability is our top company objective. While we’re excited about this potential, it’s important to note we are still in the very early exploration and we do not expect any meaningful revenue attributable to these opportunities in 2021.”

Source: Bloomberg