Elon Musk's X Lifts Price for Premium-plus Tier to Pay Creators

Elon Musk acknowledged his bid to buy Twitter may fail, but said he has a "plan B" - Copyright POOL/AFP/File Britta Pedersen
Elon Musk acknowledged his bid to buy Twitter may fail, but said he has a "plan B" - Copyright POOL/AFP/File Britta Pedersen
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Elon Musk's X Lifts Price for Premium-plus Tier to Pay Creators

Elon Musk acknowledged his bid to buy Twitter may fail, but said he has a "plan B" - Copyright POOL/AFP/File Britta Pedersen
Elon Musk acknowledged his bid to buy Twitter may fail, but said he has a "plan B" - Copyright POOL/AFP/File Britta Pedersen

Elon Musk-owned X raised the price of its premium-plus plan in several markets from Dec. 21 as the social media company looks to boost payment for creators on its platform.

The top-tier plan is now priced at $22 a month in the US, up from $16 earlier, according to a blog post. Prices for the basic tier and premium subscriptions remain unchanged at $3 and $8, respectively, Reuters reported.

X changed its revenue-sharing practices in October to ensure subscription fees would more directly contribute to creator payouts and that they are compensated on content quality and engagement rather than ad views alone.

The updated pricing applies to new subscribers, while existing members will retain their current rates until Jan. 20.

X offers premium-plus subscribers ad-free browsing and features such as expanded access to the Grok AI chatbot and Radar, which offers real-time analytics on emerging trends through keyword tracking.

Subscriptions are a key part of Musk's strategy to drive revenue growth at X, the platform which was known as Twitter before the billionaire purchased it and had long relied on advertising dollars.



Albania Bans TikTok for a Year after Killing of Teenager

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
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Albania Bans TikTok for a Year after Killing of Teenager

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)
A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP)

Albania on Saturday announced a one-year ban on TikTok, the popular short video app, following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on children.

The ban, part of a broader plan to make schools safer, will come into effect early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting with parents' groups and teachers from across the country.

"For one year, we'll be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania," Rama said.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Several European countries including France, Germany and Belgium have enforced restrictions on social media use for children. In one of the world's toughest regulations targeting Big Tech, Australia approved in November a complete social media ban for children under 16.

Rama has blamed social media, and TikTok in particular, for fueling violence among youth in and outside school.

His government's decision comes after a 14-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil. Local media had reported that the incident followed arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos had also emerged on TikTok of minors supporting the killing.

"The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TikTok and all the others that are taking our children hostage," Rama said.