The X platform is preparing to move its live streaming service behind the premium subscription wall. In the statement made by the company, it was stated that with this change, X will be the only major social media platform that charges for the live broadcast feature. Other major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok still offer the live streaming service for free.
“Soon only Premium subscribers will be able to stream live on X,” the company said. said. “This includes live streaming from an encoder with X integration,” he said, also referencing X’s game streaming capabilities.
Premium subscription requirement for live streaming on X
X did not provide an explanation as to the reason for this change. The company had previously offered additional features such as post editing, long-form writing, and ad-free streaming to attract users to paid subscriptions. However, it generally did not move existing and widely used features behind paid subscriptions. X Premium subscriptions start from 49.84 TL per month for the “Basic” tier, going up to 150 TL for Premium and 300 TL for Premium+.
Meanwhile, there are other signs that the platform owned by Elon Musk plans to charge for other simple features as well. In New Zealand and the Philippines, the company introduced a $1 annual fee for new accounts to get posting privileges. Although the company still describes this arrangement as a test, Musk has stated that he wants to expand these fees to all new users.
As a result, X’s decision to make its live streaming service a feature that requires a premium subscription may lead to mixed reactions among users. In the competitive environment of social media platforms, the effects of such changes on user behavior and the platform’s popularity will be carefully monitored. In addition to all this, it is also a matter of curiosity whether this strategy of X will set an example for other social media platforms.