News

Twitter Plans To Charge $19.99 Per Month For Verification

After acquiring the social media platform for $44 billion, Elon Musk has issued a deadline to introduce a paid verification scheme.

Published

5 months ago

October 31, 2022

Nour Nasir

twitter plans to charge $19.99 per month for verification

Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

In one of his first directives since the takeover, Elon Musk aims to change Twitter Blue, the optional $4.99 per month subscription service, into a more expensive add-on that verifies users with the familiar blue check mark.

If the current plan goes ahead, users will have 90 days to upgrade to the new monthly fee or lose their existing verification completely. Musk has made plenty of noise about revamping Twitter over the last few months and is rumored to have issued a November 7th deadline for this particular change, with employees facing being fired if the feature isn’t in place by that date.

Twitter’s new owner has been in charge for less than a week so far, but has already changed the site’s homepage. When logged-out users visit the root domain, they are redirected to the Explore page that shows trending tweets and the latest news stories. The outspoken Tesla founder is planning mass layoffs of Twitter middle managers and engineers who haven’t recently contributed to the site’s codebase, with cuts expected to begin happening this week.

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The original Twitter Blue subscription launched almost a year ago as a way to view articles without ads, as well as giving subscribers an undo function for Tweets. The service hasn’t been particularly popular, and ad revenue still constitutes the vast majority of the platform’s revenue.

Musk is keen to grow the subscription model to the point where it accounts for half of Twitter’s revenue — let’s see how the controversial Tesla CEO fares over the coming months.

News

A Line-Up Of Over 100 Shows Comes To Snapchat This Ramadan

Snapchatters can watch a wide range of content, including entertainment, drama, and comedy.

Published

1 hour ago

March 25, 2023

Nour Nasir

a line-up of over 100 shows comes to snapchat this ramadan

As people across the Middle East celebrate the beginning of Ramadan this week, Snapchat has announced a new line-up of over 100 Ramadan shows to be added to the Discover platform, bringing drama, comedy, and more for the holy month. Snapchatters can also browse Spotlight to discover fresh creators and content from across the MENA region and beyond.

snapchat ramadan 2023 discover slate

Snapchat partners on the Discover line-up include the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, Augustus Media, MBC Group, Rotana Media Group, Dubai Media Inc, 7awi Group, Alfan Group, and more. Snap Inc. has revealed that shows will include “Netflorex, THAT, and Marahel, as well as MBC’s highly anticipated show Tash Returns, Studio 23, and prank show Ramez Never End”.

Snapchat’s Discover and Spotlight will also feature creator content from Saudi legacy Creator Bader Saleh, Ahmad Alzahabi’s cooking show “The Golden Balance”, and Muslim Girl, a US-based award-winning creator empowering Muslim women worldwide.

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“This Ramadan, we are partnering with some of the region’s most trusted media partners and fan-favorite creators to showcase engaging content on Discover and Spotlight. Snapchatters spent 31 percent more time watching Ramadan content than the year prior. We are excited to help our community discover new creators and content in a personalized way, allowing them to watch and share their favorite content that captures the spirit of the holy month,” says Hussein Freijeh, General Manager at Snap Inc. in MENA.

To view Snapchat’s Discover shows, simply swipe right on the app, search for the show you want to watch, and then subscribe!