As many know by now, Twitter is trying desperately to make money. As part of this effort, Twitter Blue has now expanded its reach and is available in six more countries. You can now purchase paid plans in France, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. The total regions where Twitter Blue is available now add up to 12.
Spaces
Twitter also launched a new feature called Spaces tab. This initiative curates stations for recorded and live spaces. Users that don’t have a Twitter Blue subscription can also access the Spaces tab, and it will show them which live sessions are in progress.
In addition, Twitter is relaunching themed stations. It will list all Spaces stations by topic. August was when the testing began before Musk took over. The last few months saw no curation on Spaces because of the massive layoffs. The company may now rely on algorithms that will help group live audio conversations.
Podcasts
Twitter is also enabling podcasts only to Blue subscribers. It will also be available to a “few people” on iOS and Android devices. Podcasts, like Spaces, were an initiative already underway before the Elon Musk era began. The company has now resumed work on these projects. Twitter had also mentioned that since there is no search option for podcasts, you will have to be content with what the algorithm serves up.
Revenue Initiatives
The expansion of the Blue initiative has not come as a surprise. Last month, Twitter enabled people using Android devices to get a subscription. This week, Twitter also announced that it would end free API access and will introduce a basic paid plan soon. This plan is expected to be in the range of about $100 a month, which may be quite steep for students and small developers.
What Happens Next?
It remains to be seen if Twitter will continue finding new ways to make money. Its subscriber base is getting anxious, and it’s only a matter of time before the frustration boils over. Watch this space for more such developments.
