WASHINGON: Twitter boss Elon Musk announced in a series of tweets Saturday that the company’s subscription service would show less advertising to users, including an ad-free tier.
The announcement comes as the social network has faced major economic uncertainty since its takeover by Musk in October.
“Ads are too frequent on Twitter and too big. Taking steps to address both in coming weeks,” Musk posted to his Twitter account Saturday.
And for those who choose it, “there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads,” Musk added.
That would be a radical change in business model from Twitter, which has so far relied on targeted advertising to generate revenue, before launching a paid subscription service in mid-December.
But advertising has been a question mark for Twitter lately, after Musk fired about half of the company’s 7,500-strong workforce late last year. The move sparked concern that the company was insufficiently staffed to carry out content moderation and spooking governments and advertisers.
Musk said his strategy was to massively reduce costs while building up revenue, and that a new subscription service called Twitter Blue, which grants users a sought-after blue verification tick for a fee, would help reach that goal.
The service costs $11 a month in the United States and is available on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems, according to a page on the company’s website.
Web subscriptions are also available for $8 per month or, at a discount, $84 per year.
Twitter Blue is currently available in the United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Musk-led Twitter has been riven by chaos, with mass layoffs, the return of banned accounts and the suspension of journalists critical of the South African-born billionaire.
Musk’s takeover also saw a surge in racist or hateful tweets, drawing scrutiny from regulators and chasing away big advertisers, Twitter’s main source of revenue.
Elon Musk announces more expensive subscription for ad-free Twitter
https://arab.news/rk2m5
Elon Musk announces more expensive subscription for ad-free Twitter
- Move a radical change in the business model from Twitter, which has so far relied on targeted advertising to generate revenue
RT Arabic to launch new TV program marking 100 years of Russia-Saudi relations
- The program will broadcast twice a month starting next month
RIYADH: Russian news network, RT Arabic, is set to launch a new analytical program, “Studio Riyadh,” from the capital next month as part of celebrations marking 100 years of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Saudi Arabia.
The program will be hosted by veteran Saudi journalist Mohammed Al-Rashed and broadcast twice a month, starting February 2026. It will provide in-depth analysis of regional and international developments, featuring prominent political and media figures.
Maya Manna, head of RT Arabic, said that the launch aligned with commemorations of the historic ties between the two countries and reflected a growing commitment to media cooperation.
“Studio Riyadh” will join RT Arabic’s lineup of international programs broadcast from major capitals including Beirut, Cairo, Washington and Paris.
Each 26-minute episode will air on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and feature a focused dialogue on a pressing current affairs topic.
Al-Rashed, a seasoned presenter and correspondent with more than 20 years of experience, is expected to bring deep regional insight and journalistic rigor to the program.
RT Arabic, which was the first Russian news channel to broadcast 24/7 in Arabic, has grown into one of the region’s leading platforms for political analysis. It currently reaches an estimated audience of 400 million viewers and operates a broad network of regional bureaus.
