X (Twitter) plans to charge you based on the number of ads you view.

X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, rates three new levels of premium service. This will allow the platform to charge users different fees depending on how many ads they view. Another attempt to pay off the company that Elon Musk bought last year.

The premium plan will be divided into Basic, Standard and Plus. The only current plan currently costs $8 per month. As a benefit, the social network offers those who subscribe to X Premium – formerly known as Twitter Blue – some additional features, such as the ability to edit messages or write longer texts.

According to him, the proposal for three premium levels was presented at the company’s briefing with investors. Bloomberg source who followed the meeting that took place this Thursday. The meeting was led by Executive Director Linda Yaccarino, who has held this position since last June.

It’s unclear if there will still be a free option. A couple of weeks ago, Musk said he was considering introducing “small” monthly payments for all users. At a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the tycoon said that this would help him confront the problem of bots on the social network.

Musk also said last July that Twitter’s cash flow remained negative following a 50% drop in advertising revenue. However, Yaccarino said at the meeting that without the cost of debt, the company already has a positive cash balance.

Will Twitter’s strategy of charging for advertising work?

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion. Bloomberg explains that a change of ownership has left the company with a debt of 13 billion dollars. This is Musk’s unsystematic management, which has scared off most advertisers, concerned, among other things, about the safety of content on the social network.

During Thursday’s meeting, Twitter said its advertising rules were returning. He clarified that 90% of the 100 largest advertisers have already returned. However, they bring in less budget than before the sale. Despite this, Yaccarino said they are confident they will achieve a positive balance sheet, including debt, in the second half of 2024.

Before the Musk era, Twitter had annual sales of nearly $5 billion. Most of it, 90%, came from advertising. Now rate Bloombergowes about $1.2 billion a year in interest payments on its debt.

So far, the subscription plan has done little to solve the financial problem. About 820 thousand users will be subscribed to X Premium, according to data compiled by third-party researcher Travis Brown, who has been tracking membership since its launch.

New three subscription levels They have already appeared in the Twitter application code. The code shows that the basic plan will include the usual amount of advertising. Standard, half advertising. And the most expensive option will not show any advertising.