X-Hikes

X’s Premium+ Price Surge: Why the 35% Hike Could Reshape India’s Subscription Market

 

Elon Musk's social media platform X has announced a price hike for its Premium+ subscription tier in India, effective December 21, 2024. The monthly subscription fee will increase by 35%, rising from ₹1,300 to ₹1,750, while the annual subscription cost will go up from ₹13,600 to ₹18,300.

 

Reasons Behind the Price Hike

 

X has cited three primary reasons for this substantial increase:

 

1.  Ad-Free Experience: Starting now, Premium+ subscribers will enjoy an entirely 'ad free' experience on thier 'For You' and 'Following' feeds.

2. Support for Content Creators: The platform has shifted its revenue-sharing model to reward content quality and engagement, rather than ad views alone. This change directly supports creators based on subscribers' contributions.

3. Enhanced Features: Subscribers will gain access to new features like Radar, and higher limits on advanced Grok AI models, allowing them to keep up with the curve. Premium+ users will also receive higher priority support from @Premium.

 

Impact on Subscribers

 

The new rates will go into effect for existing subscribers starting their next billing cycle. This price adjustment demonstrates X’s commitment to user experience with additional features, and supporting content creators.

 

Comparison with Other Subscription Tiers

 

X offers multiple subscription tiers to cater to diverse user needs:

 

1.  Basic Plan: This plan comes at a price of ₹243 per month or ₹2,590 annually. This plan offers features such as an edit button, longer posts, and the ability to publish longer videos. But it doesn’t include the blue verification checkmark or access to the creator hub.

2. Premium Plan: This plan comes with all Basic features, a blue checkmark, ID verification and access to the creator hub, at ₹650 per month or ₹6,800 annually. Free users see twice as many ads as subscribers do in their feeds.

3. Premium+ Plan: This top-tier subscription now costs ₹1,750 per month or ₹18,300 per year. This plan offers an ad-free experience, the largest reply boost, and access to full creator tools, like X Pro and Media Studio. It also offers support and advanced AI features and offers the highest priority advanced AI features.

 

Global Context

 

The price adjustment in India aligns with X’s changes implemented in other markets. The Premium+ fee went up to $22 monthly in the United States, from $16, and the annual fee went up to $229 from $168. These adjustments are needed to support the more robust experience it provides its subscribers, the platform stated.

 

Conclusion

 

With this, X decided to increase Premium+ subscription prices to provide an ad-free environment, directly support content creators more and introduce new features to its users. The price hike is significant, but it makes the effort to give value to justify the increased expenses in a better user experience and more engaged community.