Elon Musk’s microblogging platform, X, has jerked up the subscription price for its Premium+ plan globally, with users in Nigeria seeing one of the highest increments of 51%.
According to X, the Premium+ subscription, which completely removes ads for users, among other features, will now cost Nigerian users N34,000 per month, up from N22,550.
The increment varies by country.
In the U.S. for instance, the Premium+ was increased from $16 to $22, which represents a 37.5% increment,
The European Union prices rose to €21 from €16 monthly, while Canada will see Premium+ rates climb to $29 from $20, a 45% increment.
Why the price increment?
The company in a statement announcing the price adjustment said the increment took effect from December 21,2024, for new subscribers.
“If you’re an existing subscriber and your next billing cycle starts before January 20, 2025, you’ll be charged at your current rate; otherwise, the new rate will begin with your first billing cycle after that date. See pricing information in the table below.
“Prices may vary by location, applicable taxes, and your payment method’s fees. For any questions, please message X Premium,” it stated.
Explaining the rationale for the price increment, the company said the new pricing reflects the increasing changes to the platform, which include:
- Ads-free: X Premium+ is now completely ad-free, providing an uninterrupted browsing experience. The company said this significant enhancement is reflected in the new pricing.
- More features: It added that Premium+ subscribers will enjoy higher priority support from @Premium, access to new features such as Radar, and higher limits on our most cutting-edge Grok AI models, ensuring they are always ahead of the curve. “Increased pricing allows us to invest more into making Premium+ better and better over time,” the company noted.
- Supporting creators: Users’ subscription now more directly fuels the platform’s evolving creator program. X said it has shifted its revenue share model to reward content quality and engagement rather than ad views alone.
“Your Premium+ subscription fee contributes to this new, more equitable system where creator earnings are tied to the overall value they bring to X, not impressions of ads,” it added.
However, the price increment did not affect the lower Premium subscription plan which still costs only N3,650 per month in Nigeria and N38,500 annually.
What you should know
Through the Premium subscription, many social media influencers in Nigeria are able to benefit from the platform’s creator program.
- In March this year, X said it has shared over $45 million to 150,000 content creators on the platform over a 7-month period.
- Although several creators on the platform have been complaining that the payouts are too small compared to other platforms, X said it has been transparent with the terms of the payments.
- While noting that the program is available to Creators globally, X added that its program is easier to join than other Creator Programs. It also pointed out that its payouts, which come every 2 weeks might be the fastest in the industry.