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Like
most other social media companies, Twitter since its founding 11
years ago has focused on building a huge user base for a free
service supported by advertising. Last month it reported it had
319 million users worldwide.
But unlike the much-larger Facebook Inc <FB.O>, Twitter has
failed to attract enough in advertising revenue to turn a profit
even as its popularity with U.S. President Donald Trump and
other celebrities makes the network a constant center of
attention.
Subscription fees could come from a version of Tweetdeck, an
existing interface that helps users navigate Twitter.
Twitter is conducting a survey "to assess the interest in a new,
more enhanced version of Tweetdeck," spokeswoman Brielle
Villablanca said in a statement on Thursday.
She went on: "We regularly conduct user research to gather
feedback about people's Twitter experience and to better inform
our product investment decisions, and we're exploring several
ways to make Tweetdeck even more valuable for professionals."
There was no indication that Twitter was considering charging
fees from all its users.
Word of the survey had earlier leaked on Twitter, where a
journalist affiliated with the New York Times posted screenshots
of what a premium version of Tweetdeck could look like.
That version could include "more powerful tools to help
marketers, journalists, professionals, and others in our
community find out what is happening in the world quicker,"
according to one of the screenshots posted on the account
@andrewtavani.
The experience could be ad-free, the description said.
Other social media firms, such as Microsoft Corp's <MSFT.O>
LinkedIn unit, already have tiered memberships, with
subscription versions that offer greater access and data.
In the fourth quarter of 2016, Twitter posted the slowest
revenue growth since it went public four years earlier, and
revenue from advertising fell year-over-year. The company also
said that advertising revenue growth would continue to lag user
growth during 2017.
Financial markets speculated about a sale of Twitter last year,
but no concrete bids were forthcoming.
(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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