Half of Twitter blue subscribers have less than 1K followers

Delhi : According to a survey, 50% of Twitter Blue service members have less than 1,000 followers on the network, suggesting that the subscription service hasn't been successful in luring verified Twitter users. Notably, Twitter Blue is a premium subscription-based service that, along with other features, provides users with the coveted blue checkmark next to their profile names.

Currently, 220,132 individuals on Twitter Blue have fewer than 1,000 followers, while the service has 4,44,435 paying subscribers. Only 6,482 legacy verified accounts have opted to purchase a Twitter Blue subscription as of this writing. In addition, 2,270 paying customers to Twitter Blue have no followers.

Since January, researcher Travis Brown has been analysing the number of paying Twitter Blue customers. He found that 78,059 of them have fewer than 100 followers on business profiles. Less than 0.2% of Twitter's 254 million daily active users pay for Twitter Blue, according to this statistic.

It is unknown how many of those "current" Twitter Blue subscribers are actually non-paying, claims the research.

The information comes as Twitter prepares to replace the free verification checkmarks associated with Twitter Blue memberships starting on April 1 with paid checkmarks. In order to keep their blue checkmarks, the Elon Musk-owned microblogging network has required both individual users and organisations to enrol in its premium subscription plan.

There are presently 4,20,000 legacy verified accounts, the majority of which belong to famous users like athletes, journalists, influencers, and celebrities. Nevertheless, if they don't sign up for Twitter Blue by April 1, their blue checkmarks will be taken off.

Actor William Shatner of Star Trek recently expressed dissatisfaction over having to pay to maintain his blue checkmark on the site. Hello @elonmusk, he wrote in a tweet. What's with the blue checks disappearing if we don't pay Twitter? 

Mr. Musk defended the action by saying, "It's really about treating everyone equally." I don't think there should be a distinct standard for celebrities.

Only verified accounts will be allowed to appear in Twitter's "For You" recommendations, which show a stream of tweets from accounts, Elon Musk further stated on Monday. Additionally, starting on April 15, only Twitter accounts that have been verified will be permitted to cast a ballot.

Twitter Blue, which debuted in India in February, costs 900 per month for iOS and Android devices and 650 online. Customers may also purchase an annual plan, which offers a 12% savings.