In a recent announcement, X revealed that its live streaming feature will soon be restricted to Premium subscribers.
As stated in a post from the @Live X account, “Starting soon, only Premium subscribers will be able to live stream on X.” This move includes creating live video streams from encoders integrated with X, meaning free account holders will lose access to this feature.
X has not provided a specific timeline for this change, and its help page still indicates that live streaming is available to all users. This shift makes X the only major social network to require payment for live streaming, contrasting with platforms like Twitch and TikTok, which continue to offer free live capabilities.
The decision to place live streaming behind a paywall follows other monetization strategies under owner Elon Musk, such as charging for blue checkmarks. X Premium subscriptions start at $3 per month for basic access, scaling up to $16 for Premium+ with features like longer video uploads, ad revenue sharing, and exclusive access to an AI-powered chatbot.
This move highlights X’s ongoing efforts to monetize its services, despite not offering new features in exchange for the added cost.
