UPGRADE

Twitter Mulls Subscription-Based Version

Aimed at professionals using the Tweetdeck interface.

Twitter Inc. on Thursday announced it is considering a premium version of its Tweetdeck interface, a move that could see the company charge subscription fees for the first time. Amid dwindling ad revenue in 2016, a company spokeswoman said Thursday that the social-media site had started a survey to assess “the interest in a new, more enhanced version of Tweetdeck.” “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,” spokeswoman Brielle Villablanca said. Twitter users began posting what they described as screenshots of the survey, as well as a mock-up of the new interface. According to the images, a premium version of Tweetdeck would include breaking news alerts, new analytics, and information about the tweeting activity of an account’s followers. No mention was made of subscription fees for regular users, but a premium version of Tweetdeck would mark the first time the company collects subscription fees in its 11-year existence.