The American technology company Meta Platforms will offer subscriptions for its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp apps. It is seeking to reduce its reliance on advertising and offset the costs of implementing artificial intelligence (AI). The news was announced on Wednesday on Instagram by Meta’s head of product, Naomi Gleit, and has been reported by U.S. media outlets. The company’s announcement pleased investors, and Meta’s stock closed up 3.7 percent.
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Premium features for just a few dollars, or the beginning of the end for free networks?
Users who opt for a subscription will gain access to enhanced features. The subscription will provide businesses and creators with premium tools. Subscriptions to so-called Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus will offer additional analytics features and access to a wider audience. It will cost $3.99 per month. Those interested in WhatsApp Plus will receive, among other things, premium stickers, custom ringtones, and app themes, and will pay $2.99 per month.
“Subscriptions will offer richer ways to express yourself and connect across our apps, along with other fun features that will be added,” Gleit said in a video on Instagram. She added that the company plans to eventually bundle the subscriptions into an offering called Meta One.
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Meta’s paid AI is here!
Testing of the subscription will begin in the coming weeks. The company will also test a subscription for users of its AI chatbot, though its basic version will remain available for free. Back in 2023, Meta launched paid, ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram for European users. This move complied with the European Union’s data protection requirements.
The announcement of the new subscription comes a week after Meta laid off 10 percent of its 78,000 employees. It did so in part to cover the costs of implementing artificial intelligence. The company plans to invest up to $145 billion this year, primarily in the construction of AI data centers and the purchase of chips.
Source: Reuters
