You can currently live stream content on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram without having to pay anything. However, in the near future, you will have to pay extra for that privilege on X.
In a post on its Live account, X (formerly known as Twitter) stated that only people who sign up for a Premium subscription to its social network will be able to stream live content on its service. The note stated this shift would be "starting soon" but it did not offer a specific date for when the change will be implemented.
⏩Starting soon, only Premium subscribers will be able to livestream (create live video streams) on X. This includes going live from an encoder with X integration. Upgrade to Premium to continue going live. https://t.co/4uy4Ju0cmU
— Live (@Live) June 21, 2024
The post added that this change will also include live streaming "from an encoder with X integration." There"s no word which Premium subscription tier will include live streaming. The company currently has three Premium plans, with the cheapest starting at $3 a month.
X has mostly offered Premium plans as a way for people to get extra features that they cannot get for free, such as longer replies to messages, reduced to no ads, and access to creator tools. However, removing a once-free feature to the Premium plans is something a bit different for X.
In October 2023, X did announced that it would be testing a $1 annual fee in two countries (New Zealand and the Philippines) for posting comments and liking and replying to other comments. At the time, the company said this plan was being tested to see if it would help reduce bot activity on the service. Since then, however, this small annual fee has not expanded beyond these two test markets.