Snap reaches 1 mln premium subscribers in bid for new revenue

Snap reaches 1 mln premium subscribers in bid for new revenue

A woman stands in front of the logo of Snap Inc. on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) while waiting for Snap Inc. to post their IPO, in New York City, NY, U.S. March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterAug 15 (Reuters) – Snap Inc (SNAP.N), parent company of social media app Snapchat, has reached 1 million subscribers for its Snapchat+ premium subscription, the company said on Monday, afterlaunching the service in June as a new source of revenue.Social media companies including Snap, Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), which all earn the majority of revenue from selling digital advertising, are facing a weakening ad market due to record-high inflation causing brands to reign in their marketing spending.Snap’s shares dropped 25% last month after disappointing second quarter earnings, as it suffered from weaker advertising demand than Wall Street had expected. Chief Executive Evan Spiegel said the company would work to speed up revenue growth, in part through new sources of revenue. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterSnapchat+, which costs $3.99 per month in the United States, offers access to 11 exclusive features not yet available to general users. Four new features announced Monday include new Snapchat app icon designs and the ability for subscribers to have their messages be more visible to celebrities on Snapchat. Subscribers can also use Snapchat on desktops.The paid subscription feature is now expanding to more countries including Saudi Arabia, India and Egypt, for a total of 25 markets, Snap said.Twitter, which is in a legal battle with billionaire Elon Musk over his attempt to walk away from his $44-billion deal to buy the company, also previously launched a $4.99 per month subscription product called Twitter Blue. Facebook and Instagram do not offer paid subscriptions as of now.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Angelique Chen and Sheila Dang; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

WhatsApp to launch cloud-based tools, premium features for businesses

WhatsApp to launch cloud-based tools, premium features for businesses

A 3D-printed Whatsapp logo is placed on the keyboard in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterMay 19 (Reuters) – WhatsApp is introducing free cloud-based API services in a push to get more businesses using the app, Meta Platforms (FB.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced at the company’s messaging event on Thursday.The messaging service, which has increasingly courted business users, is one of several platforms where Facebook-owner Meta has launched more shopping and business-focused features.Zuckerberg, speaking at Meta’s “Conversations” event, said the offering would mean “any business or developer can easily access our service, build directly on top of WhatsApp to customize their experience and speed up their response time to customers by using our secure WhatsApp Cloud API hosted by Meta.”Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterWhatsApp already has an API, or type of software interface, for businesses to connect their systems and engage in customer service chats on the service, which generates revenue for Meta.Meta, which bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in a landmark 2014 deal, said that businesses would not be able to message people on WhatsApp unless they have requested to be contacted.WhatsApp also said on Thursday it was planning to provide optional paid features as part of a new premium service for users of its specialized business app, which is geared at small businesses.Those features, which are still being developed, will include options to manage chats across up to 10 devices and customized click-to-chat links that businesses can post on their websites and share with customers.Uber (UBER.N) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, speaking in a session with Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg at the conference, said a third of the users ordering rides via WhatsApp in India are new customers.The ride-hailing company, which launched its WhatsApp chatbot in December, is now planning to further customize the service starting for users in and around Delhi and expanding to markets like Brazil, he said. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York and Katie Paul; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .

Twitter set to accept Musk’s $43 billion offer

Twitter set to accept Musk’s $43 billion offer

Elon Musk’s twitter account is seen through the Twitter logo in this illustration taken, April 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterNEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) – Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) is poised to agree a sale to Elon Musk for around $43 billion in cash, the price the CEO of Tesla has called his “best and final” offer for the social media company, people familiar with the matter said.Twitter may announce the $54.20-per-share deal later on Monday once its board has met to recommend the transaction to Twitter shareholders, the sources said, adding it was still possible the deal could collapse at the last minute.Musk, the world’s richest person according to Forbes, is negotiating to buy Twitter in a personal capacity and Tesla (TSLA.O) is not involved in the deal.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterTwitter has not been able to secure so far a ‘go-shop’ provision under its agreement with Musk that would allow it to solicit other bids once the deal is signed, the sources said. Still, Twitter would be allowed to accept an offer from another party by paying Musk a break-up fee, the sources added.The sources requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. Twitter and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Twitter shares were up 4.5% in pre-market trading in New York at $51.15.Musk, a prolific Twitter user, has said it needs to be taken private to grow and become a genuine platform for free speech.The 50-year-old entrepreneur, who is also CEO of rocket developer SpaceX, has said he wants to combat trolls on Twitter and proposed changes to the Twitter Blue premium subscription service, including slashing its price and banning advertising.The billionaire, a vocal advocate of cryptocurrencies, has also suggested adding dogecoin as a payment option on Twitter.He has said Twitter’s current leadership team is incapable of getting the company’s stock to his offer price on its own, but stopped short of saying it needs to be replaced.”The company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” Musk said in his offer letter last week.Up to the point Musk disclosed a stake in Twitter in April, the company’s shares had fallen about 10% since Parag Agrawal took over as CEO from founder Jack Dorsey in late November.The deal, if it happens, would come just four days after Musk unveiled a financing package to back the acquisition.This led Twitter’s board to take his offer more seriously and many shareholders to ask the company not to let the opportunity for a deal slip away, Reuters reported on Sunday. Before Musk revealed the financing package, Twitter’s board was expected to reject the bid, sources had said. read more The sale would represent an admission by Twitter that Agrawal is not making enough traction in making the company more profitable, despite being on track to meet ambitious financial goals the company set for 2023. Twitter’s shares were trading higher than Musk’s offer price as recently as November.Musk unveiled his intention to buy Twitter on April 14 and take it private via a financing package comprised of equity and debt. Wall Street’s biggest lenders, except those advising Twitter, have all committed to provide debt financing.Musk’s negotiating tactics – making one offer and sticking with it – resembles how another billionaire, Warren Buffett, negotiates acquisitions. Musk did not provide any financing details when he first disclosed his offer for Twitter, making the market skeptical about its prospects.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comRegisterReporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, additional reporting by Krystal Hu;
Editing by Mark Potter
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