Latest news with #MetaVerified
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta, X and Snapchat Offer Discounts on Paid Subscription Packages for Summer
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Meta, X and Snaochat are all making a push on their premium add-on plans for the Summer, with each offering special discounts for sign-ups over the next month. Meta's offering a significant discount for initial sign-ups, with the first month available super cheap, before rising back to its normal levels. As you can see in this example, posted by Jonah Manzano, Meta's looking to entice a few more Verified sign-ups through a big discount on the initial few weeks (note: dollars here are in AUD). X Premium, meanwhile, is offering 30% off its annual subscriptions for its Premium and Premium Plus plans. While Snapchat is also offering a 50% discount off the price of the first two months of Snapchat+ as well. Will that help to boost their subscription offerings, and make them a more significant revenue stream for each company? Maybe, though I wouldn't bet on it, as most people who would sign-up for each has likely already done so, and there's not a heap of add-on content that's sweetened the deal in recent months. I mean, X is offering expanded access to its latest Grok AI tools, and that could be enticing for some people. Snap is also offering advanced access to new features to enhance the Snap experience. But none of these is going to become a major revenue driver for any of these companies, with all of these elements only contributing a minor amount, in terms of overall revenue. Though each is still a significant income stream in itself. We don't have exact data, because the platforms generally keep that to themselves, but looking at its performance reports, Meta's added an extra $358 million to its 'Other' income stream on what it was earning in this category when it launched Meta Verified back in Q2 2023. Using the average price of Meta Verified as a measuring stick ($13), that would suggest that Meta could have sold around 9 million subscriptions to Meta Verified thus far. Which is a lot, to be sure, and a lot of money to be bringing in each month from the offering. But in comparison to the $31.5 billion it generates per quarter from ads, it's clearly a subsidiary revenue element. Snapchat+ is now up to 15 million subscribers, which has brought an extra $150 million per quarter into its coffers, and made it the most successful add-on offering of the new three. Though again, it's still nowhere close to the $1.36 billion overall that Snap brought in for Q1. Which brings us to X, which has been the most scrutinized and criticized of the three new paid add-on offerings. That's because X owner Elon Musk was originally hoping to get hundreds of millions of people to pay for X access, which would then enable him to supplant advertiser dollars, and thus advertiser restrictions on content, as he mapped a way forward for the app. But it hasn't exactly worked out that way. X Premium looks to currently have around 1.5 million paying users, which equates to less than 0.5% of X's user base. So not close to the 300 million or so subscribers that X was hoping for, though it still seemingly believes that access to its Grok AI chatbot will eventually drive up subscription revenue. Though the expense of developing xAI has also forced it to increase X Premium prices. And with AI bots available from OpenAI and Meta, I'm not sure it's ever going to be the lure that Elon and Co. hope. But maybe, with this new promotional push, each platform can make their subscription add-ons a bigger factor, and get more people at least trying out their offerings. But overall, the numbers show that subscription options are never going to supplant advertising as the key funding path for social apps. Which means that Elon's stuck playing along with advertiser demands, and X is stuck looking to boost its user base to maximize advertiser interest. And while each offering does provide a valuable additional income stream, none looks set to see any huge increase in its current take-up, unless they really catch on in developing regions. Recommended Reading Social Platforms Are Running Disruptive Promotions for Their Own Products Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Is Gifting Verified To Selected Creators
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Not sure that this is a great indicator of take-up for Meta's Meta Verified product, but… Over the last few months, Meta has been running a program which includes gifting Meta Verified to selected creators. As you can see in this example, posted by @ayfondo on Threads (and shared by Matt Navarra), Meta's informing some creators that they are eligible to get access to Meta Verified for free for one year, as a means to increase interest in its paid subscription offering. Meta Verified offers creators enhanced support, more account protection, and add-on profile elements, in addition to a blue checkmark to signify identity in the app. Meta's pitching this as a reward for 'valued creators,' with its identity verification elements, in particular, helping to enhance their in-app experience. Meta's had a program in place to lure creators from other platforms for some time, which includes Meta Verified offers like this. But the fact that Meta's giving it away doesn't really suggest that it's been a big seller for the platform as yet, nor that it's having the desired credibility boost that Meta had hoped. Meta followed the lead of X in offering verification as a paid add-on element. That provides Meta with an additional revenue stream, and some apps have been able to convert their paid add-on offerings into significant revenue drivers, feeding more cash into their coffers. But at the same time, paid verification undermines a key value proposition of what that blue checkmark initially offered, in lending credibility, and a level of notoriety, to an account. It used to be that a blue checkmark meant that this person was important, and likely a valuable connection, because they were only awarded to people with high follower counts and or a high profile off the platform. But now, anyone can buy one, which erodes the value of the blue tick as a product, as the marker itself doesn't really mean much anymore. And given that these add-on subscriptions are never going to be a key revenue driver for each of the main social apps, it may seem like it may not have been worth selling checkmarks, and undermining that core value of the signifier. But then again, Meta's likely making a few hundred million per quarter from the offering, as are X and Snapchat for their respective verified packages, so it's hard to argue with the logic. Meta still hasn't shared any official data on Meta Verified take-up, but taking a look at Meta's Q1 performance numbers, it looks like Meta's probably sold around 7 million or so subscriptions to Meta Verified, with its 'Other' revenue stream increasing by around $280 million per quarter versus when the product was launched in Q2 2023 (note: its 'Other' income excludes Reality Labs, so Ray Ban glasses and VR headset sales). Using basic math, that would equate to an additional $93 million in revenue per month in this segment. Dividing that by the average cost of Meta Verified ($13), you get about 7.2 million subscriptions. That's obviously a ballpark estimate, as there are various other factors to consider, but that also makes sense, based on Meta's overall userbase. Meta has almost 4 billion users across its family of apps (Facebook, Messenger, IG, and WhatsApp), and 7 million or so subscribers would equate to less than 1% of its total user base, which is about the same rate that most social subscription offerings are seeing. So while checkmarks are no longer the marker of prestige that they once were, and are no longer sought after in the same way, the cash that they generate for the platforms is significant. And for a product that didn't exist till two years ago, that's pretty good, even if it means that blue ticks don't mean what they used to. Will offering them to high-profile users increase interest, and get more people to stay on as paying subscribers after that trial period? Seems like a worthy experiment either way. Recommended Reading Meta Updates Enforcement Rules to Focus on Explanations, Not Suspensions Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
News18
07-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Facebook And Instagram Premium Users Are Getting Banned And Nobody Knows Why
Last Updated: Meta offers its premium services with apps like Instagram but users paying the platform are not getting their monies worth. Meta offers its premium version of Facebook and Instagram via the Verified service which has become an issue for the users who have paid for the plans. Usually people who pay for apps expect premium service and customer support that solves all their problems. But these users have seen anything but that with the Meta Verified support system. Meta has banned accounts in the recent weeks, and the affected list reportedly includes the Verified users, who are seeking the reason for such a tough action from the platform. Meta launched Verified for business in India last year. The expanded Meta Verified business offering on Facebook and Instagram includes the verified badge along with enhanced account support, impersonation protection, and additional features to support discovery and connection. The subscription plans in India are available for purchase only via iOS or Android at this time for businesses on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Businesses have an option to either purchase Meta Verified for Facebook or Instagram or WhatsApp or do a bundled purchase for Facebook and Instagram. About the Author S Aadeetya First Published:
Mint
03-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Meta faces backlash as verified users locked out without warning: Subscribers say paid support offers ‘No real help'
Meta Platforms is once again under fire as users across Facebook and Instagram report being locked out of their accounts without warning, including those subscribed to the company's premium Meta Verified service. Despite paying for features like direct account support, users say they've been met with silence, broken links and automated replies that offer little to no help. A recent TechCrunch report has highlighted growing frustration among Meta Verified subscribers who are facing sudden account suspensions with no explanation or recourse. The issue appears to be widespread, affecting not just individual profiles but also Facebook Groups, business pages, and long-standing messaging histories. You may be interested in Meta Verified, which costs $14.99 per month in the United States (around Rs. 1,300) and Rs. 699 in India, promises enhanced visibility and direct support from Meta representatives. But users say that in practice, these assurances amount to nothing more than empty promises. Many users have reportedly labelled the support experience as 'useless,' pointing out that no real human help is available and that appeals are either ignored or redirected to malfunctioning webpages. The report suggests that Meta has issued a vague apology for Instagram-related issues and attributed Facebook Group bans to a 'technical error'. The core problem appears to lie in the company's AI-based moderation systems. Media reports hint that users and observers believe that overly aggressive algorithms are flagging legitimate content as violations, leading to widespread and unjustified account removals. It is noteworthy that the consequences have been severe, particularly for small businesses and creators who rely on Meta's platforms for outreach and communication. Some users report losing years' worth of personal messages, content, and client interactions. Calls for accountability are growing. A petition demanding that Meta fix its AI moderation tools and restore affected accounts has already garnered over 25,000 signatures.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans
When Meta launched its paid verification service, Meta Verified, in 2023, the tech giant promised users and businesses alike that part of the offering would include direct access to customer support. However, amid a mass ban wave affecting Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as Facebook Groups, some Meta Verified paying subscribers say they're receiving little to no help from Meta's customer service reps, even when they're facing their most serious crisis yet: a mistakenly suspended account. In emails to TechCrunch and in posts elsewhere on social media, users have shared their interactions with Meta Verified support reps, who they claim have been dismissive and unhelpful. These account bans, which some speculate have been triggered by AI systems, have been affecting users for weeks and months. A petition begging Meta to resolve the issues has reached north of 25,500 signatures and continues growing. On Reddit, users have been organizing to offer each other tips on how to proceed or support. Many are even threatening legal action. While tens of thousands may be affected by these bans, that's a small drop in the bucket for Meta, which counts its user base in the billions. Still, for those whose business or personal brand has suddenly disappeared from Facebook or Instagram, the losses are significant. Others who have simply lost access to years' worth of uploaded photos and interactions with friends are similarly devastated. To date, Meta has only publicly acknowledged the ban affecting Facebook Groups, saying last week that it was fixing the 'technical error' that led to the suspensions. On an Instagram help page, there's also a brief mention of the problem. Meta has not confirmed whether AI, malware, or some other issue has led to the bans. Instead, on its Instagram Help page, Meta only notes that it's aware 'that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account. We're looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience.' For users who have now lost access to their accounts for extended periods, despite appeals, these are more than inconveniences. 'I opened around 5-6 tickets on my Verified account. The agents were dismissive and even closed the chat,' one Meta user, Manya Khurana, told TechCrunch. 'I have had the account since 2017 and never had an issue. They suspended me, saying I did not follow community guidelines, which is false. I had almost 12,000 followers and was going to launch my small business on it to have income, but I have not been able to start it. My career has been affected. … This has been heartbreaking.' In other emails with TechCrunch, users describe having unproductive conversations with reps who seem unable to resolve issues with the erroneous bans. 'Back in April, I got my Instagram account … falsely disabled for 'creating accounts while suspended' when I never even made any account, nor have I ever been suspended before. This was a false ban because I have never done anything to break [Meta's] Community Guidelines,' shared an Instagram user, Nikolas Alvarez, in an email with TechCrunch. 'On April 3, I purchased Meta Verified via Facebook, and it has been three months, and still just going back and forth with these workers.' These complaints are only representative of the concerns we've heard about, both directly from users and from their posts across social media. In Reddit threads, users describe Meta Verified reps as 'extremely unhelpful,' 'giving out canned responses,' offering 'no help,' and describe waiting hours for responses, and more. Some noted that when they signed up for Meta Verified to get help, they were put on a waitlist instead of gaining access. According to at least one user, a Meta rep said the company was overwhelmed with a malware issue and was overloaded with support tickets. We cannot confirm this, and Meta hasn't provided insight. However, there is some evidence that some users have been regaining access to their accounts, weeks or months after their original suspensions. Reached for comment, Meta Communications Director Andy Stone again declined to share a statement or an update on the ongoing problem, leaving users in the dark. Sign in to access your portfolio
