TOKYO - In a move seen as a testbed for profitability, Twitter will start charging for premium accounts from next January.

Speaking at the Mobidec2009 conference last week, Kenichi Sugi, COO of DG Mobile – a subsidiary of Japanese Twitter partner Digital Garage – announced that Twitter would introduce paid subscription options  that will allow account holders to charge audiences who want to look at their tweets and access links to their external websites.

According to local reports, the plan will allow audiences to view some text on all tweets but will charge a fee to unlock access to certain images, external URLs and text.

How it works

Users willing to pay to view the tweets can do so via a monthly subscription model, for which they can use a credit card to pay. They can otherwise buy a prepaid ticket with a credit card or at a convenience store.

Audiences can also choose a pay-per-tweet option, which is charged to credit card, convenience store top-up cards or carrier billing for Twitter-on-mobile users.

Reports note that the model is ideal for account holders who deliver real-time information; news and educational content; and include original photographs, video images and audio.

30% cut for Twitter

According to the reports, the amount charged to each user will vary according to the charging account holders and is likely to range from US$1.16 to $11.60. Twitter will take a 30% cut of the transaction fees.

The news comes as Twitter Japan recently distanced itself from its parent through the introduction of products such as a video-sharing service for users exclusively in the market. TwitVideo was developed by DG Mobile and shows how Twitter.jp is a platform for experimentation.

Unique position

According to reports, Japan is the only country at present in which Twitter has shown signs of profitability, supported by advertising with rates ranging from US$5,500 to US$33,000 (from RM19,250 to RM116,000) for a customised page and banner.

Twitter Japan was set up in April last year.