ByteDance Unveils New AI Voice Assistant for ZTE Smartphones 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Intel Boosts Malaysia Operations with Additional RM860 Million Investment 
Amazon and Google Launch New Multicloud Networking Service to Boost High-Speed Cloud Connectivity 
Nexperia Urges China Division to Resume Chip Production as Supply Risks Mount 
YouTube Agrees to Follow Australia’s New Under-16 Social Media Ban 
Baidu Cuts Jobs as AI Competition and Ad Revenue Slump Intensify 
OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
TSMC Accuses Former Executive of Leaking Trade Secrets as Taiwan Prosecutors Launch Investigation 
Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman 
Anthropic Reportedly Taps Wilson Sonsini as It Prepares for a Potential 2026 IPO 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation 
Norway’s Wealth Fund Backs Shareholder Push for Microsoft Human-Rights Risk Report 
Apple Appoints Amar Subramanya as New Vice President of AI Amid Push to Accelerate Innovation 
EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp 
Instagram creators that offer paid subscriptions to their fans will have more ways to share exclusive content, thanks to a set of new features Meta announced on Thursday. The social media giant is also allowing Instagram creators to directly DM their subscribers in a more close-knit setting.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new subscription features on Thursday in an Instagram Story, where he also provided a preview of the new functionalities launching on the platform. Creators will be able to share exclusive Reels and Feed Posts to their subscribers.
Fans can easily find these posts through a new dedicated Subscriber Home tab for subscriber-only content. Instagram will also allow creators to directly communicate with their subscribers through group chats.
From Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) / Instagram Story
These subscriber-only group chats will be different from the usual channels, where creators can directly reach out to their fans. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video that each group chat will let creators DM up to 30 subscribers. This means creators are getting a chance to communicate with their fans in a more close-knit setup.
Instagram has been introducing new features in an apparent attempt to compete better with TikTok. For one, the Meta-owned platform has been focused on making Reels one of the main features of the app. It also quickly introduced ways on how creators can monetize Reels on Facebook and Instagram.
On the other hand, one of the criticisms TikTok has received is the lack of a monetization program, where creators have a more defined and regular flow of income regularly. And the introduction of Instagram Subscriptions seemed to be one of the ways Meta intended to compete with TikTok on this aspect.
“We want Instagram to be the best place online for creators to make a living. And a really important thing to creators everywhere is sustainable income because, at the end of the day, if you’re a creator, you’re a business,” Mosseri noted in the same video. “And a great way to establish some sustainable and predictable income is through subscriptions.”
The Instagram Subscriptions alpha went live last January and was made available to a small group of creators. But Mosseri said they have since expanded the service to “tens of thousands of creators in the United States.” It remains unclear, though, when subscriptions will roll out globally.
Photo by Omkar Patyane from Pexels
