Recently discovered code on Twitter's TweetDeck site indicates that the company may make TweetDeck an exclusive feature for Twitter Blue subscribers.
TweetDeck is a free platform (currently) that allows desktop users to scroll through multiple timelines from different accounts, topics, or hashtags at once. Big proponents of this feature are media professionals and companies with multiple PR accounts who research hot topics and interact with other Twitter users.
The rumor mill began when Twitter user @wongmjane, an established whistleblower, posted that the company was completing a new TweetDeck signup page, advertising an ad-free experience as a major selling point.
Previously, Wong reported that the code portals in the TweetDeck app may request a Twitter Blue subscription in the future and redirect a user to the signup page if they are not subscribed.
Twitter has been teasing "a new and improved TweetDeck" for some time now, which implies that at launch the app will be reworked and redesigned.
We reached out to Twitter for comment and were told by a spokesperson that they had nothing to share at this time.
Analysis: All signs point to exclusivity
Note that this is just a report, but the rumors are pretty strong. If they are true and TweetDeck becomes a paid feature, it would be another expense for businesses that take advantage of tracking the many interactions business accounts typically receive.
TweetDeck is also said to be another feature in Twitter Blue's small portfolio and could prove interesting when combined with the rumored "ad-free experience" touted on the sketchy new site.