'Chinese Twitter' Sina Weibo to charge for premium features in face of losses

Beijing, June 20 (ANI): China's micro blogging site Sina Weibo has introduced a membership charge for premium features.

According to The BBC, the move could help Weibo return to profit after it reported a loss of 13.7 million dollars in first quarter in May.

Chinese for a monthly fee of 10 yuan, can add personalized pages, voice posts and better security, among other services.

A Beijing-based business consultant noted the decision to charge fees had followed government pressure on the business to boost efforts to filter out illegal posts by some of its members, increasing its costs.

"Weibo has become an indispensable tool to Chinese netizens, although some argue of late that it has become less compelling due to the restrictions," said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA.

While the move may prove a success for the Chinese firm, independent media analyst Mark Mulligan suggested it would be a mistake for western social networks to follow at this point.

"It's a very brave move, and I do not think it is likely that Twitter would follow a similar route, certainly not at this stage," he said. (ANI)