Twitter Acquires Scroll to Enhance Subscription Offerings

This morning, Twitter announced the acquisition of Scroll, a subscription-based service designed to improve the online reading experience. Scroll achieves this by eliminating advertisements and other distracting website elements that often impede browsing speed.

Integration with Twitter’s Subscription Plans

The service is slated to become an integral component of Twitter’s broader strategy to expand its subscription offerings. Eventually, it will be presented as a premium feature available to Twitter subscribers.

Premium subscribers will gain the ability to utilize Scroll for streamlined access to articles from various news sources. This includes content from Twitter’s own newsletter platform, Revue, which was integrated into Twitter’s services following a previous acquisition.

Supporting Publishers and Writers

A portion of the subscription revenue generated through Scroll on Twitter will be allocated to support the publishers and writers responsible for creating the content, as explained in Twitter’s official announcement.

Wide Publisher Network

Currently, Scroll operates across a network of hundreds of websites. These include prominent publications such as The Atlantic, The Verge, USA Today, The Sacramento Bee, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Daily Beast.

A New Revenue Model for Publishers

Scroll has positioned itself to publishers as a means of generating revenue that potentially surpasses that of traditional advertising through the delivery of cleaner content.

Team Integration and Future Plans

While the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, Twitter will be welcoming the entire 13-member Scroll team.

New customer sign-ups for Scroll will be temporarily paused to facilitate the integration of its product into Twitter’s subscription infrastructure and to prepare for anticipated growth. However, onboarding of new publishers will continue following the deal’s completion.

The product will re-enter a private beta phase as the team focuses on its integration with Twitter’s platform.

Nuzzel to be Phased Out

Twitter also intends to discontinue Scroll’s news aggregator product, Nuzzel. However, efforts will be made to incorporate some of Nuzzel’s key features into Twitter over time. Further details regarding this transition can be found on Nuzzel’s blog, which explains the need for a complete rebuild to achieve scalability within the Twitter ecosystem.

Vision for a Frictionless Internet

Tony Haile, CEO of Scroll, articulated the company’s vision in a statement: “Twitter exists to serve the public conversation. Journalism is the mitochondria of that conversation. It initiates, energizes and informs.”

He continued, “The mission we’ve been given by Jack and the Twitter team is simple: to expand the Scroll model and platform so that all Twitter users can enjoy an internet experience free from friction and frustration, fostering a community of news enthusiasts who financially support its sustainability.”

Diversifying Revenue Streams

Earlier this year, Twitter outlined its plans to diversify its revenue streams through subscriptions. The company introduced “Super Follow,” a creator-centric subscription model offering exclusive benefits to paid subscribers, including unique content, newsletters, discounts, badges, and access to paywalled media.

This initiative aims to help Twitter achieve its revenue goals, increasing from $3.7 billion in 2020 to $7.5 billion or more by 2023.