X Terminates Creator Revenue Sharing Program, Introduces Original Content Reward Program
X has officially terminated the existing creator revenue sharing program and replaced it with the "Original Content Reward Program."
Current participants can continue to earn until September 7 and receive final payments, but must reapply for the new program starting September 8; new requirements include a Premium subscription, over 500 certified fans, and 500,000 certified timeline impressions in the past 90 days, with rewards based on original content (personal opinions, professional or meaningful comments) displayed on Premium users' timelines.
The platform's funding and traffic incentives are shifting from general traffic sharing to high-quality original content selection, putting pressure on creators who rely on copied or low-value content, while benefiting those who produce original and professional content, concentrating capital and attention on quality supply.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
X has made multiple adjustments to its monetization mechanism since Elon Musk's acquisition, transitioning from early advertising sharing to subscriptions and creator programs. Previous versions led to a significant amount of low-quality reposting and engagement manipulation due to misaligned incentives, and the platform continues to iterate its rules in an attempt to correct the distortion of "content for revenue."
Resources are being reallocated to stricter original content thresholds and Premium user display weights, aiming to enhance overall content quality and user retention, while directing rewards more accurately to creators who can generate genuine interaction and value, thereby reducing the dilution effect of advertising dependence.
This is similar to YouTube's early crackdown on engagement manipulation and copyright content, or TikTok's strengthening of original recommendations; X is currently in a transition phase from scale expansion to capturing quality and paid user value, shifting its industry position from open revenue sharing to selective rewards.
Essentially, this represents a transfer of pricing power: the platform is repricing "rewardable exposure" as original and Premium interactions, with mechanisms that shift incentives from quantity games to quality games through thresholds and rules, forcing a restructuring of the creator market.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Misaligned incentives inevitably lead to low-quality supply
Original content is the true moat for the platform's long-term traffic
As thresholds rise, quality itself becomes a scarce asset