腾讯正式上线QQ大会员：每月35元 八大特权 – 凤凰网
What happened: Tencent, which previously announced it would launch a new membership package for long-standing social platform QQ, has officially unveiled the deal: for RMB 35 (around $5) a month, new “big VIPs” will receive access to benefits in eight categories. They include discounts on online services, exclusive membership labels, and offline benefits. Within the membership model, big VIPs will be categorized into eight different levels based on their “growth values,” a points system which rewards regular use.
Why it’s important: QQ’s social spinoff service Qzone has long had a subscription model which has helped Tencent cash in on the ecosystem’s popularity. The move to launch big VIPs may be another nudge forward for its monetization model, leveraging the platform’s continued prominence. In the first quarter of 2019, QQ reported a massive monthly active user base of 823 million and double-digit growth among “young users.” In addition to pushing forth new initiatives for growth, the platform is also moving ahead by complementing, not cannibalizing, Tencent’s even bigger social platform. In May, QQ announced it would launch its mini-program ecosystem, a feature first pioneered by WeChat in 2017, across iOS in addition to Android.