Twitter Blue benefits now include two-hour video uploads, says Elon Musk
Twitter Blue check mark subscribers can upload two-hour-long videos up to 8GB, according to Musk on iOS and web (not on Android yet), but still no news around stronger copyright enforcement
If you notice longer Twitter videos starting today, there’s a good reason: Elon Musk just announced that Twitter Blue subscribers can upload two-hour-long videos. That’s going to be a nice perk for current Twitter Blue subscribers, an incentive for non-subscribers to start paying and a big headache for copyright enforcement.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: 2-hour Twitter videos
🐦 Twitter Blue Verified accounts get new video perk, says Musk
🎞️ Two-hour video uploads with a 1080p 8GB limit on the web and iOS
🤖 Android video is still capped at 10 minutes and non-Twitter Blue video is still limited to 140 seconds
🤼 Twitter is taking on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok while fending off the growing popularity of Blue Sky, other new rivals
🤔 Twitter has yet to announce new plans for copyright enforcement
This Twitter update boosts the list of benefits of the Twitter Blue service, which costs $8/month or $84/year, as Musk aims to attract content creators and talent from other video platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. He’s also trying to attract new advertisers (longer videos obviously help) and fend off new challengers like the invite-only Bluesky and the decentralized Mastodon platforms.
Musk’s ultimate stated goal with Twitter is to create the “everything app,” so two-hour videos are the tip of the iceberg. Other Twitter Blue perks besides longer videos and the blue check mark, include being able to edit tweets, make longer 10,000-character tweets and see fewer ads. I’ve also started to see Twitter Blue subscribers with the blue check mark get prioritized rankings in conversations and searches.
Twitter's two-hour video limitations
According to Musk, two-hour Twitter videos are capped at 8GB. Reading further into the official Twitter support pages, I found that it’s also limited iOS and the website and the maximum resolution is 1080p
This means that Twitter Blue subscribers using an Android device will be limited to the prior 10-minute rule. It’s still better than the length of a video for non-Twitter Blue subscribers which rests at 140 seconds. There’s no news announcement on when Android users can upload longer videos without going to the web or an iPhone.
There was also no announcement regarding the enforcement of copyrighted videos. That’s a problem for all video platforms with user-generated content, but Twitter, in particular, has recently faced heat for allowing a bootleg version of The Super Mario Bros. Movie to be uploaded several times and be “seen” by millions (although views tend to be inflated vs actual Twitter video watches). It certainly didn’t hurt Mario’s box office performance or plans for the Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, but it opens up Twitter to legal ramifications, especially with two-hour videos in place today.