TWTR - Twitter struggling to keep heaviest users engaged - Reuters

Internal research shows that Twitter ( NYSE: TWTR ) is struggling in keeping its most active users engaged, Reuters reports, pointing to the challenge ahead for presumptive buyer Elon Musk.

The news service cited an internal Twitter research document titled "Where did the Tweeters Go?" suggesting that "heavy tweeters" - those who log in 6-7 days per week and tweets about 3-4 times a week - have been in "absolute decline" since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those heavy users make up less than 10% of the overall number of users but generate 90% of all tweets, and half of Twitter's global revenue.

Meanwhile, the research points to some trends that may make advertising tougher, Reuters notes. The fastest-growing topics of interest among English-speaking heavy users are cryptocurrency and "not safe for work" content, including nudity and pornography.

On the decline among heavy users: interest in news, sports and entertainment, topics of high advertiser interest.

English-speaking heavy users have a disproportionate impact on the platform: They likely draw most of the ads in the United States, and at last report Twitter earned more ad revenue in the United States than in all other markets combined.

On the ownership side of the story, Twitter stock ( TWTR ) rose Tuesday amid reports that Musk is readying the paperwork with debt and equity investors to close on his buyout of the company by the Friday deadline .

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