Report: Twitter To Eliminate Photos From Character Count

(Reuters) -- Twitter users will soon have more flexibility in writing tweets because the company plans to stop including photos and links as part of its 140-character limit, according to a Bloomberg report.

The social media platform has faced stagnant user growth. Months earlier, Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said the company would simplify its product in an effort to attract new users.

"We think there's a lot of opportunity in our product to fix some broken windows that we know are inhibiting growth," Dorsey said during a February earnings call.

Links currently take up to 23 characters of a tweet, limiting the amount of commentary that users can offer when sharing articles or other content.

Twitter has faced stagnant user growth, and shares have fallen more than 70 percent over the past year.

Meanwhile,  Twitter Inc said it appointed Debra Lee, the chief executive of Viacom Inc subsidiary BET Networks, to its board, effective immediately.

The company also said it appointed Marjorie Scardino as lead independent director.

Scardino will succeed Peter Currie, whose term will end after the company's 2016 annual meeting, which is scheduled for May 25.