Telegram was launched on the market 11 years ago. You just made money for the first time in your history

Have you ever wondered how Telegram makes money? Well until relatively recently, the answer is that it didn’t. Telegram, which hosts an infinite amount of messages, tons and tons of files, videos, documents, photos and any format we can think of, was maintained thanks to donations and the personal funds of Pavel Durov, its founder, who financed the application for most of its history.

However, things began to change in 2021 and, little by little, the app has pivoted to start generating income through advertising, premium features and more niche options. Today, 11 years after its launch, those efforts have paid off because Telegram is finally profitable.

“Telegram is now profitable 🏆”. This is how the message that Durov has shared on his social profiles begins. In said message, the founder of Telegram explained that the number of subscribers to Telegram Premium has tripled, “exceeding 12 million (users).” It is 1.26% of the 900 million users that the application has.

He has also stated that advertising revenue has multiplied “several times” and that, in general, Telegram’s total revenue in 2024 has exceeded $1 billion. Thus, the application closes the year with “more than 500 million dollars in cash reserves” plus all crypto assets.

Telegram figures. Each monthly user costs Telegram 70 cents annually, so we’re talking about around $600 million a year. The app is valued at about $30 billion, although it is not public or listed, and a few years ago it raised $2 billion in debt financing, including a bond offering of nearly $1 billion between 2020 and 2021. Regarding Pavel Durov’s fortune, it is estimated at around $11.5 billion. Let’s not forget that Durov founded VK, the Russian Facebook.

How does Telegram make money? Its sources of income are basically two: advertising and premium functions.

• Advertising: Since 2021 it is possible to purchase sponsored messages to appear on related channels. There is no advertising in chats, groups or the app itself, only in one-to-many broadcast channels. Fun fact: 50% of revenue is shared with creators.
• Premium Features: This service was launched in 2022 and allows, through subscription, access to more features ranging from faster downloads to animated stickers.

Then there are other avenues for additional income, such as bots and mini-apps where you can Buy things with Stars (micropayments, wow), gifts, Premium raffles, the affiliate program, Telegram Business and Telegram Gateway. For Durov, these options demonstrate that “social media platforms can achieve financial sustainability while remaining independent and respecting user rights.”

Cover image | WorldOfSoftware with Midjourney

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