Have you ever wondered how Telegram makes money? Until relatively recently, the answer was that it wasn’t. Telegram, which hosts an endless amount of messages, tons of files, videos, documents, photos and every format we can think of, has survived thanks to the donations and personal funds of its founder Pavel Durov, who financed the application. most of its history.

But in 2021, things started to change and the app slowly started generating revenue through ads, premium features, and more niche options. Today, 11 years after its launch, these efforts have paid off as Telegram has finally become profitable.

“Telegram is now profitable 🏆”. This is how the message Durov shares on his social profiles begins. In this message, Telegram’s founder announced that the number of Telegram Premium subscribers has tripled to “exceed 12 million.” [de usuarios]”. That’s 1.26% of the 900 million users the app has.

He also noted that advertising revenues have increased “several times” and overall Telegram’s total revenue in 2024 will exceed $1 billion. Thus, the app ends the year with “more than $500 million in cash reserves” plus all cryptocurrencies. entities.

Pavel Durov’s tweet announcing Telegram’s revenue | Capture: Xataka

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

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

• Advert: Sponsored messages can be purchased to be broadcast on relevant channels starting from 2021. There are no ads in chats, groups, or the app itself, only in one-to-many broadcast channels. Fun fact: 50% of the revenue is shared with the creators.
• Premium Features: This service launched in 2022 and gives access to more features through subscription, from faster downloads to animated stickers.

There are also other ways to earn additional income, such as bots and mini-apps where you can buy things with Stars (microtransactions, wow), gifts, Premium giveaways, affiliate program, Telegram Business and Telegram Gateway. According to Durov, these options show that “social media platforms can achieve financial sustainability by remaining independent and respecting user rights.”

Cover image | via Xataka Midjourney

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