Telegram becomes profitable
For the first time in its 3-year history of monetization, Telegram has become profitable.
This year, the number of Telegram Premium subscribers tripled, exceeding 12 million. Its ad revenue also increased a few times. As a result, Telegram’s total revenue in 2024 surpassed $1 billion, and it is closing the year with more than $500 million in cash reserves, not including crypto assets.
Over the past four years, Telegram has issued about $2 billion in debt. It repaid a meaningful share of it this Fall, taking advantage of favorable prices for the Telegram bonds.
Its innovations in monetization this year (Stars, Gifts, Giveaways, Mini Apps, the Affiliate Platform, Telegram Business, and Telegram Gateway…) demonstrate that social media platforms can achieve financial sustainability while staying independent and respecting users’ rights.
The purpose of monetization is to ensure that its users will always remain the priority.
AI Powered Sticker Search
Earlier this month, Telegram launched AI-powered sticker search. It added search tags to all 40,000+ stickers created by Telegram artists over the past 10 years. As a result, the new search supports multiple keywords in 34 languages, helping users find the perfect sticker — or emoji, if they are a Premium user.
But this is just the beginning. Next month, the sticker tab will also let users search through millions of popular custom stickers uploaded by other users.
Stickers have been one of the many innovations that define Telegram. AI-powered search will make discovering them easier than ever.
Affiliate Program
The Affiliate Platform (https://telegram.org/blog/affiliate-programs-ai-sticker-search ) launched by Telegram in December has been an instant hit. Its goal is to let users and channels earn Stars by inviting people to mini apps. In just 12 days, 15,000 affiliate programs were created, and 4 million users were referred to mini apps.
The Affiliate Platform gives channels and mini apps what they need most: channel owners earn revenue, while mini app developers gain new users. Unlike similar systems, Telegram’s Affiliate Platform is transparent and guarantees instant commissions each time a referred user makes a transaction in a mini app.
Anyone can start or join an affiliate program on Telegram. Users can view existing affiliate programs in “My Stars” in Settings (choose “Earn Stars”).
