How Much Telegram Earns from Advertising: What the 2025 Numbers Show
Telegram's advertising brought in $125 million in the first half of 2025 out of $870 million total revenue, per the Financial Times. What that says about Telegram Ads, how it compares with Premium, and why half of ad revenue goes back to channel owners.
Telegram does not publish its ad revenue on a platform page; its latest detailed figures became public through press reports. The most recent numbers available as of September 2026 cover the first half of 2025.
The numbers#
According to the Financial Times, as reported in January 2026 (Yahoo Finance):
| First half of 2025 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total revenue | $870 million (up 65% from $525 million a year earlier) |
| Advertising | $125 million |
| Premium subscriptions | $223 million |
| Net result | Loss of about $222 million |
| Operating profit | Nearly $400 million |
The net loss came mainly from a write-down of Toncoin holdings — the coin, now called Gram, lost about 69% of its value during 2025, according to the same report.
What it tells an advertiser#
- Ads are a sizeable but not dominant business. At $125 million for six months, advertising brought Telegram roughly one dollar in seven of its revenue — less than Premium.
- Half of it goes back to creators. Telegram shares 50% of ad revenue with the channels and bots where ads are shown (Telegram API), paid out in Gram and Stars through Fragment.
- Premium competes with ads for attention. Premium subscribers do not see ads, so Premium's growth reduces the audience that sees sponsored messages. The larger Premium becomes, the more advertisers rely on the non-Premium majority and on other surfaces.
Why numbers from 2026 are hard to find#
Telegram's 2025 full-year figures and its results for the first half of 2026 with advertising as a separate line had not been published as of September 2026. Market estimates exist — for example, Russian ad-register data shows 7.9 billion rubles spent on Telegram advertising in Russia in H1 2026 (Kommersant) — but they measure spend in one market, not Telegram's revenue, and they include direct channel placements that never pass through Telegram.
FAQ#
How much does Telegram make from ads? $125 million in the first half of 2025, per the Financial Times.
Is advertising Telegram's main revenue source? No. In H1 2025 Premium brought more ($223 million) than advertising.
How much of ad revenue do channel owners get? 50%, per Telegram's documentation.
Sources: Yahoo Finance (FT), Telegram API: revenue, Kommersant.
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