Telegram Achieves Profitability for the First Time, Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion in 2024

The social media and instant messaging platform Telegram has achieved profitability for the first time, with its user base reaching 950 million. According to a message from the platform's founder, Pavel Durov, Telegram's revenue exceeded $1 billion in 2024.

Surpassing 1 billion in revenue does not mean a profit of 1 billion. Achieving profitability means that in 2024, Telegram's total income exceeded its total expenses, resulting in a profit.

Since starting its monetization journey in 2022, Telegram's revenue streams have included, but are not limited to, channel advertising, Telegram Premium subscriptions, and a percentage of user tips.

Durov revealed that the company's cash reserves exceed $500 million, excluding cryptocurrency assets. As a partner platform of the cryptocurrency TON, Telegram likely also holds a significant amount of TON assets.

Other data indicates that between 2020 and 2024, Telegram issued about $2 billion in bonds to finance its operations. This autumn, Telegram repaid a substantial portion of its debt. The number of Telegram Premium subscribers doubled in 2024, with the total number of subscribers now exceeding 12 million.

New monetization avenues introduced by Telegram in 2024 include Starz (a virtual asset for platform tipping), gifts, giveaways, mini-programs, the Affiliate Promotion Platform, Telegram Business, and Telegram Gateway (which helps other platforms send verification codes as an alternative to traditional SMS).

Durov concluded that these innovative monetization approaches demonstrate that social media can maintain financial sustainability while remaining independent and respecting user rights.