Telegram is planning to monetize the platform in the forthcoming year, 2021. Nearly eight years after founding the app, it will now begin serving ads on the platform to cover its operating cost.
The popular encrypted messaging app currently has a massive 500 million active users. The app’s founder, Pavel Durov, mentioned that given the size of the app, it needs at least a couple of millions of dollars per year to cover up server and traffic costs
Telegram is all set to monetize the platform with in-app advertising- existing features to remain free
The incoming first-party ads secure users’ privacy and will not show up in private conversations. The ads will appear only on one-to-one public channels. Moreover, the company plans to introduce premium features aimed at its enterprise and power users. It may also introduce the premium stickers from which the artists can earn commissions. The existing features will remain free of cost for all the users.
Some individuals find it contradictory for a startup that promotes user’s privacy to suggest monetizing with ads while preserving user’s data. It is interesting to note that very few companies have managed to do that in the past.
