The owner of a public Telegram channel with 1,000+ subscribers can receive 50% of the revenue Telegram earns from Telegram Ads shown in that channel. Payouts are made in the Gram cryptocurrency (called Toncoin until June 2026) and withdrawn through the Fragment platform after identity verification. Below are the program terms, the withdrawal process and the restrictions that keep earnings low for channels with a Russian audience.
How the monetization program works
Telegram announced ad revenue sharing with creators on its official blog on March 31, 2024: owners of public channels with 1,000+ subscribers get 50% of the revenue from sponsored messages shown in their channel. Telegram itself places the ads through the Telegram Ads auction; the owner doesn’t choose advertisers or approve individual ads. We cover the platform itself in what is Telegram Ads.
The rules are set out in Telegram’s Terms of Service for Content Creators. As of October 2026, those terms say a creator may receive a reward equal to 50% of Telegram’s revenue from valid ad impressions, but the company can change the share or end the program at any time. Availability may also depend on region, channel topic and advertiser demand.
Channel requirements
- Public channel. Telegram Ads only run in public channels; there are none in private channels, groups or private chats.
- 1,000+ subscribers. This is the threshold at which a channel joins the ad network and can be selected in targeting.
- Compliance with Telegram’s rules. Under the creator terms, Telegram can debit or withhold rewards for invalid activity such as fake subscribers or artificial views.
- Access to the owner account. If the owner loses access to the account or channel, the unwithdrawn balance is forfeited.
There’s no separate application: if a channel qualifies, a Monetization section with a balance appears in its statistics.
Why channels with a Russian audience earn little
The key limitation is that not every impression pays. According to the Russian Telegram-focused outlet Kod Durova, as reported by ppc.world and Anti-Malware.ru on May 14, 2026, rewards accrue only for ads the advertiser paid for in cryptocurrency, and impressions shown to users in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and Germany are not counted. Telegram’s 2024 blog post already noted that ads paid in TON are not shown to users in several countries, including Russia.
For a Russian-language channel, this means most ads its subscribers in Russia see are bought in euros through Russian resellers and don’t count toward rewards. Earnings come mainly from impressions among the foreign part of the audience. The difference between account types is explained in paying for Telegram Ads: euro, TON or Stars.
Access for Russian channels has also been uneven. According to Habr and the TASS news agency, the Monetization section appeared for Russian channels in July 2024 but disappeared about five days later, on July 24, 2024, with no comment from Telegram. In May 2026, according to the same Kod Durova report, owners of Russian channels became able to withdraw rewards in cryptocurrency through Fragment.
Where to see your channel’s earnings
The balance is in the channel settings under Statistics → Monetization. It shows the available crypto balance with an approximate dollar value and, separately, the Telegram Stars balance. Telegram stresses that the balance shown in the app is an estimate, not money the company holds on the owner’s behalf.
On June 15, 2026, Toncoin was renamed Gram (ticker GRAM); the blockchain is still called TON. Balances, wallet addresses and smart contracts did not change, and Telegram’s creator terms now refer to “Gram balance rewards”. Older guides say “TON” — it’s the same coin.
How to withdraw through Fragment
Withdrawals go through Fragment, a third-party platform to which Telegram outsources reward payouts. The process, as described by Kod Durova in May 2026:
- Open the channel’s statistics, go to the Monetization tab and tap “Get on Fragment”.
- Log in to Fragment and connect a crypto wallet on the TON network.
- Complete identity verification (KYC) via Sumsub: upload an ID document, pass a camera face check and enter basic personal details. Without verification, nothing is paid out.
- Return to Telegram and confirm the transaction with your account’s cloud password (two-step verification).
- Once confirmed, the crypto is sent to the connected wallet.
Under the creator terms as of October 2026, Gram rewards become available for withdrawal 2 days after they accrue, and Stars after 21 days. Withdrawals are irreversible: if you enter the wrong address, the money can’t be recovered. Telegram may also set an expiry date for unredeemed rewards, so don’t let the balance sit for years.
Stars and other ways to use earnings
Besides withdrawing, you can spend rewards inside the ecosystem: on Telegram Ads, on collectible usernames, or on Premium giveaways via Fragment. That’s convenient if you already promote your channel.
Stars come not from ads but from paid posts, reactions and gifts. Under the creator terms, paid content earns about $0.013 per Star, and when you pay for ads with Stars, each Star counts as $0.02 in advertising credit. Stars can be spent on ads for the same channel that earned them, provided the ad passes moderation.
| Income source | Currency | When withdrawable | Where to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram Ads in the channel | Gram (formerly Toncoin) | 2 days after accrual | Fragment → TON wallet, or ads |
| Paid posts, reactions, gifts | Stars | After 21 days | Fragment, or ads for your own channel |
How much can you earn
Telegram doesn’t publish average payouts per channel or per 1,000 views, and we haven’t found independent statistics with a verifiable methodology. Earnings depend on three factors: the number of ad impressions in the channel, the auction price of those impressions (CPM) and the share of the audience that counts. Roughly: earnings ≈ counted impressions ÷ 1,000 × CPM × 50%.
The practical takeaway: a channel whose audience is outside the excluded countries and whose topic is popular with advertisers will earn more. A channel where almost all subscribers are in Russia will earn noticeably less, even with high reach. For Russian-language creators, Telegram Ads revenue sharing is usually a side income; the main money comes from selling sponsored posts directly — see Telegram channel ad prices.
Taxes and legal risks
Telegram doesn’t withhold taxes: under the creator terms, the owner is solely responsible for them, and payouts are treated as tax-inclusive. How crypto income is taxed depends on your country of residence. In Russia, cryptocurrency can’t be used as a means of payment, and income from it must be declared; check the specifics with a tax adviser. This is not legal advice.
There is also a Russia-specific rule for channels: since November 2024, owners of channels with more than 10,000 subscribers must register them with Roskomnadzor (the Russian communications regulator) in order to place ads in them. More in is Telegram advertising legal in Russia.
FAQ
What share of ad revenue does a channel owner get?
50% of the revenue Telegram earns from ad impressions in the channel. Under the program terms, Telegram can change this share or end the program at any time.
How many subscribers do I need for monetization?
At least 1,000, and the channel must be public. Telegram Ads don’t run in private channels or groups, so they don’t earn rewards.
Why does a channel with high reach earn almost nothing?
Rewards accrue only for ads paid in cryptocurrency, and impressions shown to users in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine and Germany are not counted (according to Kod Durova, May 2026). If your audience is mostly in Russia, few impressions count.
Is verification required to withdraw?
Yes. Fragment requires KYC via Sumsub: an ID document, a camera face check and personal details. After that, you confirm the transaction with your Telegram cloud password.
What’s the difference between Gram and TON?
It’s the same cryptocurrency: on June 15, 2026, Toncoin was renamed Gram with the ticker GRAM. The blockchain is still called TON, and balances and addresses didn’t change. Offers to “swap TON for GRAM” are a sign of fraud.
Can I spend channel earnings on promoting the same channel?
Yes. Rewards can go toward Telegram Ads, and Stars can pay for ads for the channel that earned them. Before launching, make sure the channel is ready: see how to prepare a channel for Telegram Ads.
