Telegram announced on Wednesday that it is adding new ways for creators to earn money on the platform. Most notably, the platform is launching monthly paid subscriptions that users can buy with the app's digital currency, “Stars,” to access additional content from creators.
Content creators can now create invite links that allow users to join their channel by paying Stars each month. The idea behind the feature is to allow creators to charge a fee for extra or early access to their content in a similar way to Patreon.
Creators can set a price for their content and convert Stars into Toncoin cryptocurrency rewards or subsidized advertising. Telegram takes a commission from transactions involving Stars, but has not disclosed how much.
Image credit: Telegram
Telegram is also launching Star Reactions, allowing users to directly support their favorite content creators. Star Reactions are similar to YouTube's “Super Thanks” feature and X's Tips feature. Creators will receive 100% of the stars they receive through the reaction feature.
The new features build on Telegram's ongoing efforts to help creators make money through the platform: last month, the company allowed creators to share paid content on their channels, and a few months ago began sharing advertising revenue with creators.
Today's announcement comes as Telegram hit 950 million active users last month and is on track to surpass the 1 billion mark this year. Earlier this year, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he expected the company to be profitable next year and was considering an initial public offering.