Telegram, one of the world's largest messaging platforms, has unveiled a major strategic update: Toncoin (TON) will become the core payment tool for its new advertising monetization system, while channel owners will receive 50% of the advertising revenue. Founder and CEO Pavel Durov made the announcement, marking a significant step in integrating cryptocurrency with social media economics.
Toncoin Powers Ad Payment Infrastructure
Durov stated that Telegram plans to open its advertising platform—previously limited to showing privacy-conscious sponsored messages in large channels—to all advertisers in over 100 countries. To handle the resulting surge in payments and withdrawals, the platform will exclusively use the TON blockchain. “To ensure ad payments and withdrawals are fast and secure, we will exclusively use the TON blockchain,” Durov emphasized.
Telegram had already utilized Toncoin for username auctions and premium membership subscriptions, building extensive on-chain payment experience. Integrating TON into the advertising system further cements its role as the core currency within Telegram's ecosystem. Toncoin is currently a top-20 cryptocurrency by market capitalization, and this news is expected to boost both its adoption and liquidity.
50% Revenue Sharing: Modeled After X
Durov revealed that starting this March, channel owners will receive 50% of the advertising revenue generated from their channels. This model closely resembles the creator monetization program introduced by Elon Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter). As early as 2021, Telegram had promised to share ad revenue with channel owners after covering basic costs; now the commitment is formalized with a clear split ratio.
Durov described this as a “virtuous circle”: channel owners earn revenue from ads, then reinvest those funds to promote their content or improve quality, attracting more viewers and creating a sustainable growth flywheel. He also noted that channel owners can withdraw their earnings via the TON blockchain to external wallets at any time, enabling truly decentralized fund control.
Unlocking Trillions of Views
Telegram channels generate over 1 trillion daily page views, but the previous sponsored message model only monetized about 10% of that traffic. The new advertising platform will allow any eligible channel to display ads, dramatically increasing monetization efficiency. Analysts believe this strategy not only strengthens channel operators' income expectations but also attracts more high-quality content creators to Telegram, positioning it competitively against platforms like YouTube and WeChat.
Notably, Telegram's choice reflects a long-term commitment to the Open Network (TON) ecosystem, which was originally developed by Telegram's team before being handed over to the community. This deep integration is poised to drive explosive growth in TON's application layer.
Overall, by placing Toncoin at the heart of its ad monetization system coupled with a generous revenue-sharing model, Telegram is building a crypto-powered social content economy. As the rollout begins in March, the industry will be watching closely to see if this model can replicate—or even surpass—the success of X's monetization program.