Secrets of success: economics and tricks of Ukrainian telegram channels
Due to the events related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Telegram has become one of the main sources of information for Ukrainian users, as well as an important platform for the distribution of news and content.
Analytical research conducted by IA “FACT” shows that as of 2024, 72% of Ukrainians track news through Telegram channels, and the Trukha channel with 2.6 million subscribers is especially popular among them. This testifies to the huge audience and influence of these channels on the information space of the country. The average reach of one publication in popular Telegram channels is 1 million people. In comparison with the weekly coverage of the telethon “Edyni Novyni” (10.3 million viewers), it can be seen that only a few posts in “Trukha” have similar or greater publicity than television news.
It is noteworthy that the number of Ukrainian Telegram users is constantly growing, especially after the blocking of Russian social networks in 2017. It is also worth noting the large increase in the number of various Telegram channels actually subscribed to by Ukrainians, which reflects a huge amount of diverse content and audience interests.
Earnings in Telegram: what is known about earnings in this platform
Ukrainian “telegrammers”, that is, owners and administrators of channels, earn significant sums of money from their activities. Revenues from such channels are calculated in millions of hryvnias, which draws the government’s attention to the issue of taxation and regulation of this area.
The issue of taxation of tg-channels remains relevant and is currently unresolved. The Ukrainian Fiscal Service is investigating whether taxes are being paid on the income received from advertising and announcements. Undertaxed income from such sources can pose a problem for the country’s budget system. No one knows for sure the real income of Telegram channels, because they are not officially registered anywhere and do not submit any reports, unlike classical mass media.
However, approximate amounts can be calculated. The main method of monetization of the Telegram channel is the sale of advertising. The more subscribers the channel has, the more expensive the publication will be. When choosing channels for advertising, advertisers use platforms that provide certain analytics about the channel – TGStat or Telemetr.
Advertising can be ordered directly or through special catalogs. For example, in the Telegram channel “Truha Ukraine”, in order to earn 1 million UAH with such a price tag for advertising posts, it is necessary to make almost 13 publications. “Ukraine Online” will cope with this goal more difficult. For smaller channels, this is an unrealistic number.
Most likely, the prices here are indicated taking into account the percentage that goes to the owners of the channels, but the prices are more or less clear. Also, the level of earnings, as everywhere in the media market, is affected by the seasonality factor – prices rise closer to the new year, and fall in the summer.
The cost of publishing on a channel with 10-13 thousand subscribers in the business category can range from $50-100 per post. Accordingly, an administrator can earn $500-1000 for 10 advertising posts per month.
Instead, a news channel with more than 200,000 subscribers will request $300-500 for one advertising post, its gross monthly income may exceed more than $5,000. Anonymous channels from 1 million subscribers can request $1.5-2 thousand for one post. Such resources publish 20-30 advertising posts per month.
“On average, if you break it down by month, the income is somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 per month. But this is not net income… Then the owner starts paying salaries, and almost all the money goes to network development.”, – said v interview Maksym Lavrynenko, the owner of Trukha, to Dmytro Gordon.
By the way, according to data portal for job search Work.ua, the administrator of the Telegram channel in Ukraine earns an average of UAH 17,500 – this is the median salary according to data from 1,105 relevant vacancies posted on the site.
Finally, it should be noted that the popularity of Telegram among Ukrainians is not limited to informational aspects only. The platform is also used for communication, exchange of opinions and for the formation of public opinion. Taking into account such an impact on society, there is a need for a systematic analysis and monitoring of the development and functioning of Telegram in Ukraine.
Anonymous telegram channels as a tool of political influence
During the preparation and holding of the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2018-2019, an active network of anonymous channels appeared in the Ukrainian segment of the Telegram messenger, aimed at influencing the country’s political environment. This strategy was applied on the example of the Russian experience, where the government apparatus invested in the creation of hundreds of anonymous channels in order to discredit and influence opponents. It is likely that it will remain in the future.
The mechanism of functioning of anonymous telegram channels is the regular publication of messages claiming to be insider information or excessively emotional commenting on current events. This gives followers the impression of a community that is “in the know” and “elitist,” or it can create mixed feelings by eliminating or ignoring certain facts.
The authors of anonymous channels are not responsible for the published content, since nothing is known about them. This opens the door to the spread of misinformation and the promotion of certain political narratives, even outright hostile ones. The impossibility of identifying the authors allows these channels to be used to impose certain views and shape public opinion without proper fact-checking.
The success of promoting anonymous Telegram channels depends on several factors, including competition in the chosen topic and the cost of attracting an audience. For example, the cost of attracting one subscriber can vary from 1 hryvnia to dozens of hryvnias, depending on the specifics of the content and the channel’s audience.
Additionally, the analysis shows that anonymous Telegram channels continue to remain active even after some of them were closed by the Security Service of Ukraine. This shows the complex nature of the fight against this form of political influence, as they remain an effective tool for destabilization and manipulation of the information space.
The maintenance of Telegram channels in the Ukrainian language is also a subject of considerable interest in connection with their influence on the country’s information environment. Such channels became popular among Ukrainians during the war, when there was a great need for operational information regarding the armed conflict.
Institutional structures of Ukraine propose the classification of Telegram channels in different categories to ensure greater control and transparency. The issue of regulation and standardization of such media resources remains unresolved, but relevant for the development of the media sphere of Ukraine.
Meetings between the President of Ukraine and representatives of Telegram channels raised indignation in journalistic circles due to the state’s perception of the quality of Telegram information and the status of anonymous sources alongside traditional mass media. At the same time, these channels remain an important element of the media landscape of Ukraine, emphasizing the need to develop clear rules and standards for their activities.
Will Telegram be banned in Ukraine?
For in words Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Combating Disinformation at the NSDC, it is impossible to ban or block Telegram in Ukraine. On his conviction, it is necessary to work intelligently with telegram channels to protect the country from enemy intrusions and IPSO in order to “and continue to strangle hostile segments of the media field together.”
In general, channels in Telegram, according to the Law of Ukraine “On Media”, are the closest to the category of “online media”, but they do not meet only one feature: the distribution of such media information on one’s own website.
Most likely, there will be changes, and Telegram channels will be required to register, as classical mass media currently do. Although on the other hand, if there is indisputable evidence of Telegram’s involvement in hostile narratives, the state will have to think about how to get rid of it. After all, in the case of unofficial cooperation of the platform with the Russian Federation, it poses a direct danger to the state and citizens.
Currently, there are enough alternatives to replace Telegram. Average users definitely won’t lose anything. Owners of large Telegram channels, for whom the platform has become a profitable business, will suffer the most.
