Telegram takes the first step towards introducing advertisements in the most populous channels: started testing advertisements
Advertments in Telegram channels with more than 1,000 users take another step towards the debut. By now no one, or almost no one, can be surprised anymore: the measure decided by founder Pavel Durov has been official in clear terms for about a month, and it was announced coming by the end of this month.
So Telegram has announced in recent hours the start of tests to bring on time advertising on the messaging app on a permanent basis, so that the service can support the huge costs that involves without forcing users to pay a subscription. The measure may surprise and in some cases may even scare, but Telegram has already released several information on how the advertising will be from which we can guess that it will not be anything particularly invasive. In addition, ads will only affect public channels with at least 1,000 followers active, so as to leave smaller channels clear.
Telegram ads will be "soft" for users
Adverts in Telegram channels will have a limit of 160 characters - the same, to be clear, as the old SMS - and will be contextual to the topic covered in the channel of publication. Potentially, therefore, it will be interesting sponsored content and there will be "economic glory" for everyone: a part of the earnings will in fact be shared with the owners of the public channels where the ads themselves will appear.
To allow users to swallow the pill in a less traumatic way, Telegram has emphasized several aspects: chats or private groups will continue to be free of advertising, the contents of conversations will not be extrapolated or analyzed user data to provide more relevant or targeted ads, and, another important aspect, it will not be advertising messages containing external links. Each member of the same channel, in fact, will see the same ad, and it will be up to advertisers to choose the language and topics of the ads themselves.
Tests started, introduction still uncertain
With ads, the instant messaging service hopes to offer channel administrators a simpler, streamlined and more straightforward way than the current one to promote channels and bots. Telegram has made it known in the past that the final say will be up to subscribers, who can object to the display of ads. On the modalities, however, it has been chosen to maintain total confidentiality.
The feature that will bring ads in Telegram channels has been called Sponsored Messages, and as anticipated is already in testing at a small number of users to verify that everything respects the delivery. Gradually the audience of users viewing the ads will be expanded, and so until the global release that we do not know when it will be finalized.