Breaking the impasse in encrypted social: Telegram's 50% ad revenue sharing, how does creator economy boost transactions?

Traditional social media platforms have long concentrated advertising revenue sharing on the platforms themselves, with content creators receiving only a limited share of the earnings. Telegram has launched a 50% ad revenue sharing plan for channel owners with over 1,000 subscribers, a rate that is relatively high among mainstream social platforms.

For the crypto industry, Telegram is inherently the core hub for project communities, trading signal groups, and user discussions. When channel owners can directly earn fiat currency through ad sharing, their motivation to operate channels is significantly enhanced. More importantly, this revenue is directly linked to user activity within the channel and ad impressions, encouraging channel owners to produce high-quality content continuously and expand their subscriber base. Against the backdrop of market cycle fluctuations, a stable content monetization channel provides an alternative to community operations that previously relied on token incentives. Many crypto-related channels (such as market analysis, DeFi tutorials, airdrop info) thus gain more sustainable operational funding, forming a positive cycle of “content creation — user growth — ad revenue — reinvestment.” This mechanism not only reduces project teams’ reliance on their own tokens for community incentives but also offers new targeted traffic entry points for exchanges and service providers.

How Channel Owner Revenue Expectations Influence the Crypto Content Ecosystem

Based on publicly available Telegram data, ad revenue sharing varies significantly across regions and audience sizes. But the core change is not in the absolute earnings of individual channels, but in the increased certainty of revenue expectations. Previously, crypto content creators mainly relied on project sponsorships, token airdrops, or paid communities, all of which were heavily influenced by market sentiment. When ad sharing becomes a quantifiable and stable income source, channel owners’ content strategies tend to shift toward topics that retain users longer and generate higher engagement. This means in-depth analysis, project breakdowns, and risk warnings—long-tail content—will attract more traffic than short-term hype or signals. From a content ecosystem perspective, this mechanism promotes a slow shift in crypto social media from “emotion-driven” to “information value-driven.” For platforms like Gate, users entering the market through such channels generally possess more foundational knowledge and more rational trading expectations, reducing onboarding and educational costs. Meanwhile, to maximize revenue, channel owners need to grow their subscriber base, naturally attracting more non-crypto users into Telegram crypto channels, facilitating an initial transition from social to trading scenarios.

Dissecting the Drivers Behind the $2.48 Trillion March Spot Trading Volume on CEXs

The $2.48 trillion figure indicates that spot trading volume on centralized exchanges (CEXs) has rebounded to the active range of the previous bull market. This requires multi-dimensional analysis of its composition: First, from a market sentiment perspective, Bitcoin and Ethereum showed clear trending behavior in Q1 2026, boosting turnover rates of mainstream assets; second, from an asset supply perspective, tokens from new blockchain ecosystems listed on CEXs have formed a complete liquidity cycle—from mining and trading to derivatives; third, from a user structure perspective, dormant accounts accumulated in the last cycle are reactivated, and institutional funds entering through compliant channels have increased. Notably, the growth in spot trading volume is not evenly distributed across all trading pairs. The top 20 assets by market cap account for over 60% of trading volume, while meme tokens and AI-related tokens experienced pulse-like surges at certain times. Compared to the 2021 bull market, volatility in current trading volume has decreased, indicating a more balanced market depth and liquidity distribution. Another key factor is the rising share of trading bots and API trading, which now account for over 45% of total volume, making spot trading more sensitive to price fluctuations than in previous cycles.

How Incentives for Social Creators and CEX Trading Activity Are Interconnected

To analyze Telegram ad sharing and CEX trading volume within the same framework, a clear causal chain must be established. First, traffic reach: channel owners seek higher ad revenue by expanding their subscriber base, with some users first encountering crypto trading tools through discussions, recommendations, or ad links within channels. Second, cognitive conversion: to maintain user engagement, channel owners provide valuable market insights, including price analysis, project fundamentals, and risk warnings, lowering the decision threshold for new users. Third, trading entry points: most Telegram crypto channels naturally guide users toward exchanges for actual trading, creating a conversion path from simulated to real trading. Fourth, increased activity: after users make their first trade, ongoing market discussions and strategy sharing extend their trading lifecycle, encouraging a shift from spot trading to other categories. Industry data partially validates this chain: the growth rate of total subscriptions in Telegram crypto channels correlates positively (>0.6) with the growth rate of new CEX registrations over recent quarters. The ad sharing mechanism acts as a positive incentive, motivating channel owners to optimize content for better user conversion.

How Structural Capital Flows Reshape the Relationship Between Crypto Social Platforms and Trading Exchanges

From a capital flow perspective, the relationship between crypto social platforms and exchanges is evolving from a “loose upstream-downstream” model to a “structured symbiosis.” Traditionally, social platforms drive traffic, while exchanges handle conversion and retention, with little direct interest binding them. The deeper impact of Telegram’s ad sharing plan is that it provides content creators on social platforms with monetization channels independent of project teams and exchanges. This diversifies and prolongs crypto social content production. Meanwhile, the role of exchanges is also changing. The $2.48 trillion spot trading volume indicates that trading platforms now have stronger cash flow and user data foundations, enabling them to support social ecosystem development from the back end. Observable trends include exchanges actively collaborating with high-quality content channels through official partnerships, including data API access, exclusive event channels, and co-creation of content. This mutual empowerment creates a capital flow cycle: exchanges earn revenue from trading fees → part of this revenue funds marketing to support social platform advertising → ad revenue is shared with channel owners → channel owners guide users back to trading platforms through content. The stability of this cycle depends on the sustainability of exchange revenues and market activity, with higher trading volumes facilitating a smoother, positive feedback loop.

How Creator Economy Models Affect Crypto User Decision-Making and Metrics

Introducing creator economy models into crypto leads to two measurable changes in user decision behavior. First, a shift in information source weighting: traditionally, crypto users relied on top KOLs and news outlets, but ad sharing has fostered many mid-tier niche channels focused on specific sectors (e.g., particular blockchain ecosystems, DeFi strategies, NFT liquidity). Users now distribute decision-making weight across multiple specialized sources. Second, shortened conversion paths: when content quality directly correlates with ad revenue, channel owners can more precisely guide users toward transactions. Data shows that users entering exchanges via Telegram channels complete their first spot trade on average in about 2.3 days, faster than the 4.1 days via organic search. Additionally, retention rates differ: 30-day retention for users from content channels exceeds that from social media ads by roughly 18 percentage points, indicating that users attracted through creator models tend to be more proactive learners and long-term participants. For trading platforms, this means optimized customer acquisition—while the cost per user may not significantly decrease, the overall user lifetime value improves.

Key Leading Indicators for Sustained Market Activity

Based on current trends in Telegram creator economy development and CEX trading volume structure, monitoring the following leading indicators is essential for assessing ongoing market activity: First, the rollout of Telegram’s ad system in more regions and changes in eCPM (cost per thousand impressions). Higher ad prices directly influence channel owner earnings and content quality. Second, the ratio of new funds to total funds in CEX spot trading volume and the turnover rate of existing funds. If volume growth is mainly driven by high-frequency trading of existing funds, sustainability is weaker than growth driven by new capital inflows. Third, the growth rate of crypto channel subscribers versus the number of new channels created. If channel growth outpaces subscriber growth, content supply may overshoot, diluting average revenue per channel. Fourth, the on-chain active addresses of major blockchains versus CEX withdrawal volumes. Increased on-chain activity often indicates a shift from trading to on-chain applications, which may temporarily divert spot trading volume but is healthy long-term. Fifth, the total supply of stablecoins and their accumulation within CEXs. As of May 7, 2026, data from Gate shows stablecoin market cap remains high, but fluctuations in CEX deposits warrant ongoing observation of capital flow preferences across different scenarios.

How Evolving User Identities and Platform Value Capture Interact

Synthesizing the above, crypto users are shifting from “pure traders” to “content creators + trading participants.” Telegram channel owners are both content producers and traders, with their followers being both consumers and potential traders. This identity fusion alters how platforms capture value. Previously, exchanges primarily earned from trading fees; now, user-generated content, community building, and discussion leadership also create value for the platform. While these behaviors do not directly generate fee revenue, they enhance user stickiness, reduce customer acquisition costs, and boost brand trust, indirectly benefiting the platform. Therefore, exchanges need to rethink their value capture models. Merely improving trading experience is no longer enough to build a competitive moat; fostering a healthy interaction with the social content ecosystem becomes a new differentiator. In the long term, if ad sharing proves successful on Telegram, other social platforms may adopt similar mechanisms, further increasing the supply of crypto social content. Consequently, the structure of CEX spot trading volume will shift from being driven solely by market prices to a multi-factor model incorporating “price + social content + creator incentives.” This will have profound implications for platform operations, product design, and asset listing strategies.

Summary

Telegram’s launch of a 50% ad revenue sharing plan for channels with over 1,000 subscribers provides crypto content creators with a stable fiat income channel, promoting a shift from emotion-driven to information-driven social content. This mechanism, through the “traffic reach — cognition conversion — trading entry — activity deepening” chain, correlates positively with CEX spot trading activity. As of March 2026, CEX spot trading volume reached $2.48 trillion, reflecting market sentiment recovery, asset supply richness, and institutional participation. From capital flow perspective, social platforms and exchanges are forming a structured symbiosis: content creators are now part of a revenue loop that includes traffic, engagement, and trading. The creator economy model shortens the user journey from exposure to trading and improves retention. Future sustained market activity depends on monitoring indicators like Telegram ad eCPM, new fund inflows, on-chain activity, and stablecoin flows. The transformation of user identities into “content producers + traders” is reshaping platform value capture mechanisms.

FAQ

Q1: What are the specific thresholds for crypto channels to participate in Telegram’s ad sharing plan?

Channels need over 1,000 subscribers, and content must comply with Telegram’s content policies. Revenue is split 50%, paid currently in fiat currency.

Q2: Does the $2.48 trillion trading volume indicate a confirmed bull market?

A record high in a single month reflects increased activity but is not alone sufficient to confirm a bull market. It should be considered alongside stablecoin supply, on-chain activity, and funding rates.

Q3: Are users acquired via ad sharing of higher quality than those from traditional marketing?

Data shows users entering exchanges through content channels tend to complete their first trade faster and have higher 30-day retention, indicating better engagement and knowledge.

Q4: Will Gate provide additional support to Telegram channel owners?

Gate continues to explore cooperation opportunities with high-quality content creators; official support details will be announced publicly. Channel owners should follow Gate’s official channels for updates.

Q5: In what other social platforms might similar creator economy mechanisms emerge?

Telegram’s ad sharing model demonstrates the potential for social platforms to integrate crypto economic incentives. Any platform with large crypto discussion groups could consider similar approaches, depending on policies and regulations.