Telegram remains one of the leading platforms for promotion in Uzbekistan, but the advertising approaches on it vary significantly. According to Insight Business research, the messenger is popular among Uzbek users: its audience in the country ranges from 18 to 24 million people, and Uzbekistan ranks second in the number of Telegram channels.
It is important to distinguish between official advertising via Telegram Ads, available since 2021, and integrations in channels. The former tool is less popular among advertisers in the country. One reason is the high entry threshold. If one wants to launch advertising on the Telegram Ads platform independently, a budget of at least €2 million is needed. Telegram only allows access to €1 million, while the remaining amount is held as a deposit.
However, there are intermediary services that help launch ads with lower investments. These services offer management of advertising campaigns for a commission.
Moreover, Telegram continues to develop the format of embedded advertising. Now sponsored messages can include photos or videos. Previously, ads were only displayed at the bottom of channels, but now they can appear between other posts as well. Channel owners receive a share of the revenue that Telegram earns from placing ads in their channels.
What changes have occurred in advertising approaches on Telegram in Uzbekistan, what trends are observed, and how is the cost of integrations changing—these topics were discussed by representatives from agencies Tanish Bilish, We Digital, and Eight Media Maker.
Increasing Demand for Native Advertising and New Integration Formats
Interest in native advertising—organically embedded into author content—continues to grow. According to Umida Gafurova, founder of Tanish Bilish and creator of Troll.uz, embedded advertising through Telegram Ads remains unpopular among local advertisers.
“The demand for native advertising in author channels does not decrease. Subscribers better perceive content embedded in the channel's style. Official advertising through Telegram Ads resembles roadside banners—it works if you need to flash before users, but for deeper engagement, native posts are more effective,” she explains.
Akbar Arzumetov, head of Eight Media Maker, agrees with her. He notes that advertisers now try to approach each campaign individually.
“The same texts for all channels no longer work. Unique content, dynamic emojis, and branded elements are now important. The affluent audience is increasingly subscribing to Telegram Premium to avoid seeing ads. Therefore, Telegram's official tools are not showing high effectiveness yet,” he adds.
Anastasia Pak, Influence & Media Director at We Digital, adds that companies are increasingly using videos, animated emojis, and even guerrilla marketing methods. However, such innovations, as she notes, remain the choice of the boldest brands.
At the same time, the problem of “inflation” persists. According to We Digital, popular services like TGStat can help combat this by analyzing subscriber engagement and identifying suspicious activities. In addition, there are two other approaches: manually checking by comparing reach and engagement, and requesting analytics from channels.
Umida Gafurova recommends the simplest method: look not at the number of subscribers but at CPM. According to her, Tanish Bilish always provides advertisers with prices in CPM, which greatly simplifies the comparison of effectiveness across different channels.
Advertising Prices and Popular Content Categories
According to Tanish Bilish, the cost of integration depends on the popularity of the channel:
Thematic channels with an audience of up to 100,000 subscribers—300,000 to 500,000 sums;
Medium channels (up to 500,000 subscribers)—1 to 2 million sums;
Author channels and media—2 to 15 million sums.
News channels enjoy stable demand, as Telegram remains the main source of news for users in Uzbekistan.
“There is a high interest in author channels, but their quality leaves much to be desired. Among the popular categories are e-commerce, retail, education, IT products, fintech, and foodtech,” notes Umida Gafurova.
Akbar Arzumetov also adds that in addition to large channels, there is a growing interest in niche platforms, where the audience is smaller but the traffic quality is higher.
Additionally, channel authors earn from Telegram's embedded advertising. The company positions its advertising model as beneficial for authors—50% of the revenue from official advertising goes to channel owners. However, the existing practice raises concerns that a significant portion of the revenue remains with the platform, while for most authors, such monetization remains unprofitable.
For example, the founder of Troll.uz shared the results of monetizing his channel through official advertising in 2024. According to him, the revenues were unexpectedly low: the channel earned only 23 TON for the entire year, equivalent to $124. On average, this amounts to about $13 per month. After the addition of the “stars” feature, the revenue increased by another $28, but even considering this amount, the total earnings do not cover even basic expenses like internet bills.
Telegram for Business: High Conversion and Low CPM
Experts say that Telegram remains attractive for businesses due to its low CPM and high conversion rates. Unlike other social networks, Telegram's algorithms do not limit organic reach, making the platform particularly effective for e-commerce, fintech, and education sectors.
“The Telegram advertising market in Uzbekistan is huge, though its volume is still not comparable to the outdoor or television advertising markets. Nevertheless, Telegram has become an essential tool for PR specialists and marketers. Growth continues thanks to the widespread use of the messenger among the country's population,” notes Akbar.
“Anyone who needs traffic in the form of link clicks is using Telegram in one way or another. Conversion from Instagram and YouTube is much lower. The latter do not want users to click on external links, so their reach is significantly cut down,” adds Umid.
The Future of Telegram Advertising in Uzbekistan
Experts believe that the Telegram advertising market in Uzbekistan continues to grow. Its volume has already exceeded $10 million, but it still lags behind Instagram, where placement prices are much higher.
According to Umida Gafurova, Telegram is constantly introducing changes. If rumors about implementing algorithms similar to Instagram are confirmed, this will change the distribution of advertising budgets in favor of quality and interesting channels.
Akbar Arzumetov notes that the introduction of algorithms may lead to greater automation and a change in the rules of the game, but the main task will remain the same—adapting to audience needs.
At the same time, Umida Gafurova adds that in the face of constant changes, it is important for advertisers to be flexible.
“The market adapts to any innovations. The key is to maintain a focus on content quality and audience analysis, as these parameters will remain crucial for the success of any campaign,” she noted.
Rating of the Most Expensive Telegram Channels for 2025
Spot requested from agencies a ranking of the most expensive Telegram channels in the Uzbek and Russian-speaking segments. According to Tanish Bilish, the top 5 Uzbek-speaking channels are:
Name | Category | Subscriber Count | Cost* |