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Max ad posts jump 1,300x in a year
Advertising in Max public channels surged more than 1,300x in its first year, while the number of public channels rose nearly 45x.
Image: iXBT
Advertising in Russia’s public channels on Max has grown by more than 1,300 times in their first year, according to MaxStat data reviewed by TASS. The figures point to rapid growth in both the messenger’s audience and its ad market.
As of mid-July 2026, analysts counted 327,300 posts marked with ERID, the mandatory identifier for internet advertising in Russia. For comparison, at the end of September 2025 there were only 245 such posts. In the first half of July alone, users published nearly 31,300 new ad posts.
The broader public-channel ecosystem is also expanding fast. In less than a year, the number of public channels increased almost 45 times, from 6,700 to 301,800.
Audience growth has followed a similar trajectory. The number of subscriptions to public channels rose nearly 40 times, surpassing 279 million, while the total number of published messages reached 47 million — 127 times higher than at the start of the observation period.
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The platform’s ad market has also shifted toward larger accounts. In autumn 2025, more than 80% of all ad integrations were concentrated in small channels with audiences of up to 1,000 subscribers. That share has now dropped to 29%. The main beneficiaries of the growth were mid-sized channels with audiences from 1,000 to 20,000 subscribers: over the year, their share of total ad placements climbed from 18% to nearly 60%.
Culture Editor
Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.
via iXBT
