Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on Jan 9 posted that telegram have reached 5 million premium subs. Personally I think giveaways played a big role in this and I believe this would help telegram cover its costs even more. Which is good for us users
I have to mention that I’ve downloaded the app from the website - premium costs more if you download the app from the store. In Italy, the pricing is 3.66 €/month if you pay monthly, or 2.24 €/month if you pay annually