PSKOV, October 23. /TASS/. The Russian messenger Max showed a sharp increase in audience activity in September, doubling its daily traffic, while the platform’s monthly reach climbed to nearly 42 million users, signaling the service’s rapid growth, CEO of the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters Alexander Shirokikh said at the international media forum in Pskov.
"If we look at August, Max had 7 million users per day. <...> In September, Max doubled this figure to 14 million per day. In September, the maximum monthly reach was 42 million people," Shirokikh said, emphasizing that the data was provided by Mediascope, the official measurement company, ensuring its reliability.
According to him, audience growth accelerated following the introduction of the channels feature in July. Although Max still trails Telegram, which has 91 million monthly users, its growth dynamics are viewed as highly positive. The surge from August to September was particularly notable, with the gradual rollout of channel access becoming a key driver of expansion.
Initially, only select publishers were granted access to the feature. Later, it was extended to all channel owners registered with Roskomnadzor who had audiences of 10,000 subscribers or more. This step triggered a rapid increase in the number of channels, with around 17,000 new ones created within just a few days, Shirokikh noted.