Russia’s most popular Telegram channel has quadrupled in value after being sold for more than $20,000 two weeks ago.
The "Your Ex-Girlfriend" channel features posts from a fictional character who writes one-line missives to her ex-boyfriend. Her posts give readers the impression she regrets breaking up with him: “I passed by your house this morning.” “I dreamt of you today.” “Did you call me from an unknown number?” and “Why am I writing this?”
Yury Korb, a pseudonym for an entrepreneur who does not want to be identified, bought the Your Ex-Girlfriend channel from its founder, stand-up comedian Artur Chaparyan, in late August. Chaparyan cashed in 1.2 million rubles ($20,500) from the sale, just two months after launching it.
This week, entrepreneur Ilya Marchenko bought Your Ex-Girlfriend for 5.5 million rubles ($95,500) on behalf of another buyer who wished to remain anonymous, the RBC news outlet reports.
“I see big prospects for Telegram,” Marchenko was cited as saying by RBC. “And if you enter a new market, why not buy out the leading project.”
Since sale in August, Your Ex-Girlfriend's following has increased by 17,000 people to 92,000, the RBC outlet reports, making it the most popular Russian-language channel, according to the Medialogia media monitoring website.
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