Bilibili — the name may not mean much to you, and yet in China it is the biggest internet video platform there is. Put simply, it is neither more nor less than the Chinese equivalent of YouTube, with a huge community that is especially strong among young people, notably around video games, animation, tech and pop culture. While the platform remains fairly under the radar in the West, it is now looking to step things up. Bilibili has in fact just relaunched its international app, which it had nonetheless abandoned last year. But above all, the company is preparing something far more ambitious: a genuine global rollout, including a site entirely in English.
The new Chinese offensive
And this isn’t just a small experiment: Bilibili is reportedly hiring across several strategic markets, notably the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey and Europe. The goal is clearly to attract foreign creators and let them reach an even more international audience, and to go after the Chinese public. And it has to be said that Bilibili already starts with a weighty argument: its Chinese platform claims 376 million monthly active users. The company has in fact been trying for some time to attract Western creators, and even MrBeast has already posted content on the Chinese platform. Bilibili now wants to go much further with a system allowing international creators to monetise their videos and work directly with brands.
Another very interesting detail: the new international app reportedly no longer asks foreign users for a passport or ID document to sign up, unlike the long-standing Chinese platform. But this expansion obviously raises an enormous number of questions, because if Bilibili really wants to become a global player capable of competing with YouTube, the platform will have to face the same problems TikTok did before it: moderation, censorship, regulation and, above all, data protection. Bilibili is reportedly already developing moderation systems powered by artificial intelligence to support this expansion.
In any case, one thing is certain: China is no longer content with exporting its video games, and after the successes of Genshin Impact, Black Myth Wukong, Wuchang, Where Winds Meet and Marvel Rivals, it wants to go further still and establish itself more firmly as an alternative to American tools. Bilibili is already the Chinese YouTube, but the platform now dreams of being the next YouTube full stop.
