China’s YouTube, Bilibili, plans global expansion, English-language site
The company is courting influencers to connect with “Gen Z Coded” users, and staffing up in cities around the world.
China's Bilibili, often viewed as the country's YouTube, is embarking on a global expansion initiative. The popular video-sharing platform recently unveiled its return to the international market, accompanied by a plan to launch an English-language website. This move is backed by the recruitment of key personnel and the development of a marketplace for international users to collaborate with brands.
Prominent Western figures, such as MrBeast, have already been encouraged to share their content on Bilibili's Chinese-language site, which enjoys a vast global reach with 376 million monthly active users. However, a more extensive international drive could potentially challenge YouTube's market leadership. This potential expansion brings up concerns regarding censorship, content moderation, and data security issues - challenges that TikTok has grappled with in the US for years.
Bilibili's international app, now allowing users to sign up without providing personal identification, is being marketed to global creators. The company assures that the content available on its US and Chinese sites will be identical. Additionally, an English-language site is set to be released "soon," according to a recent document shared in a Discord chat for Bilibili creators.
The company is in the process of developing a marketplace for international users to secure sponsorship deals with brands. It is also in the process of implementing AI-powered content moderation systems, which are expected to be based in Singapore.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
