China’s YouTube equivalent is courting Western creators and launching an English-language site, posing a direct challenge to YouTube while stepping into potential regulatory minefields.
China’s equivalent to YouTube is making a play for the rest of the world and courting non-Chinese creators to boost its appeal.
Bilibili this week relaunched its previously discontinued international app and disclosed plans to launch an English-language website and hire staff in key markets, including the U.S., Europe, and Japan, according to job listings and marketing materials distributed to creators.
Bilibili has already been pushing prominent Western celebrities, most notably MrBeast, to post videos on its main Chinese-language site, which boasts 376 million monthly active users. A global expansion could challenge YouTube’s dominance, but it may also open up questions about censorship, moderation, and data security—the same issues that have plagued TikTok in the U.S. for years.
Bilibili did not respond to requests for comment.
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The revamped international app no longer requires identity verification, meaning users can sign up without providing a passport or ID, according to a new X account marketing the platform to global creators.
“Yes, Bilibili is going global,” the account wrote, adding that content-wise, the U.S. and Chinese sites will be the same.
In a document shared in a Discord chat for Bilibili creators, the company pitched itself as a place for influencers to make money and connect with “Gen Z Coded, affluent and well-educated” users. A marketplace for international users to connect with brands for sponsored content is “in development,” according to the presentation.
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The deck also showed creators how to post videos on its Chinese website, adding that an English version is “coming soon. We are working hard.”
The company is hiring community managers in Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, São Paulo, Istanbul, and Tokyo, according to job posts. It is also building global “AI-powered content moderation systems,” a Singapore-based listing detailed.
