Bilibili has begun a full-scale international push, according to Semafor. The overseas Android app was relaunched and, per the report, the company is actively courting Western creators — poaching, some would say. The service used to be reachable outside China in a generic way; now there’s an explicit plan to win foreign users and talent.
The update in the updated app (iOS coming) removes the previous mandatory ID check. Before, a passport or similar ID was required even for people uploading from abroad — a real sign-up hurdle. That requirement is gone, so the feed will blend Chinese uploads with international stuff. Expect UI oddities to remain, e.g., the famous bullet comments still fly across videos.
Hiring is happening on the ground in several cities. Semafor says offices/teams are being set up in:
- Los Angeles
- London
- Mexico City
- São Paulo
- Istanbul
- Tokyo
Another move: an English-language site is planned to make uploading easier for non-Chinese creators. Historically, Bilibili’s interface was built around Chinese users and their behaviors; this is an attempt to bridge that gap, though the transition won’t be seamless.
Of course, growth raises regulatory questions. Might Bilibili face the same pressure TikTok did? The short-video app eventually had to divest its U.S. operations over national-security concerns; a similar fate for Bilibili isn’t impossible if its international audience grows big enough. It’s plausible — not certain.
For YouTube, the timing is awkward. Google’s platform still dominates, but Netflix is pushing into creator-driven video formats and podcasts. And Bloomberg reports YouTube is even offering multimillion-dollar deals to channels to publish exclusively on its site rather than simultaneously elsewhere. Competition is heating up — messy, expensive, and fast.