Bilibili

Founding and early development (2009–2013)

Inspired by similar video sharing websites, like Nico Nico Douga and AcFun, Xu Yi (, known as "⑨bishi" on the internet) founded Bilibili on June 26, 2009.[4] At the time, Xu Yi was an AcFun user and wanted to create a better website than AcFun.[5] He spent three days creating a prototype website named Mikufans.cn as a fandom community of Hatsune Miku.[6] As it grew, he reshaped the website to specialise in video sharing and launched it on 14 January 2010 with the name Bilibili, a nickname for the protagonist Mikoto Misaka in the anime A Certain Scientific Railgun.[7] Bilibili also names many of its features after the anime and celebrates Mikoto Misaka's birthday on its homepage every year on the 2nd of May.

Bilibili's domain name bilibili.us was revoked in 2011, because of the domain registrar enforcing .us restrictions. As a result, Bilibili switched to bilibili.tv on 25 June 2011. Later that year, Xu Yi founded the startup, Hangzhou Huandian Technology based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, to develop and operate Bilibili. In April 2012, Bilibili obtained an agreement with Nico Nico Douga to webcast the latest Chinese-subbed episodes of the newly airing anime Fate/Zero starting from 7 April.[8] However, the program was censored after three episodes for being reported as unauthorised operations of Internet audio-video broadcasting services and Hangzhou Huandian Technology was penalised and fined ¥10,000 by the local government.[9] Bilibili started to display logos on its homepage in August 2012 to indicate its affiliation with the state-owned Shanghai Media Group and share the use of various content provider licenses in the hopes of avoiding future legal risks. Meanwhile, anonymous visitors to its website were redirected to a subdomain of Shanghai Media Group Broad Band subsidiary (bilibili.smgbb.cn).

Leadership change, expansion, and acquisitions (2014–2018)

In November 2014 was appointed CEO and chairman of the board of Bilibili.[10][11][12][13] Chen was an early member of Bilibili's community and started watching anime on the platform in 2010, before he met Xu Yi in 2014 when he was convinced to become the company's earliest investor. He was the fifth member of the company.[14]

In October 2016, Bilibili announced that it would become the sponsor of the Shanghai Sharks basketball team, whose name was later changed to Shanghai Bilibili.[15][16] Bilibili chose to sponsor the Shanghai Sharks as both entities originate from Shanghai.[17] In December 2017, Bilibili purchased an e-sports team originally called IM for League of Legends and renamed it to Bilibili Gaming (BLG).[18][19] In January 2018, Bilibili purchased the broadcasting rights to the spring competition season of LPL, League of Legends World Championship, and League of Legends Rift Rivals.[20] In September of the same year, Bilibili purchased Hangzhou Spark, an Overwatch League team, which took part in the 2019 Overwatch League season.[21] In March of that year Bilibili filed for an initial public offering of up to US $400 million on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).[22] The company listed on the NASDAQ on 28 March 2018.[23]

Partnership with Sony, original programming, and second stock listing (2019–2021)

On 23 March 2019, Bilibili announced at AnimeJapan that they had partnered with Sony-owned American anime distributor Funimation to jointly license anime titles for both the U.S. and Chinese markets.[24] On 9 April 2020, Sony Corporation of America announced it would acquire a 4.98% minority stake in Bilibili for US$400 million, valuing Bilibili at US$8 billion.[25] Upon completion of the deal, Sony and Bilibili signed an agreement for the expansion of anime and mobile games within the Chinese market.[26]

Later that year, Bilibili Esports, its e-sports arm, signed a partnership deal with Ping An Bank.[27] Bilibili began its foray into original programming by joining the production of a fourth season for Informal Talks. In August 2020, Bilibili produced the show Rap for Youth.[28] In December 2020, it produced a competition programme for voice actors called Voice Monster.

In September 2020, the company launched Bilibili Video Satellite.[29][30] On 3 February 2021, Bilibili announced it had acquired Shanghai Yarun Culture Communications Co., Ltd, the parent company of animation studio Haoliners Animation League and its subsidiaries.[31] On 23 March 2021, it was reported that Bilibili would raise US$2.6 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HKEX).[32] This would be the company's secondary listing, as it is already public on the NASDAQ in New York City. On 29 March 2021, Bilibili was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at an opening price of HK$790.[33]

Membership

Most content on Bilibili is free for anonymous viewing, while some videos require a membership. Select videos are also only available under the Chengbao system, in which case members must pay to access them. Membership is also required to submit videos or comments. Bilibili limits its memberships to balance the quality of its users and moderation capacity. In March 2013, a limited number of invitation codes was shared with existing users. Registrants using the codes needed to complete 100 questions to become a premium member, with questions mostly related to ACG. On 19 May 2015, Bilibili reduced the number of questions to 50, with 20 questions on internet comment etiquette. On 26 February 2017, Bilibili reinstated the 100-question test, with a passing threshold of 60.[42]

Subscription

On 9 October 2016, Bilibili launched a premium membership subscription service on the site, costing around ¥25 per month,[43] or approximately US$2 per month on a long-term subscription.[14] Premium members get access to videos in high resolution and can receive early access to certain videos, alongside other benefits such as discounts on Bilibili-owned games.[44][45] From 1 January 2018, Bilibili extended its early access programme to premium members, giving them early access to certain episodes of animated series, with regular members needing to wait a week to watch them.[46]

Account suspension

On 26 February 2017, an account blocking function was launched to regulate the website's content and users. Offensive comments can be deleted by administrators and offenders would be penalised. Accounts could be suspended temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of the offence.[47] On 15 June 2017, Bilibili launched a "discipline committee", allowing members to arbitrate reports of violations in some communities and decide whether the behaviour is illegal, and vote on the penalty.[48]

Upload and review

Bilibili does not allow duplicate videos, but does allow high-resolution and lower-resolution versions of the same content.[49] Similar to other Chinese video sharing websites, Bilibili is subject to strict censorship. As of 10 February 2017, individual users are prohibited from uploading videos regarding politics, with only certified bodies allowed to upload political content.[50][51]

Bilibili Sports

Bilibili airs a sports program titled Bilibili Sports. Bilibili officially obtained broadcasting rights for Meiji Yasuda J1 League in Southeast Asian countries, excluding Thailand in its 2024 season. HIGHSPEED Étoile and F1 also aired in the same year.

Bilibili Mascots

Bilibili's official mascots are elected by its community, Bili-tans, named "22" and "33". 22 and 33 were determined by the final vote tally from the BILI Mascot Girls Election from July 7, 2010, to August 16, 2010. There were 72 mascot artworks received. After the whole election event ended, Bilibili surprisingly found out that both No.22 and No.33 artworks had the same votes, 1824 votes. Bilibili then decided to let them both stand as the winner mascots and name them directly from their election serial number, 22 and 33. Artist Hao (Japanese: ハオ) was the winner of the election and the creator of 22 in the election, while artist AUER was the winner of the election and the creator of 33.[52] Hao was officially interviewed in 2018 as a genuine supporter of Bilibili, explaining his inspiration while coming up with the design of 22. 22's distinctive hairstyle stems from Hao's desire to create a "fluttery, electric shock" look, which would be more in line with the theme of Bilibili's name. The community’s recognition of his artwork has been his motivation to continue delivering his effort as an artist.[53]

Bilibili New Year Festival

The Bilibili New Year Festival is a special cultural community program held annually around the Chinese New Year. In 2010, 40 influencers (online content creators) created a special program and related content to celebrate the arrival of the Lunar New Year. As the audience grew, more influencers became involved in the production team. Before 2016, the Bilibili New Year Festival's content primarily focused on Japanese anime; since 2016, the festival has incorporated content infused with traditional Chinese culture. In 2018, advertisers were included in the Bilibili New Year Festival for the first time.[54]

Bilibili Macro Link

Bilibili Macro Link (BML) is a brand representing large-scale offline community gathering event created by Bilibili for enthusiasts. Since 2013, BML has primarily featured a three-day, large-scale offline live event hosted by Bilibili. Today, BML's core activities have evolved into three large-scale performances: BML, BML SP (Star Phase), and BML VR (Virtual Singer). BML primarily features exclusive performances by influencers from Chinese websites, BML SP primarily features exclusive performances by overseas guests, and BML VR features exclusive performances by holographic virtual idols.[55]

Bilibili World

Bilibili World (BW) is a large-scale offline community carnival event hosted by Bilibili, held annually since 2017, primarily attracting fans of the anime and manga genre. Its predecessor was the 2016 BML (Bilibili Macro Link) side-event held outside Mercedes-Benz Arena Shanghai. Since it has become a large official event, BW's positioning is anchored in a comprehensive EXPO with ACG culture as its main body. The inaugural BW event was held in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center in 2017. Since 2021, Bilibili World has been held annually at the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center in July. Nowadays, Bilibili World not only serves as a communication platform for Chinese ACG lovers but also represents a comprehensive advancement in IP launches and content innovation. With a stronger voice globally, Bilibili World does reach its ideal of making cultural exports.[56]

Bilibili's Community Spirit

Bilibili has also established affiliated communities: Corari (Chinese: 协作乡; lit. 'Hometown of Collaboration', currently offline), a collaboration project founding community; DrawYoo, a creative drawing community; and The Ninth Channel, a support forum for Bilibili. In a special interview, Bilibili founder Chen Rui (Chinese: 陈睿) stated that a rich material environment, a comprehensive and high-quality education, and internet services that have accompanied their growth have enabled today's young generation to develop diverse and personalized cultural needs unmatched by their predecessors. He said, "Our users aren't a specific demographic, but rather a diverse group of users, both large and small."[57] "Bilibili's active community feedback loop helps scale content innovation and creator growth," says the editor of MoonFox, a platform devoted to making deep financial research on big brands and companies. Bilibili has become the one that takes the role of companionship in more and more Chinese people's personal growth.[58]

Cai Xukun

Cai Xukun, a Chinese artist and singer, was chosen as a spokesperson of the NBA in January 2019, sparking controversy. His introduction video from Idol Producer, which involved him playing basketball, went viral. Following this, hundreds of parody videos appeared on Bilibili mocking the original video. Cai issued a lawsuit notice asking for Bilibili to remove the parody videos.[64] Bilibili responded that they believed the videos were not illegal and refused to penalise the users who uploaded the videos. Lyrics from the video, such as "sing, dance, rap, basketball" went on to become viral as well. To prevent potential backlash and spam from users, Bilibili temporarily halted the verification of new accounts.[65][66]

Servers in Taiwan

In September 2019, Bilibili was found to be renting servers illegally in Taiwan. The National Communications Commission required provider Chief Telecom to cease the tie-up immediately after the issue was discovered by a Taiwan-based think tank. Video on demand services based in mainland China are forbidden to operate in Taiwan due to national security concerns.[67]

Source code leak

In April 2019, a repository called "Bilibili website backend codes", with a large number of usernames and passwords, was published on GitHub. The repository was taken down by GitHub due to "excessive use of resources". The repository amassed more than 6,000 stars in just a few hours. However, copies could still be found on GitHub and other platforms. Bilibili responded that the leaked code was from an older version of their website and that they had taken "defensive steps to ensure the accident won't compromise user data security".[68]

Death of an employee in Wuhan

An employee of Bilibili Content Safety Centre (内容安全中心) in Wuhan subdivisional company died at home on 4 February 2022. The employee's work was about censorship; his nickname was Muse Muxin (暮色木心). He did not go back to his hometown during the spring festival, despite that going back to one's hometown during the spring festival is an important activity in Chinese culture. That day, the employee should have gone to work, but his co-workers did not see him, and subsequently called him. After discovering that Muse Muxin had seen a doctor for a health emergency, his leaders and HR co-workers went to meet him.[69]

On the morning of 8 February 2022, Bilibili officials visited Wuhan for this event. Bilibili expressed condolences for Muse Muxin's family members, and said Bilibili planned to employ 1000 censorship workers to decrease the workload.[69]

Authority misuse

On 12 January 2025, a Bilibili user claimed that an employee exploited their position to insert malicious code into the platform's web version, causing the user's account to display blank pages and repeated messages stating, "Your account has been banned." The user also shared chat logs showing the employee threatening to ban their account. The employee, identified by his surname Ni (倪), reportedly engaged in doxxing and personal retaliation after a disagreement with the user.

On 16 January, four days later, Bilibili confirmed the misuse of authority, terminated the employee in question, reported the case to regulators, and issued a public apology. The company has since removed the malicious code, disciplined related supervisors, and offered the affected user a one-year premium membership as compensation.[70]

Bilibili Video Satellite

Bilibili Video Satellite was launched on 15 September 2019. This satellite was developed by CIOMP, becoming the first video remote sensing satellite to be customized by a Chinese internet company. Bilibili uses this satellite to aid uploaders in video production, particularly in the technology and humanities spaces, with the goal of raising scientific awareness among young audiences.[71]

Bilibili's Dream Elementary School And Happiness Scholarship

On 26 June 2019, Bilibili announced that it has achieved deep cooperation with "Teach for China" to build an elementary school and provide support for teachers' humanity support, environment and school equipment in a village of Dali, Yunnan. Meanwhile, Bilibili will also give full play to its own advantages to support schools in providing curriculum resources such as art, science and innovation, and the cultivation of comprehensive literacy, enriching the video course resources of art, science and innovation in school.[72]

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Bilibili decided to partner with a local educational charity foundation in Shanghai, where its headquarters are located, to build a Bilibili Dream Elementary School in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province. This marked Bilibili's second collaboration with a professional educational charity organization to build a public elementary school in an impoverished rural area. The school is expected to enroll 800 students, the vast majority of whom come from low-income farming and working families in underdeveloped rural areas, in line with the national poverty alleviation plan. Bilibili not only provided financial support for the school's hardware facilities but also leveraged its resources of high-quality content creators on its website to provide tailor-made "Dream Courses" in the form of video lessons to enrich students' learning experiences.[73]

In 2021, at Bilibili's 12th-anniversary speech, Vice Chairman and COO Li Ni announced the establishment of the Bilibili Happiness Scholarship to support educational development in impoverished rural areas. The initial investment for this scholarship will be 4,194,172 RMB, and Bilibili will also continue to build public elementary schools in underdeveloped townships in Yunnan Province. The number 4,194,172 comes from the total number of "hahaha" and "2333" (emoticons representing laughter and humor) comments sent by viewers on the video content contributed by community creators who won the annual Community Happiness Award in the 2020-2021 quarter. This design reflects Bilibili's desire to bring joy and smiles to these children in impoverished areas. Li Ni said that users and content creators have gained knowledge and happiness on Bilibili and have seen a broader world. She believed it would be incredibly meaningful if this hope could be conveyed to every child from a poor family. The Bilibili scholarship aims not only to support children in rural towns in pursuing their dreams but also to provide them with more extracurricular trips and group activities, allowing them to enjoy the vitality of a fulfilling life while learning.[74]