Bilibili is evolving from a youth-focused video platform into a diversified digital business built around advertising, gaming, creators, memberships, AI, and original content. The Bilibili growth strategy now focuses less on simply adding users and more on turning strong community engagement into sustainable revenue.
That shift is already visible in the numbers. Bilibili generated RMB15.41 billion in revenue during the first half of 2026, up 7.5% year over year, while advertising remained the company’s main revenue-growth driver.
With gaming, creator monetization, premium services, AI-powered advertising, and original IP working together, the Bilibili growth strategy is becoming broader, more commercially focused, and less dependent on any single revenue source.
Quick Answer
The Bilibili growth strategy centers on turning strong community engagement into revenue through advertising, gaming, creator monetization, premium memberships, AI, original content, and international expansion.
Key growth areas include:
- Advertising and AI-powered ad tools
- Mobile gaming
- Creator monetization
- Premium memberships and fan payments
- Search and connected-TV monetization
- Original Chinese animation and IP
- International distribution
Bilibili is increasingly operating as a broader digital ecosystem rather than only a video platform.
Bilibili Growth Strategy at a Glance
The Bilibili growth strategy combines multiple revenue and engagement channels rather than relying on a single business segment. The table below shows how the Bilibili growth strategy connects each growth area with a clear business opportunity.
| Growth Area | Bilibili’s Approach | Business Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | Improve targeting, search ads, creator campaigns, and AI | Higher advertising revenue |
| Gaming | Support established games and launch new titles | More diversified game revenue |
| Creator Economy | Expand ads, fan charging, live streaming, and commerce | Stronger creator retention |
| Premium Membership | Grow paid subscriptions and recurring plans | More predictable revenue |
| PUGV Content | Encourage professional user-generated videos | More engagement and content supply |
| AI | Improve recommendations, advertising, and creator tools | Greater efficiency |
| Search | Monetize high-intent user activity | More valuable ad inventory |
| Smart TV and PC | Expand viewing beyond mobile devices | More viewing and advertising surfaces |
| Original IP | Develop anime, merchandise, events, and licensing | Multiple revenue streams |
| International Expansion | Expand apps, anime, and multilingual distribution | Larger potential audience |
What Is Bilibili?
Bilibili is a leading video community in China known for gaming, anime, entertainment, technology, knowledge, lifestyle, and creator-led content. A distinctive part of the Bilibili growth strategy is its combination of professional content, user-created videos, and highly interactive communities.
One of Bilibili’s signature features is danmaku, or bullet chatting, which displays viewers’ comments directly over a video as it plays. Within the Bilibili growth strategy, this feature helps turn passive viewing into a shared community experience.
Professional user-generated video, or PUGV, is another important part of the Bilibili growth strategy. These creator-produced videos often cover specialized subjects with stronger production, editing, research, or expertise than typical casual uploads.
Bilibili also distributes professionally produced and licensed entertainment, giving the Bilibili growth strategy a mix of creator-led content and premium programming rather than relying on only one content source.
Why Bilibili’s Community Matters to Its Business
Community engagement is central to Bilibili because the platform’s value depends not only on audience size but also on how frequently and how long users participate.
In Q2 2026, Bilibili averaged 116.5 million daily active users, up 7% year over year, while average daily time spent reached 113 minutes. Total user time increased 14%, strengthening the engagement base behind the Bilibili growth strategy.
Across the first half of 2026, monthly active users reached about 373 million, while average daily time spent was approximately 116 minutes. Total time spent rose 17% year over year, showing why engagement remains such an important part of the Bilibili growth strategy.
Higher engagement creates several commercial opportunities:
- More video recommendations
- Greater creator exposure
- More advertising inventory
- Premium membership opportunities
- Game discovery
- Stronger fan communities
- Direct creator monetization
Together, these opportunities allow the Bilibili growth strategy to convert audience attention into several forms of revenue rather than depending on a single monetization channel.
Bilibili’s Community Retention Creates a Competitive Moat
Long-term retention adds another layer to the Bilibili growth strategy because loyal users are generally more valuable than visitors who watch briefly and leave.
By June 30, 2026, Bilibili had 299 million official members, with 12-month retention remaining around 80%. Users also generated more than 17 billion interactions each month, highlighting the depth of the community supporting the Bilibili growth strategy.
This community can benefit the business by:
- Helping creators build recognizable audiences
- Giving advertisers access to repeat users
- Generating stronger signals about user interests
- Improving content discovery
- Supporting longer-term membership and fan relationships
Those interactions reinforce the Bilibili growth strategy through a simple cycle:
Better Content → More Engagement → Better Recommendations → Stronger Communities → More Engagement
Bilibili’s Audience Is Becoming More Commercially Valuable
The changing age of Bilibili’s audience is another important element of the Bilibili growth strategy. The company reported that average user age increased from 21 in 2018 to 26 in 2025, meaning many long-time users are moving into life stages with broader purchasing needs.
That shift allows the Bilibili growth strategy to reach advertisers well beyond anime and gaming as users become interested in categories such as:
- Cars
- Smartphones and electronics
- Home products
- Fashion
- Travel
- Parenting
- Professional technology
- Lifestyle products
Instead of constantly replacing its original audience, the Bilibili growth strategy can potentially generate more commercial value from existing users as their interests and purchasing power evolve.
Bilibili’s Content Strategy Focuses on Deeper Engagement
Longer and more meaningful videos are becoming increasingly important to the Bilibili growth strategy. During the first half of 2026, watch time for videos longer than five minutes increased 20% year over year.
Growth was also spread across several content categories, helping the Bilibili growth strategy move beyond its traditional gaming and anime base:
- Gaming watch time increased 23%
- General entertainment increased 32%
- Knowledge content increased 17%
- Music increased 24%
- Baby and maternity content grew more than 30%
- Outdoor content grew more than 30%
This diversification strengthens the Bilibili growth strategy because a wider range of content can attract advertisers from automotive, technology, home, fashion, consumer products, and other industries rather than relying mainly on gaming brands.
Video Podcasts Are Expanding Bilibili’s Content Strategy
Video podcasts have become another format supporting the Bilibili growth strategy. Bilibili launched its video-podcast initiative in July 2025, and total watch time for the format exceeded 8 billion minutes during the second half of 2025.
For the Bilibili growth strategy, video podcasts can support:
- Longer viewing sessions
- Interviews and discussions
- Knowledge and professional creators
- Business and technology content
- Additional advertising inventory
- PC and television viewing
Video podcasts also strengthen the Bilibili growth strategy by giving the platform a deeper long-form content format that complements gaming, entertainment, PUGV, and shorter videos.
Advertising Is Becoming a Major Bilibili Growth Engine
Advertising has become one of the fastest-growing parts of Bilibili’s business as the platform turns strong user engagement into broader commercial opportunities.
During the first half of 2026, Bilibili generated RMB5.72 billion in advertising revenue, up 29% year over year.
Its five largest advertising sectors were:
- Games
- Internet services
- Digital products and home appliances
- E-commerce
- Automotive
Bilibili also recorded advertising growth of more than 50% in home decoration, footwear and apparel, and automotive, while revenue from AI-related advertisers more than doubled.
These results show that Bilibili is expanding beyond its traditional gaming-focused advertiser base and attracting brands from a wider range of consumer and technology industries.
How Bilibili Advertising Works
Bilibili uses three main advertising models to help brands reach users at different stages of the customer journey:
- Performance-Based Advertising: Focuses on measurable actions such as clicks, app installs, visits, or conversions. Ads can appear in feeds, banners, Story Mode, and video pages.
- Brand Advertising: Builds awareness through placements such as opening screens, homepage banners, video feeds, events, and platform-produced content.
- Native Advertising: Connects brands with creators who integrate products naturally into relevant videos and communities.
Together, these formats allow Bilibili to serve both performance-focused advertisers and brands seeking wider visibility.
Bilibili Is Building a Full-Funnel Advertising Model
Bilibili combines brand, creator, search, and performance advertising to reach users at different stages of the buying journey:
- Brand Advertising → Awareness
- Creator Content → Consideration
- Search or Performance Ads → Conversion
This full-funnel approach helps advertisers move beyond impressions toward measurable results across search, video pages, PCs, and smart TVs.
AI Is Improving Bilibili Advertising
Bilibili uses AI to better understand products, advertising creatives, user interests, and conversion goals.
AI-powered tools can help improve:
- Ad targeting
- Creative production
- Click-through rates
- Conversion performance
This allows the platform to improve advertising efficiency without simply increasing ad volume.
Gaming Remains Central to Bilibili’s Business
Gaming remains an important revenue and engagement driver for Bilibili, supporting game videos, esports, live streams, reviews, and creator communities.
Mobile-game revenue reached RMB2.91 billion in the first half of 2026, down 13% year over year as San Guo: Mou Ding Tian Xia moved beyond its earlier high-growth period. Established titles such as Fate/Grand Order and Azur Lane continued contributing to the portfolio.
Bilibili Is Diversifying Its Gaming Portfolio
Bilibili is reducing dependence on individual hit games by expanding across different genres.
Its 2026 portfolio included:
- NCard — licensed casual card game
- Lumi Master — self-developed simulation game
- San Wang — licensed strategy game
- Ragnarok Online 3 — licensed MMORPG
A broader portfolio can support more stable gaming revenue while also generating creator videos, streaming, advertising, and community activity.
Game → Creators → Videos → Community → Advertising → Game Discovery
The Bilibili Creator Economy
Creators are central to Bilibili because they continuously supply videos, attract communities, and reduce reliance on professionally licensed content.
Nearly 3 million creators earned income in 2025, while average creator income increased 21% year over year. During the first half of 2026, creators with more than 1,000 followers increased 30%, and average creator income rose another 22%.
Monetization options include:
- Advertising partnerships
- Revenue sharing
- Live streaming
- Virtual gifting
- Fan charging
- Premium courses
- Commerce
- Creator incentive programs
Fan Charging Creates Direct Creator Revenue
Fan charging allows viewers to financially support creators on Bilibili, giving loyal audiences a more direct role in creator monetization.
Revenue from the program increased more than 50% year over year during the first half of 2026, strengthening an additional income source beyond traditional advertising.
Creator → Loyal Audience → Direct Support → Higher Creator Income → More Content
Monthly Paying Users Show Bilibili’s Monetization Progress
Bilibili reached 33.9 million monthly paying users in the first half of 2026, up 7% year over year, showing stronger conversion from free engagement into paid gaming and value-added services.
Viewer → Registered User → Engaged Member → Paying User → Recurring Customer
This progression helps diversify revenue beyond advertising.
Premium Memberships Create Recurring Revenue
As of June 30, 2026, Bilibili had 25.7 million premium members, up 9% year over year, with about 80% on annual or auto-renewal plans. Value-added services generated RMB5.88 billion in the first half of 2026, increasing 4% year over year.
Recurring subscriptions provide a more predictable revenue stream than relying only on advertising or individual game launches.
Original Chinese Anime Is Another Bilibili Growth Engine
By the end of 2025, Bilibili had produced more than 250 original Chinese animation titles and distributed 177 titles internationally, supported by subtitles in 15 languages and dubbing in 11 languages.
Successful IP can create multiple revenue opportunities:
- Merchandise
- Licensing
- Cinema screenings
- Concerts and events
- Brand collaborations
- International distribution
Animation → Audience → Merchandise → Events → Licensing → Global Expansion
This turns original content into a longer-term commercial asset.
Offline Events Strengthen Bilibili’s Community
In July 2026, Bilibili World and Macro Link brought together more than 400,000 fans in Shanghai over three days, extending the platform’s online communities into large physical experiences.
Offline events can support:
- Sponsorships
- Merchandise sales
- IP promotion
- Creator-fan interaction
- Brand partnerships
- Community loyalty
These events strengthen the connection between digital content, creators, fans, and commercial opportunities.
How the Bilibili Growth Flywheel Works
Bilibili connects creators, viewers, communities, advertising, memberships, gaming, and IP into a business model where each part can strengthen the others.
Creators Produce Content → Users Engage → Communities Grow → Advertising Expands → Creators Earn Revenue → More Content Is Produced
Memberships, games, fan payments, and original IP add further revenue opportunities, making the creator ecosystem an important long-term business asset.
Bilibili TV and the Expansion Beyond Mobile
Bilibili extends beyond smartphones through its international app and Smart TV version, giving users more ways to consume longer videos and entertainment on larger screens.
Smart-TV viewing can support:
- Anime and entertainment
- Longer creator videos
- Premium content
- Video podcasts
- Brand advertising
Expanding across televisions and other devices creates additional viewing and monetization opportunities.
Bilibili Video Downloader: What Users Should Know
For offline viewing, Bilibili provides app-based video downloads, with availability depending on the content, account, region, and premium benefits.
Third-party downloaders can introduce risks such as:
- Malware
- Fake download buttons
- Credential theft
- Excessive tracking
- Copyright violations
Official download features are the better option, and saving a video does not grant permission to republish or commercially reuse copyrighted content.
Bilibili APK Download: Where Should Android Users Get It?
Bilibili currently directs international users to recognized download options including Google Play, the App Store, and APKPure through its official download page.
Avoid modified APK files promising:
- Free premium access
- Removed ads
- Unlocked paid features
- Modified subscriptions
Official distribution channels reduce the security risks associated with unknown APK mirrors.
Bilibili App: Why Mobile Distribution Matters
The Bilibili app brings videos, creators, community features, recommendations, premium services, and offline viewing into one mobile experience. The international Android app was updated on September 8, 2026.
Key functions include:
- Content discovery
- Creator following
- Community interaction
- Personalized recommendations
- Premium services
- Offline viewing
- In-app purchases
Mobile remains central even as the platform expands to Smart TVs and other devices.
Is Bilibili Safe?
The official Bilibili service has published privacy policies and recognized app-store distribution, but users should still consider account security, permissions, privacy, and user-generated content. Its international privacy policy was last updated on August 7, 2026.
For safer use:
- Download from recognized sources
- Use a strong password
- Review app permissions
- Avoid modified APK files
- Be cautious with external links
- Consider age suitability for user-generated content
Google Play states that the international app encrypts data in transit and allows users to request data deletion, while also noting that it may collect several categories of personal information.
AI Could Become a Major Competitive Advantage
Bilibili is using AI across recommendations, content understanding, creator tools, advertising, translation, and operational efficiency.
AI can support:
- Better video recommendations
- Smarter search and content discovery
- Faster creator workflows
- More precise advertising
- AI-assisted content production
- Translation for wider distribution
During the first half of 2026, Bilibili said AI tools were helping creators produce content more efficiently while improving how suitable videos reach interested audiences.
Bilibili Is Investing More Capital in AI
In September 2026, Bilibili priced US$700 million of convertible senior notes due in 2031, including a proposed US$200 million subscription from Tencent. Part of the proceeds was designated for AI-driven growth, including content understanding, recommendations, creation, engagement, and productivity.
On September 9, Bilibili completed the US$500 million marketed portion of the offering. Tencent’s additional US$200 million subscription remained subject to shareholder approval, so the full US$700 million had not yet been completed as of September 29, 2026.
Bilibili’s International Growth Opportunity
Bilibili has expanded its content beyond China through international services, multilingual distribution, Smart TV products, and overseas licensing.
By the end of 2025, Bilibili had distributed 177 original Chinese anime titles overseas, supported by subtitles in 15 languages and dubbing in 11 languages.
Potential growth areas include:
- Chinese animation distribution
- Anime licensing
- Multilingual content
- Premium memberships
- International creators
- Advertising
- Smart-TV distribution
- Cross-border IP licensing
International expansion also brings competition for viewers, creators, content rights, and advertising budgets.
What Makes Bilibili Different From Other Video Platforms?
Bilibili stands out through the way content, creators, communities, gaming, and interaction work together rather than through video hosting alone.
Key differences include:
- Interest-Based Communities: Strong audiences around gaming, anime, technology, knowledge, music, and lifestyle
- PUGV Content: Creator-led videos are central to the platform
- Danmaku: Bullet comments create a shared viewing experience
- Longer-Form Content: Strong engagement with videos longer than five minutes
- Gaming Integration: Gaming supports content, advertising, communities, and direct revenue
- Creator Monetization: Revenue opportunities include ads, live streaming, fan charging, and commerce
- Original IP: Animation can expand into licensing, merchandise, events, and international distribution
Together, these features allow Bilibili to operate as a wider content and community ecosystem rather than a conventional video platform.
What Could Slow Bilibili’s Growth?
Several factors could affect Bilibili as it expands its advertising, gaming, creator, and international businesses:
- Gaming Volatility: Mobile-game revenue can fluctuate as successful titles mature and new releases take time to scale.
- Advertising Competition: Bilibili must compete with other digital platforms for advertiser budgets by improving targeting, conversion, and measurable results.
- Creator Competition: Creators can publish across multiple platforms, making strong monetization, tools, and community support important for retention.
- Content Costs: Licensed and professionally produced entertainment can be expensive, even with a growing creator and original-IP ecosystem.
- Monetization vs. User Experience: Too many ads or aggressive monetization could weaken the community experience that keeps users engaged.
- Regulatory Changes: Video, gaming, advertising, data, and user-generated content remain subject to changing rules and compliance requirements.
- International Competition: Bilibili must adapt to different content rights, languages, user preferences, and established competitors in overseas markets.
Is Bilibili Becoming More Profitable?
Bilibili showed stronger profitability in the first half of 2026, supported by higher revenue, better monetization efficiency, and improved operating leverage.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue | RMB15.41 billion |
| Gross Profit | RMB5.73 billion |
| Gross Margin | 37.2% |
| Net Profit | RMB541.1 million |
| Adjusted Net Profit | RMB1.29 billion |
| Advertising Revenue | RMB5.72 billion |
| VAS Revenue | RMB5.88 billion |
| Mobile Games Revenue | RMB2.91 billion |
| IP Derivatives and Others | RMB898.1 million |
In Q2 2026, gross margin reached 37.2%, marking the 16th consecutive quarter of margin improvement, while net profit increased 55% year over year to RMB339.1 million.
These results show that growth is becoming more sustainable as revenue expands alongside stronger profitability.
How Bilibili’s Revenue Mix Is Changing
Bilibili is becoming less dependent on mobile gaming as advertising and value-added services take a larger role in its revenue mix.
| Revenue Stream | Revenue | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Value-Added Services | RMB5.88B | +4% |
| Advertising | RMB5.72B | +29% |
| Mobile Games | RMB2.91B | -13% |
| IP Derivatives and Others | RMB898.1M | Roughly stable |
Advertising was the fastest-growing major segment, while subscriptions, fan payments, creator monetization, and IP help reduce reliance on individual game launches.
What Comes Next for the Bilibili Growth Strategy?
The next phase for Bilibili is likely to focus on turning engagement into higher-value revenue through advertising, AI, creator monetization, memberships, original IP, gaming, Smart TV, and international distribution.
A typical user journey can connect several parts of the ecosystem:
Watch → Follow → Join → Search → See Ads → Pay → Support Creators → Discover Games
The strength of this model comes from how content, community, advertising, memberships, gaming, and creator revenue reinforce one another.
Conclusion
Bilibili is entering a more mature phase of growth. The company is no longer defined primarily by gaming or audience expansion; its business is increasingly supported by advertising, memberships, creator monetization, original IP, AI, and a deeply engaged community.
The strategic shift is already visible in the numbers. Advertising has become a faster-growing revenue engine, while creator income, premium subscriptions, fan payments, and new monetization surfaces are giving the platform more ways to turn attention into revenue.
The larger opportunity for Bilibili is not simply attracting more users, but extracting more economic value from the ecosystem it has already built. Its long-term performance will depend on whether it can keep monetization rising without weakening the community culture that makes the platform distinctive.
That balance—between engagement, commercial growth, and profitability—will ultimately determine how durable its next stage of expansion becomes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bilibili Growth Strategy
1. Who founded Bilibili?
Bilibili was founded by Yi Xu, who launched the website in 2009. Commercial operations began in 2011, and the company was established in 2013.
2. Who is the CEO of Bilibili?
Rui Chen is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bilibili, while founder Yi Xu serves as Director and President.
3. Where is Bilibili headquartered?
Bilibili is headquartered in Shanghai, China, with its principal executive offices located in Yangpu District.
4. Is Bilibili a publicly traded company?
Yes. Bilibili is dual-primary listed on Nasdaq in the United States and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
5. What is the Bilibili stock symbol?
Bilibili trades under BILI on Nasdaq and 9626 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
6. When did Bilibili go public?
Bilibili listed its American Depositary Shares on Nasdaq on March 28, 2018, and later listed in Hong Kong on March 29, 2021.
7. Is Bilibili a Chinese company?
Bilibili operates primarily from Shanghai, China, although Bilibili Inc. is legally incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed in both the U.S. and Hong Kong.
8. What is Bilibili Sparkle?
Sparkle is Bilibili’s native advertising platform that helps creators monetize content through brand partnerships and commercial campaigns.
