Bilibili is going global to take on YouTube, Crunchyroll, and more

Bilibili International app icon

Bilibili has spent years building its audience in China. Now, it is setting its eyes on the rest of the world, and with over 5 million downloads on Google Play in mere days, the start looks promising.

Yuval Goel, Published 08/21/2026

Founded in 2009, Bilibili originally started as a niche video community for anime, comics, and gaming fans before growing massively to become one of China's largest digital entertainment platforms. Often described as China's answer to YouTube and boasting around 376 million monthly active users, the platform is known for its creator-driven culture, diverse lifestyle and educational content, and real-time floating bullet comments across videos. Following its massive success at home, Bilibili is now expanding beyond its borders with a coordinated international push to attract global viewers and creators.

Bilibili going global announcement - August 19, 2026

As part of this rollout, Bilibili has launched an updated international app for Android, now available for download on the Google Play Store and boasting over 5 million downloads already (August 21, 06:00 AM GMT). The app is currently limited to select regions; as an example, it is not available to download in India or in Romania, an EU member state with close to 20 million citizens. Bilibili promises that an iOS version is coming soon, with more countries expected to gain access over time. The international version, which can be identified by its pink app icon with a small globe in the top-left corner, features a simplified sign-up process with no identity verification required. This removes the previous requirement where overseas users had to submit a passport or ID. Responding to a user question on X, Bilibili also confirmed that the international app is not separate from the Chinese platform, meaning global users can watch Chinese videos directly. The team has also invited users to its official Discord server to gather feedback and report issues.

According to a report by Semafor, Bilibili is currently working on an English-language website. In presentation documents distributed to creators, the company pitches the platform as a direct gateway to a young, educated Gen Z audience. The materials also reveal that an international creator marketplace is in development to help creators land brand sponsorships. High-profile Western creators, including MrBeast, are already publishing videos on Bilibili.

As Bilibili looks to attract international talent, piracy and copyright protection remains a noticeable concern. When creators on X pointed out past issues with unauthorized re-uploads and piracy, the Bilibili Creator Hub account responded by stating that the team will address these concerns internally and take copyright reports seriously as the platform expands globally.

Job listings further show that Bilibili is actively hiring community managers across key global cities, including Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Istanbul. In addition, the company is building AI-powered content moderation systems in Singapore, as this job listing details. While the worldwide rollout positions Bilibili to compete more directly with YouTube, expanding into overseas markets could also bring regulatory questions surrounding content moderation and data security, especially now that certain markets are limiting underage persons' access to social networks.