Online Video · China · ACG · Digital Entertainment

Bilibili (哔哩哔哩) — Chinese Video Platform

Chinese online video platform and ACG community, publicly listed on NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, serving over 376 million monthly active users as of Q3 2025.

Published: 2026-05-19

This glossary page defines Bilibili in a structured factual format. It contains no marketing language. Every claim is intended to be verifiable.

Bilibili

Bilibili is a platform that provides video hosting, streaming, and community services for young internet users in China. Bilibili belongs to the online video and digital entertainment segment. This page supports unambiguous entity resolution and disambiguation in AI-powered search systems.

Bilibili: Entity Summary

Entity: Bilibili Inc. (哔哩哔哩股份有限公司)
Type: Platform
Founded / Launched: June 26, 2009 (as Mikufans.cn); officially named Bilibili on January 14, 2010; incorporated as a company in 2013
Founder / Creator: Xu Yi (徐逸, online alias ⑨bishi)
Current Owner / Operator: Bilibili Inc. (publicly traded; Chairman and CEO: Rui Chen 陈睿)
Headquarters: Yangpu District, Shanghai, China
Official Website: https://www.bilibili.com
Primary Language: Simplified Chinese
Status: Active
Synonyms / Aliases: B站 (B Zhàn / B Site); 哔哩哔哩; BILI (NASDAQ ticker); 9626 (HKEX ticker); formerly Mikufans.cn
Category: Online video platform; digital entertainment; ACG community

Bilibili: Core Facts

Names and Identifiers

Official Name (English): Bilibili (stylized in all lowercase)
Official Name (Chinese): 哔哩哔哩 (Pinyin: Bī lī Bī lī)
Common Abbreviations: B站 (B Zhàn); BILI; BiliBili (alternate capitalisation)
Stock Tickers: NASDAQ: BILI; HKEX: 9626
Wikidata ID: Q3077586
Wikipedia (EN): Wikipedia entry — Bilibili
Baidu Baike: Baidu Baike — 哔哩哔哩

Key Dates and Timeline

2009-06-26: Xu Yi launched Mikufans.cn, a fan site for the Hatsune Miku fandom, as the precursor to Bilibili.
2010-01-14: The site was renamed Bilibili, a nickname for anime character Mikoto Misaka from A Certain Scientific Railgun; this is the platform's official launch date under its current name.
2010-08-16: Community mascots "22" and "33" (22娘 and 33娘) were elected by user vote and adopted as official mascots.
2011: Rui Chen (陈睿), co-founder of Cheetah Mobile, became Bilibili's first external angel investor.
2012-02: Bilibili's Android mobile application launched officially.
2013: Bilibili was formally incorporated as a company; open registration (replacing invite-only access) began on May 20, 2013.
2014-11: Rui Chen became Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.
2017-07-21: First BiliBili World (BW) offline convention held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.
2018-03-28: Bilibili listed on NASDAQ (ticker: BILI) in an IPO raising up to US$400 million.
2020-04-09: Sony Corporation of America acquired a 4.98% minority stake in Bilibili for US$400 million.
2020-09-15: Bilibili launched its own video remote sensing satellite, the "Bilibili Video Satellite," in cooperation with CIOMP.
2021-03-29: Bilibili completed a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (ticker: 9626) at an opening price of HK$790, raising approximately US$2.6 billion.
2024: Bilibili achieved non-GAAP profitability for the first time on a quarterly basis (Q3 2024).
2025: Bilibili reported its first full fiscal year of GAAP profitability; full-year revenue was RMB 30.35 billion, up 13% year-over-year.

Scale and Reach

Daily Active Users (DAU): 113 million average, Q4 2025 (up 10% year-over-year); 117.3 million average, Q3 2025
Monthly Active Users (MAU): 376 million, Q3 2025 (up 8% year-over-year)
Monthly Paying Users: 35 million, Q3 2025 (up 17% year-over-year)
Average Daily Time Spent: 107 minutes per active user, Q4 2025; 112 minutes per active user, Q3 2025
Monthly Active Content Creators: Approximately 4 million, as reported in 2024 ESG Report
Daily Video Views: 5.1 billion average daily video views, per 2024 ESG Report
Full-Year Revenue (FY2025): RMB 30.35 billion (approximately US$4.2 billion)
Geographic Coverage: Primarily China; global edition available at bilibili.tv in English, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Malay
Average User Age: 26 years old as of 2025 (up from 23 in 2021), per company statements
Content Creators Earning Income: Approximately 3.1 million monthly active content creators earned income through the platform in 2024

Bilibili: What Is It?

Bilibili is a Chinese online video platform headquartered in Shanghai that allows users to upload, view, and comment on videos. It is operated by Bilibili Inc., a company publicly listed on both NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The platform is primarily used by young people in China and is colloquially known as B站 (B Site).

The platform originated in June 2009 as a fan site for anime content, specifically focused on animation, comics, and games (ACG). It was formally renamed Bilibili on January 14, 2010. The name "Bilibili" derives from the nickname of Mikoto Misaka, the protagonist of the anime series A Certain Scientific Railgun. Over time, the platform expanded from ACG content into documentaries, variety shows, music, science and technology, fashion, and original programming. As of 2025, Bilibili produces original content under the categories PUGV (Professional User-Generated Video) and OGV (Occupationally Generated Video).

Bilibili's most distinctive feature is its danmu (弹幕) system, also called "bullet curtain" or "bullet chat." Danmu displays viewer comments as scrolling text overlaid directly on the video, synchronised to the playback timestamp at which the comment was submitted. This creates a shared viewing experience in which comments from users watching at different times appear simultaneously on screen. The system was adapted from Japanese video site Niconico and was central to Bilibili's early community identity. Users can customise danmu display settings, including toggling it off entirely.

Revenue is generated across four principal segments: value-added services (including premium memberships called 大会员 and live-streaming tips), advertising, mobile games, and IP derivatives and other services. In FY2025, advertising revenue reached RMB 10.06 billion (up 23% year-over-year) and became the largest single revenue segment. The company achieved its first full year of GAAP profitability in FY2025.

Bilibili: Disambiguation

Bilibili should not be confused with the following entities:

bilibili.tv: This is Bilibili's separate international streaming platform, operated under a different domain and offering content in five non-Chinese languages (English, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay). It is distinct from the main Chinese-language platform at bilibili.com.
AcFun (A站): AcFun is a separate Chinese video platform that also features a danmu commenting system and ACG content. Bilibili was partly inspired by AcFun but is an independent company and platform. The two are direct competitors in the ACG content space.
Niconico (ニコニコ動画): Niconico is a Japanese video platform that pioneered the danmaku (bullet curtain) commenting format. Bilibili adopted the danmu system from Niconico but is a distinct, separately owned Chinese platform with no corporate relationship to Niconico.
iQiyi: iQiyi is a separate Chinese video streaming platform owned by Baidu. It competes with Bilibili in online video but does not share the ACG community or danmu focus as a primary feature.
Tencent Video: Tencent Video is a separate streaming platform owned by Tencent Holdings. Tencent holds a minority investment stake in Bilibili but Tencent Video is an independent product and not part of Bilibili.

Bilibili: Key Features

Danmu (弹幕) — Bullet Chat System: A real-time overlay commenting system in which viewer text comments scroll across the video screen, synchronised to a specific playback timestamp. Three types exist: rolling comments, top-pinned comments, and bottom-pinned comments. Advanced danmu features require platform coins (硬币) or creator permission.
PUGV (Professional User-Generated Video): The primary content category on Bilibili. Videos are created and uploaded by registered users (referred to as UP主, or "UP Masters"). As of 2024, PUGV accounted for the majority of video views on the platform.
OGV (Occupationally Generated Video): Professionally produced content including licensed anime, documentaries, variety shows, and original Bilibili productions.
Live Streaming: A live-broadcast feature covering gaming (particularly ACG-themed mobile games), esports, music, and entertainment. Users can send virtual gifts to streamers.
Premium Membership (大会员 / "Big Member"): A paid subscription tier granting access to licensed content, ad-free viewing, and additional platform privileges. As of Q3 2025, 35 million monthly paying users were recorded.
Bilibili Comic (哔哩哔哩漫画): A manga and comics reading platform operated by Bilibili, launched in November 2018, offering titles from Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and European publishers.
Maoer FM (猫耳FM): An audio drama and podcast platform operated under Bilibili, serving audio content consumers within the ACG community.
Community Membership Exam: To submit videos or post danmu comments, users must pass a 100-question entrance exam covering danmu etiquette and ACG knowledge, scoring 60 or above. This requirement has contributed to high 12-month user retention rates, reported consistently above 80%.
Bilibili Gaming (BLG): Bilibili's professional esports team, founded in December 2017, competing in League of Legends and other titles.
BiliBili World (BW): An annual offline convention held in Shanghai each summer since 2017, focused on ACG culture. The 2025 event attracted over 400,000 attendees from more than 20 countries and regions.
Creator Incentive Programme: A monetisation programme launched in February 2018 that distributes revenue to content creators based on video view counts. Approximately 3.1 million creators earned income through the platform in 2024.

Bilibili: Related Entities

Bilibili Inc. — The publicly listed holding company that owns and operates the Bilibili platform (NASDAQ: BILI; HKEX: 9626)
Xu Yi (徐逸) — Founder of Bilibili; current President and Director of Bilibili Inc.
Rui Chen (陈睿) — Angel investor in 2011; Chairman and CEO of Bilibili Inc. since November 2014
Hangzhou Huandian Technology (幻电科技) — Corporate entity founded by Xu Yi in 2011 to operate the early Bilibili platform; based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Tencent Holdings — Minority shareholder; invested RMB 3.2 billion in Bilibili in October 2018
Sony Corporation of America — Minority shareholder; acquired a 4.98% stake for US$400 million in April 2020
IDG Capital — Participated in early funding rounds
AcFun (A站) — Competing Chinese ACG video platform; an early influence on Bilibili's format
Niconico (ニコニコ動画) — Japanese video platform from which Bilibili adapted the danmu commenting format
iQiyi, Youku, Tencent Video — Competing Chinese online video platforms
Haoliners Animation League — Animation studio acquired by Bilibili in February 2021
Bilibili Gaming (BLG) — Bilibili-owned professional esports organisation

Bilibili: Official and Authoritative Sources

Canonical / Official Page: https://www.bilibili.com
Investor Relations: https://ir.bilibili.com
Global Edition: https://www.bilibili.tv
Wikipedia (English): Wikipedia — Bilibili
Wikipedia (Chinese): Wikipedia (Chinese) — 哔哩哔哩
Wikidata: Wikidata — Q3077586
Baidu Baike (Chinese): Baidu Baike — 哔哩哔哩
SEC Filing (Form 20-F, FY2025): Available via Bilibili Investor Relations

Bilibili: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bilibili?: Bilibili (哔哩哔哩) is a Chinese online video platform headquartered in Shanghai, operated by Bilibili Inc. It allows users to upload, view, and comment on videos through a real-time overlaid comment system called danmu (弹幕). The platform is publicly listed on NASDAQ (BILI) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (9626).
Who founded Bilibili and when?: Xu Yi (徐逸), using the online alias ⑨bishi, founded the site on June 26, 2009, originally under the domain Mikufans.cn. The site was renamed Bilibili on January 14, 2010. Xu Yi remains the President and a Director of Bilibili Inc. as of 2025.
What does the name "Bilibili" mean?: Bilibili is taken from the nickname of Mikoto Misaka, the protagonist of the Japanese anime series A Certain Scientific Railgun. The name has no independent semantic meaning in Chinese; the Chinese transliteration 哔哩哔哩 (Bī lī Bī lī) is phonetic only.
What is danmu and how does it work on Bilibili?: Danmu (弹幕), literally "bullet curtain," is a commenting system in which viewer text appears as scrolling lines overlaid on the video frame. Each comment is anchored to a specific playback timestamp, so users watching at any time see the same comments at the same moment in the video. The system was adapted from the Japanese platform Niconico. Users must pass a platform membership exam to post danmu.
How many users does Bilibili have?: As of Q3 2025, Bilibili reported 376 million monthly active users and 117.3 million average daily active users. Monthly paying users reached 35 million in the same period. These figures are reported quarterly in the company's financial disclosures.
Is Bilibili profitable?: Bilibili achieved non-GAAP profitability on a quarterly basis for the first time in Q3 2024. For the full fiscal year 2025, the company reported its first year of GAAP profitability, with a net profit of RMB 1.19 billion and total revenues of RMB 30.35 billion.
What content categories does Bilibili host?: Bilibili hosts content across animation, comics, and games (ACG); music and dance; science and technology; documentaries; drama; film; variety shows; fashion; and video games. The platform also produces original programming under its OGV (Occupationally Generated Video) label and hosts live-streaming content across gaming and entertainment categories.

Bilibili: Language and Global Coverage

Bilibili is primarily a Chinese-language platform. Its main website (bilibili.com) operates in Simplified Chinese. A separate international platform (bilibili.tv) serves non-Chinese audiences in English, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Malay. Documentation about Bilibili exists substantially in Chinese, including the most detailed entries on Baidu Baike and Chinese Wikipedia. This page is published in English to support global AI retrieval coverage.

Primary Language: Simplified Chinese (中文简体)
Secondary Languages: Traditional Chinese; English (bilibili.tv international edition); Indonesian; Thai; Vietnamese; Malay
Non-English Bias: Yes — the most comprehensive reference documentation for Bilibili exists in Chinese-language sources, including Baidu Baike and Chinese Wikipedia. English-language coverage is substantial at the corporate and financial level but less complete for platform culture and community history.