Bilibili may be about to gain much more attention outside Asia. For those who follow anime, pop culture, games, and geek content, the platform is certainly not unknown: its origins are directly connected to the anime, manga, and gaming fan community. Now, however, Bilibili is looking to expand its ecosystem and establish itself as an increasingly complete video platform.
The inevitable question is: can Bilibili really compete with YouTube?
Bilibili Didn't Start Out Trying to Be Another YouTube
Bilibili's history is precisely one of its greatest advantages. The company began as a community focused on anime, comics, and games (ACG), building a very strong identity among its users before expanding into other types of content.
Today, the company describes its platform as an ecosystem that brings together both professionally produced content and videos from independent creators. The company also states that its goal is to become a comprehensive video platform while continuously expanding its support for creators.
And the scale of its operation is far from small. In 2025, Bilibili recorded more than 368 million monthly active users and approximately 4 million monthly active creators. Around 3 million creators generated some form of revenue through the platform during the year.
The Timing Could Be Interesting for Bilibili
The current video market could also work in Bilibili's favor. YouTube remains the undisputed giant of the industry, but recent changes could create opportunities for alternatives. Starting in February 2027, new channels will need to reach 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 hours of qualifying watch time over the previous 12 months, or 20 million qualified Shorts views within 90 days, to qualify for traditional monetization through the YouTube Partner Program.
For a small creator, especially someone just starting out, this kind of barrier could make an alternative platform much more attractive. And that is precisely where Bilibili could find its opportunity.
What Could Bilibili Do Differently?
To truly compete with YouTube, simply copying its current model would not be enough. The platform would need to offer something that makes creators think: "it's worth publishing here too."
1. More Space for Small Creators
One of the biggest opportunities would be to create discovery mechanisms that favor new creators and niche content, rather than concentrating most of the audience among channels that already have millions of followers.
Bilibili itself already has a history of programs that provide additional traffic and exposure opportunities for new creators, showing that this strategy is part of the platform's culture.
2. More Accessible Monetization
If Bilibili can offer an easier way for creators to start making money, it could attract precisely those creators who have not yet been able to meet YouTube's requirements.
In the Chinese market, the company already works with different forms of monetization, including advertising, virtual gifts, value-added services, commercial partnerships, and incentive programs. In 2025, the average revenue of creators who monetized on the platform increased by 21%.
3. Communities Built Around Shared Interests
This may be Bilibili's greatest advantage. Instead of trying to be everything for everyone from day one, the platform can grow through strong communities focused on anime, manga, games, illustration, 3D modeling, technology, music, and pop culture.
This model could be particularly interesting for independent creators who produce highly specific content and have difficulty finding their audience on general-purpose platforms.
The Real Challenge Will Be Moving Beyond Its Niche
Bilibili has a major advantage among fans of anime and Asian culture, but that alone is not enough to challenge YouTube globally.
To grow, it will need to convince a technology creator, illustrator, gamer, musician, or educational content producer that there is an audience waiting for their content.
This is probably the biggest challenge of its international expansion: turning a very strong community into a truly global platform.
What About New Creators?
Even if Bilibili never manages to surpass YouTube in terms of users, the existence of a strong competitor could be extremely positive for content creators.
If different platforms begin competing for creators and audiences, they will have more reasons to improve their recommendation systems, monetization models, and production tools.
For those just starting out, this could mean more opportunities to build an audience without relying exclusively on a single platform.
My Take on Bilibili
It is still too early to say whether Bilibili will become a true global competitor to YouTube. Much of its international success will depend on how the company structures monetization, content discovery, creator support, and expansion into new markets.
But there is an interesting opportunity: while established platforms are becoming increasingly competitive for new creators, an expanding platform could use that very dissatisfaction to attract talent and build a solid creator base for the future.
