China’s popular YouTube alternative Bilibili relaunches app globally with English support

The popular Chinese alternative to YouTube, Bilibili, with around 376 million monthly active users, has confirmed plans to expand more aggressively outside China. The company has relaunched its international app for Android and iOS, and removed the previous requirement for overseas users to provide identity documents such as a passport. The company has also confirmed that it is developing an English-language version of its main website, although no launch date has been announced yet.

Bilibili is also expanding its international presence with hiring in markets including Japan, the United States, and Europe. A new X account aimed at global creators has said that Bilibili is “going global” and that the US and Chinese versions will offer the same content. The company has already been encouraging international creators to publish directly on its main Chinese platform.

The company is also working on new monetization options for creators, including a marketplace that will connect them with brands for sponsored content and advertising partnerships. Still, there are few details on how this global expansion will actually work, what features the relaunched app and upcoming English website will offer specifically for Western users, and of course, how Bilibili plans to handle privacy, moderation, and the rather obvious question of censorship outside China.