News: 0185073176

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

China's YouTube Rival Bilibili Is Going Global (semafor.com)

(Thursday August 20, 2026 @11:30PM (BeauHD) from the global-expansion dept.)


Bilibili, often described as China's answer to YouTube, is [1]relaunching its international app and [2]preparing an English-language site as part of a broader push into the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other markets. The company is courting Western creators like MrBest, hiring community and moderation staff globally, and building tools for brand partnerships. Semafor reports:

> The revamped international app no longer requires identity verification -- meaning users can sign up without having to provide a passport or ID document, which were [3]long required of overseas users on its main Chinese platform, according to what appears to be a newly created account on X marketing the platform to global creators. "Yes bilibili is going global," the account [4]wrote , adding that content-wise, the US and Chinese sites will be the same.

>

> In a document recently shared in a Discord chat for Bilibili creators, the company pitched itself as a place for influencers to make money and connect with "Gen Z Coded, affluent and well-educated" users. A marketplace for international users to connect with brands for sponsored content is "in development," according to the presentation. The deck also showed creators how to post videos on its Chinese website, adding that an English version is "coming soon. We are working hard."



[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bilibili.app.in&utm_source=na_Med

[2] https://www.semafor.com/article/08/19/2026/chinas-youtube-bilibili-plans-global-expansion-english-language-site

[3] https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1000401

[4] https://x.com/bilibili_create/status/2090009040026042455?s=20



MrBest (Score:5, Funny)

by Local ID10T ( 790134 )

> The company is courting Western creators like MrBest,

Not to be confused with Mr Beast...

Cheap clone gonna cheap clone.

Re: (Score:2)

by MunchMunch ( 670504 )

Boy, that sounds like cyberbullying. C'mon, man, Be Beast.

Re: (Score:1)

by hutkept ( 10503251 )

No Mr2ndBeast :-)

Re: (Score:2)

by abulafia ( 7826 )

Mr. Adequate is would just be fine, and a whole lot more economical.

Re: (Score:2)

by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

Or they could always get [1]MrWildebeest. [youtube.com]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-9hqgVwdGY

Re: (Score:1)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

I still don't know why that guy is famous or what he even does. I did receive one of his chocolate bars as a gift and it was pretty good.

Re: (Score:2, Informative)

by Local ID10T ( 790134 )

He is famous for getting really really rich as a streamer -and for not turning into a dickhole once he was rich.

Apparently he is actually doing nice things for people with his money (and making even more money doing so.)

Re: (Score:2, Troll)

by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

> He is famous for getting really really rich as a streamer -and for not turning into a dickhole once he was rich.

Doesn't make his content any less cringe, though.

Re: (Score:3)

by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

Since apparently I rubbed someone with mod points the wrong way by stating an opinion of MrBeast's content, I'll stick to a factual dispute of the OP's claim regarding MrBeast "not turning into a dickhole once he was rich." His Wikipedia entry has [1]an entire section of controversies that he has been involved in. [wikipedia.org]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast#Controversies

Re: (Score:3)

by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

> I still don't know why that guy is famous or what he even does. I did receive one of his chocolate bars as a gift and it was pretty good.

MrBeast got famous by making money on YouTube back when Google used to pay decent money for views. It is low-brow "Ow my balls!" -style reality content that mostly appeals to kids. He re-invested his earnings into further promoting his content and his other entrepreneurial endeavors (a partnership with a virtual restaurant concept that resulted in some some fairly mediocre burgers that were actually prepared at Denny's, and those chocolate bars you'd mentioned).

Also, if you think MrBeast's chocolate is "pr

Re: MrBest (Score:1)

by Vranitzky ( 5222955 )

Never heard of the guy. I imagine his content must be awful, if he's so famous.

Generally speaking, the more famouse someone is on youtube (or any other social media), the less it is worthy of knowing about them.

I guess my sponsorblock+adblock would hide most of his content.

Also, what is tiktok?

Why would they need ID? (Score:2)

by taustin ( 171655 )

They can buy enough info from Meta to put a name to each visitor (and sell the combined data to Amazon for "targeted advertising").

Re: (Score:2)

by schwit1 ( 797399 )

They want to track of every video you watch?

Re: (Score:2)

by sit1963nz ( 934837 )

So just like google then.

I think I'd be upset about Chinese propaganda (Score:4)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

If the Saudis weren't buying basically everything that the rest of the billionaires didn't already own and if I hadn't just watched the 90% billionaire owned news media spend an entire election cycle sane washing Donald Trump while giving multiple weeks of coverage every time Joe Biden so much as coughed.

I mean I know that psychopaths are constantly beaming propaganda into my eye sockets to make me do stupid shit having one more group of psychopathic assholes doing that is hardly news.

Re: (Score:3)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

I like my presidents to not be pedophiles but you do you I guess.

Re: (Score:2)

by Powercntrl ( 458442 )

> I like my presidents to not be pedophiles but you do you I guess.

To be fair, that specific detail is always omitted from presidential campaign platforms, so you never really can be 100% sure.

Needs a rebrand (Score:2)

by brunes69 ( 86786 )

No one is going to visit a website they can't even pronounce let alone spell.

The days are all empty and the nights are unreal.