After a strong Q2, is Bilibili set to compete with YouTube?

What happened Bilibili released its second-quarter 2026 results on August 27, pointing to sustained user growth, rising engagement, and stronger advertising momentum. Dubbed “China’s YouTube,” the Shanghai-based video platform reported 117 million daily active users in Q2, an increase of 7% year-on-year. Monthly active users reached 371 million. Average daily time spent on the platform climbed to 113 minutes compared with 105 minutes a year earlier. Across the platform, total user time increased by more than 14% YoY. Advertising revenue increased 28% YoY to RMB 3.13 billion ($465.7 million), reflecting rising advertiser interest in Bilibili’s highly engaged, predominantly younger audience. Overall revenue rose 8% YoY to RMB 7.94 billion ($1.18 billion). Growth across advertising, subscriptions, and other value-added services helped offset a gaming revenue decline of 14% YoY to RMB 1.39 billion ($206.8 million). Bilibili continued to improve profitability. Adjusted operating margin reached 8.8%, up one percentage point from a year earlier, while net income increased 57% YoY to RMB 344 million ($51.2 million). Speaking during the earnings call, chairman and CEO Rui Chen highlighted the platform’s focus on high-quality content and interest-driven communities. He said users are increasingly prioritizing “substance over noise,” a shift he believes is supporting deeper engagement. The results underscore Bilibili’s evolving role in China’s creator economy, where audience growth, community loyalty, and increasingly sophisticated advertising capabilities are becoming important pillars of its business. The Jing Take The results suggest that Bilibili’s biggest asset is the depth of engagement it has built around interest-driven communities. That matters as the platform looks beyond China. On August 19, Bilibili relaunched a global version of its app on Android, and detailed plans to launch an iOS app in other countries soon. The rising user data illustrates how existing users are also spending significantly more time on the platform. As the user base is growing and reach is substantial, the business is positioned well to excel overseas. Originally focused on anime, comics, and gaming communities, Bilibili has expanded into a major video platform serving a broad range of content in China. TikTok is king of the short-form video world in the West, while YouTube is king of long-form, and Bilibili is coming for its crown. The signature feature? Its “danmu” — bullet comments where user comments are displayed on the screen anchored to each playback moment. Along with that, it also has an advanced AI-powered real-time translation/dubbing tool. It is said to be paying creators up to $0.70 per 1,000 views, The reported momentum gives the platform a stronger foundation for its renewed international ambitions. Bilibili has relaunched its overseas app with easier registration and plans for further localization, while positioning itself as an alternative environment for international creators. Bilibili can offer creators access to communities built around gaming, anime, AI and other niche interests. But scale alone will not guarantee overseas traction. Its distinctive community features, including bullet comments, must translate across markets without losing the participation that differentiates the platform. For Bilibili, international expansion is therefore not simply a user-acquisition exercise. It is a test of whether its community model can travel. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

After a strong Q2, is Bilibili set to compete with YouTube?

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After a strong Q2, is Bilibili set to compete with YouTube?

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag