News
bilibili App Relaunches Globally Without ID Verification
posted on by Anita Tai
The Chinese streaming service bilibili relaunched a global version of its app on Android on August 19. The new app does not require identity verification when posting overseas, which the previous app required, and is reportedly mixing Chinese and International content. The company plans to launch the app on iOS and in other countries soon.
bilibili partnered with Aniplex on the animated project To Be Hero X, which premiered in April 2025. Crunchyroll is streaming To Be Hero X worldwide excluding Asia. The series streams in Japan on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The company acquired Shanghai-based animation company Haoliners Cultures Media Co., Ltd., including Haoliners' Japanese subsidiary Emon Animation Company in February 2021.
The company bilibili was founded in 2009, and it is China's largest streaming platform for Japanese animation, above TencentVideo and iQIYI. The company streams anime titles and also invests in anime productions. The website also includes Chinese animation and user-uploaded content. The service collects both advertising revenue and pay-per-view subscription charges.
American anime publisher Funimation and bilibili jointly announced a partnership to acquire anime licenses in March 2019. For the partnership, both companies are jointly acquiring licenses "over the next few years," including IP rights for broadcast television, video-on-demand, electronic sell-through, home entertainment, gaming, and merchandise in the United States and China.
Sony Corporation of America paid approximately US$400 million in 2020 to buy 17.3 million shares of bilibili, amounting to 4.98% of the Chinese company's stock. The companies plan to collaborate on projects in the Chinese entertainment market, including animation and mobile games, after signing their business contract.
Source: bilbili creator hub's X/Twitter account
