What is Bilibili and how to get started?

Bilibili, also known as B Site (B站), is a popular video-sharing website themed around animation, comics, and games (ACG).

By the 21YunBox Compliance Team·Reviewed 2026-10-07·Verified against primary sources

What does a foreign brand need to run an official presence on Bilibili in China?

Anyone can download Bilibili, but a foreign brand cannot run an official, monetizable presence on a tourist account. Posting, commenting, and livestreaming all require real-name verification, and a verified brand (“blue V”) account is built on a Chinese business license — so the real gate is a China identity and entity, not the sign-up screen.

Three regimes sit under that screen. First, China’s real-name system (Cybersecurity Law, Article 24) makes the platform bind every account to a verified identity before you can publish. Second, Bilibili itself runs on an Information Network Dissemination of Audio-Visual Programmes Permit — part of China’s internet-licensing regime and closed to foreign capital — so a foreign brand publishes on Bilibili’s license, not its own, and its content stays subject to the platform’s statutory review. Third, the follower, campaign, and viewer data you collect is personal information, and moving it offshore is a cross-border transfer with its own PIPL conditions. The guide below covers creator, brand, and advertising onboarding; this layer is the compliance map beneath it.

This is a risk map to work through with counsel, not a yes/no verdict — what you need turns on who operates the account, whether you sell, and whose data you handle. Our China team can map your path with you →

What a foreign brand must clear to operate on Bilibili

Fact	Primary source
Every account that publishes is tied to a verified real identity. Under China’s real-name system a network operator “shall require users to provide real identity information when signing agreements with users” (Cybersecurity Law, Article 24), and a user who refuses can be denied the service. On Bilibili that puts posting, commenting, and livestreaming behind identity verification — so a foreign operator needs a verifiable Chinese identity, or an entity, standing behind the account.	Cybersecurity Law of the PRC, Art. 24 (DigiChina translation), retrieved 2026-10-07
Operating an audio-visual service in China needs a license foreign capital cannot hold — so you publish on Bilibili’s. Anyone “engaging in Internet audiovisual programme service shall obtain an ‘Information Network Dissemination of Audiovisual Programmes Permit’” (Provisions on the Administration of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, Article 7), and an applicant must “be a wholly State-owned or State-controlled work unit” (Article 8) — reinforced by the foreign-investment negative list. A foreign brand therefore runs its channel on Bilibili’s permit, not its own, and the account stays subject to the platform’s statutory content review.	Provisions on Internet Audio-Visual Program Services (SARFT/MII Order No. 56), Arts. 7–8 — DigiChina translation, retrieved 2026-10-07
Selling through livestreams pulls you into a stricter, entity-level regime. The Administrative Measures for Online Livestreaming Marketing (seven regulators; in force 2021-05-25) require the platform to authenticate livestream room operators and marketers using “ID-document information, unified social credit code and other real-identity information” and to re-verify before each stream (Article 8), plus pre-publication review and real-time patrol of content (Article 9). A unified social credit code is a China-registered entity’s identifier — so commercial lives need that entity, or a licensed local partner, on record.	Administrative Measures for Online Livestreaming Marketing (Trial), Arts. 8–9 — Cyberspace Administration of China, retrieved 2026-10-07
A verified brand (“blue V”) account is built on a Chinese business license. Bilibili’s enterprise certification is aimed at organizations holding a business license, and the entity you certify must match the name on that license; sole proprietors and some company types are excluded, and — by Bilibili’s own rules — foreign- or Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan-linked institutional accounts are admitted only by invitation. The platform’s advertising intake likewise asks for a China-registered phone number and company details.	Bilibili enterprise certification rules (bilibili.com), retrieved 2026-10-07
The data you gather on Bilibili is personal information under PIPL. Follower lists, campaign analytics, comments, and viewer contact details are personal information; sending them to headquarters or an offshore tool is a cross-border transfer that PIPL conditions on notice, separate consent, and a transfer mechanism (Articles 38–43). A critical-information-infrastructure operator or large-volume handler must “store domestically the personal information collected and generated within” China (PIPL Article 40; Cybersecurity Law Article 39 (formerly Article 37)). Where your Bilibili activity lands is a question to settle with counsel before you scale.	Personal Information Protection Law, Arts. 38–43 & 40 (China Laws Portal); Cybersecurity Law Art. 39, retrieved 2026-10-07

Sources verified by the 21YunBox compliance team on 2026-10-07.

About Bilibili

Bilibili, also known as B Site (B站), is a popular video-sharing website themed around animation, comics, and games (ACG).

Bilibili mainly targets young entertainment consumers. Many brands and companies such as KFC, Fanta, and Tmall now use Bilibili to target Gen Z in China.

Founded in 2009, Bilibili now has around 237 million monthly active users, as updated in Q3 2021. The company went public on the NASDAQ in 2018 and landed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2021.

A majority of Bilibili videos are user-generated content. But Bilibili also has professionally generated content like imported animation shows. It launched a premium membership subscription service on the site in 2016, charging RMB 25 per month for some of the content and value-added services.

How To Get Started On Bilibili

Content Creators

Individual users can sign up using their phone number on bilibili.com.

Business and Advertising

If you want to target Gen Z in China, Bilibili is an excellent advertising option. Many successful campaign cases, done by famous brands like JD.com, KFC, Fanta, etc, all hit millions of views.

You can contact Bilibili’s advertising team by leaving your (China-registered) phone number and company/industry information, and then someone will contact you.

Do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese phone number or Chinese ID? We can help!

If you do not have a Chinese entity, Chinese ID, or Chinese phone number, which is essential to get started on Bilibili, 21YunBox is here to help.

We can provide the necessary supporting documents to get started on Bilibili and walk you through the process. Meanwhile, we will also bring your company, product, and service into full compliance with Chinese law.