Bilibili Expands Membership for Brand Partners — Key Takeaways

On January 15, 2025, Bilibili (B站, B zhàn) announced a significant expansion of its membership program for brand partners, now offering four distinct membership tiers that grant brands access to over 128 million monthly active users (MAUs). The restructuring consolidates previously separate advertising, e-commerce, and content creation services into a single brand partnership framework, with annual membership fees ranging from RMB 58,000 to RMB 680,000 per tier. This move represents Bilibili’s most aggressive monetization push to date, targeting a 45% year-over-year increase in brand partnership revenue by Q3 2025.

The platform, long known for its strong resistance to overt commercialization, is now pivoting toward structured brand integration as user growth stabilizes and competition intensifies with Douyin (抖音, Dǒuyīn) and Kuaishou (快手, Kuàishǒu). Bilibili’s expanded membership for brand partners — now officially called the Brand Partner Plus Program (品牌合作伙伴增强计划, pǐnpái hézuò huǒbàn zēngqiáng jìhuà) — includes features such as priority placement in recommendation feeds, co-branded content tools, and direct e-commerce integration. For foreign brands targeting China’s Gen Z and millennial demographics, this update signals a strategic window to secure premium positioning on one of China’s most influential content platforms.

Program Structure and New Tier Benefits

The previous Bilibili brand membership system, launched in 2022, offered only two tiers with limited analytics and basic content promotion tools. The new four-tier structure — Standard, Premium, Elite, and Enterprise — provides progressively deeper access to platform data, algorithmic boosting, and direct user engagement features. Brands at the Enterprise tier receive dedicated account management and priority access to livestream e-commerce slots during peak shopping events like Double 11 and 618.

The most impactful addition is the “Co-Creation Engine” (共创引擎, gòngchuàng yǐnqíng), a tool that allows brands to collaborate directly with Bilibili’s top 20% of content creators (UP主, zhǔbō) through algorithm-matched partnerships. According to Bilibili’s internal data, creator-driven brand content on the platform sees an average engagement rate of 12.3%, compared to 3.8% for standard display ads. The new program guarantees brands at Premium tier and above a minimum of 10 qualified creator matches per quarter.

Additionally, Bilibili has introduced “Community Commerce Dashboards” that track user sentiment, conversion paths, and repurchase rates within the platform’s native ecosystem. This is a direct response to brand demand for more granular performance metrics beyond view counts and likes. Early adopters in the beauty and consumer electronics categories reported a 27% improvement in conversion attribution accuracy during the three-month pilot program.

Strategic Implications for Foreign Brands

For international companies entering or expanding in China, Bilibili’s expanded membership program addresses three persistent pain points: brand safety in user-generated content environments, measurement of ROI on native advertising, and access to high-quality creator partnerships. Foreign brands in categories like luxury fashion, premium skincare, and imported food — which have historically struggled with Bilibili’s community-driven model — now have structured pathways to engage without alienating the platform’s famously discerning user base.

The program’s timing aligns with Bilibili’s broader strategy to reduce dependency on gaming revenue, which fell from 45% of total revenue in 2022 to an estimated 28% in 2024. Advertisement revenue, driven largely by brand partnerships, now accounts for 52% of Bilibili’s total income — a figure the company aims to raise to 65% by end of 2025. For context, Bilibili’s total revenue in Q4 2024 reached RMB 6.89 billion (approx. USD 955 million), representing a 24% year-over-year increase, but the company remains unprofitable with a net loss of RMB 1.2 billion for the quarter.

Foreign brands should note that Bilibili’s user base skews heavily toward the 18–35 age demographic (accounting for 82% of MAUs) with above-average disposable income in first- and second-tier cities. Unlike Douyin’s mass-market approach, Bilibili’s community values authenticity, deep content engagement, and a “no hard sell” culture — which the new program attempts to balance through its creator-matching and co-creation tools. Brands that attempt to use the platform purely for direct sales without cultural adaptation risk backlash; the Standard tier’s limitations on e-commerce integration effectively force brands to build community credibility before accessing transactional features.

Competitive Landscape and Market Timing

Bilibili’s announcement comes as Douyin and Kuaishou both tightened their brand partnership requirements in late 2024, raising minimum annual commitments and increasing algorithmic priority for live-commerce over pre-recorded content. Douyin’s latest brand tier requires a minimum RMB 1.2 million annual spend for equivalent analytics access, while Kuaishou’s top partnership tier costs RMB 850,000. By positioning its Enterprise tier at RMB 680,000, Bilibili offers a comparatively lower entry point for brands seeking premium features, though the platform’s smaller user base (128 million vs. Douyin’s 720 million daily active users) means brands must adjust ROI expectations accordingly.

The platform is also betting on its unique “long-form video + community” model as a differentiator. Average session duration on Bilibili is 78 minutes, compared to 42 minutes on Douyin and 35 minutes on Kuaishou. This deeper engagement translates to higher content retention for branded content — Bilibili reports that 67% of users who watch a full brand collaboration video proceed to visit the brand’s mini-program or Tmall store, compared to an industry average of 22% for short-video platforms.

However, challenges remain. Bilibili’s path to profitability has been slower than expected, and its user growth rate has decelerated from 35% YoY in 2022 to 11% in 2024. The expanded membership program is, in part, a response to investor pressure to monetize the existing user base more effectively. For brands, this means Bilibili is likely to be more flexible in negotiating custom packages during the first two quarters of 2025 — a window that may close as the program matures and pricing stabilizes.

Key Takeaways for China Market Entry Teams

First, Bilibili’s Premium tier (RMB 148,000/year) represents the best value for foreign brands testing the platform, offering meaningful creator matches and interim analytics without the full commitment of higher tiers. Second, brands should allocate 60–70% of their Bilibili budget to creator collaborations rather than direct advertising, based on the engagement data from the pilot program. Third, the Enterprise tier’s API access and custom dashboards are particularly valuable for brands with existing China data infrastructure that can integrate Bilibili metrics into broader performance tracking.

For companies weighing platform-specific entry strategies, a comparative analysis with Douyin and WeChat Channels is essential. Bilibili excels in building brand affinity and educating users on complex products (e.g., tech gadgets, luxury goods, health supplements), while Douyin drives rapid sales volumes and WeChat Channels supports private-domain customer retention. Brands in categories requiring significant consumer education or emotional storytelling — such as niche beauty, outdoor gear, or premium pet food — will likely see the highest ROI from Bilibili’s expanded membership program.

NEXT STEPS

1. Evaluate your product-platform fit: Read our China social media strategy guide to compare Bilibili, Douyin, and WeChat channels for your specific product category and budget.
2. Test with a pilot creator partnership: Use our KOL partner selection framework to identify and vet 3-5 Bilibili UP主的 audience overlap with your target demographic before committing to a membership tier.
3. Prepare your Bilibili compliance checklist: Review our advertising law compliance guide to ensure your brand’s content meets Chinese regulations on product claims, especially for food, cosmetics, and health-related products.

— China Gateway 360 —
Remote China market entry support, built around execution.

Official Sources

• National Bureau of Statistics of China
• Ministry of Commerce: Foreign Investment Guide
• National Development and Reform Commission