Bilibili Product Analysis | "Not just to become the 'Chinese YouTube'!"

Bilibili has developed over the past ten years, from a 2D bullet screen sharing website to a pan-2D community, and then to a pan-entertainment cultural community for young people... It has no stereotyped labels, no absolute boundaries, and is always full of imagination. Bilibili wants to not only become the YouTube of China. This article will start from product disassembly, competitor analysis, user analysis, user research, function optimization and other aspects to deeply explore B station's counterattack path and future development possibilities. If you have different opinions, you are welcome to comment and discuss.

"Cuddle cats and dogs online, and binge idol mashups", "read comics to share experiences, and learn skills of interest by myself" are the true portrayals of the author's daily life in the B station community. It has been 6 years since I entered the workplace from college. The small station back then has changed a lot, but what remains unchanged is the friendly and healthy community atmosphere of Bilibili and our young hearts that love life.

In 2005, China saw the emergence of the earliest batch of video websites, from Tudou to Youku to WoLe.com. They were either similar to the YouTube model or directly targeted YouTube. However, as the Chinese market was still immature at the time, under the pressure of capital and survival, early video websites turned to copyrighted videos.

During this period, this small, broken website that no one cared about was born in the second dimension, had no money to fight for copyright, encouraged UGC, insisted on generalizing content, and did not fight or compete for ten years, but carefully carved it. It has grown into the product that is closest to YouTube in the Chinese market today.

However, Bilibili, which has been growing quietly amid competition and is full of imagination, does not just want to become China's YouTube. What kind of charm does Bilibili have that attracts groups of young people to toast to it? How has the situation changed compared to the past and the present? What are the possibilities for the future?

This article will provide a comprehensive analysis of Bilibili’s current situation and future development.

This article will analyze from the following aspects:

1. Product Disassembly
2. Competitive product analysis
3. User Analysis
4. User research
5. Functional analysis and optimization solutions
6. Summarize

1. Product disassembly

The author divides Bilibili into 8 business modules, namely community, live broadcast, social, commercialization, e-commerce (membership purchase), games, my and search business . It also shows in detail what services and important functions each business line provides.

As shown below:

B station product architecture

2. Competitive product analysis

2.1 Market & Product Positioning

Bilibili (English name: bilibili, referred to as B station) was founded in 2009. In the early days, it focused on building an ACG barrage video website, which attracted a large number of loyal ACG enthusiasts who were keen on video transfer or secondary creation, making B station form a good and unique community atmosphere for video creation and interactive sharing. After 10 years of development and expansion, in the field of vertical video, Bilibili's current development trend can be said to be the leader, far surpassing the following video websites such as FirstBan and AcFun.

In addition, its product positioning has also changed with the changes in community content. On the one hand, benefiting from a good community culture, Bilibili's UGC content has become increasingly rich and its coverage has long exceeded the two-dimensional world, gradually developing in the direction of pan-entertainment. On the other hand, in terms of strategic layout, Bilibili continues to expand its content boundaries, and its copyright purchases cover a variety of content types, including animation series, domestic creations, documentaries, movies, etc.

It can be said that Bilibili has developed from an ACG barrage website originally targeting domestic subculture groups to a comprehensive video community that provides video content and barrage exchanges for young people.

2.2 Identify competing products

The author believes that Bilibili’s current product positioning is no longer a two-dimensional barrage video community, but a comprehensive video community. Judging from its product positioning alone, Bilibili will, both now and in the future, be in obvious business competition with iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent, which are committed to providing video entertainment services to all Chinese people.

In addition, Xigua Video, which is backed by Toutiao, currently has a high degree of overlap in its product layout with Bilibili, such as the main model of user-generated and reposted videos, incentives and support for PUGC content creators, and the scramble for copyrighted content resources. Although there are differences in the current user groups and community atmosphere between the two. But as the products develop and grow, it is very likely that we will compete on the same track in the future.

Therefore, Bilibili’s main competitors are: Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku Video, and Xigua Video.

2.3 Business Distribution

Business distribution of Bilibili and its competitors

The above figure summarizes the business distribution of Bilibili and its competitors. It can be seen that:

(1) The business distribution of iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku Video is highly overlapping, and all of them are driven by copyrighted videos.

Relying on the strong capital support of BAT, we purchase a large amount of copyrighted content. In order to continuously meet users' demand for high-quality content, they have also invested heavily in producing their own variety shows and web dramas, competing with each other for user traffic, almost forming a three-legged pattern .

In terms of UGC videos, the three have also followed the trend and made some arrangements, but due to the special properties of UGC, the community atmosphere cannot be created overnight or by spending a lot of money. So this is not the core business of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video. In comparison, Bilibili and Xigua Video have obvious differences in business layout from iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.

(2) The business distribution of Bilibili and Xigua Video is very similar in architecture

For example, pugc video + copyright video, live broadcast, e-commerce and other businesses.

• First of all, both use pugc video as the core driver in their current business layout . But the difference is that Bilibili's UGC ecosystem has grown naturally by relying on the two-dimensional attributes of its core users and the platform's nearly 10 years of cultivation and sedimentation, while Xigua Video is mainly built up in a short period of time by relying on the huge user traffic injected by Toutiao.
• Secondly, in terms of copyrighted videos, neither Bilibili nor Xigua Video can compete head-on with iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video. Both of them choose some "small and beautiful" copyrighted videos based on the characteristics of their respective user groups. For example, Bilibili purchases a large number of animation series, documentaries, literary and artistic films, etc. to attract the two-dimensional and pan-two-dimensional young groups to stop and watch, while Xigua Video buys mainland classic dramas, family ethics dramas, Thai dramas, Hong Kong films, etc. to meet the needs of the core user groups.

(3) The business development directions and community atmospheres of Bilibili and Xigua Video are quite different.

The former focuses on the two-dimensional culture and gradually develops towards trendy and pan-entertainment directions. The community atmosphere is healthy, lively and youthful. The latter is centered on life information and develops in the direction of mass entertainment. The community atmosphere is entertaining, life-oriented, and more down-to-earth. This difference is clearly reflected in their video content, live streaming, e-commerce and other businesses.

The author believes that this is mainly related to its current core user group. Factors such as the age, education level, and interests of the core user group directly affect the community atmosphere of the platform, influence the content type, and even determine the platform's business layout. For example, the gaming business that Bilibili has but Xigua Video does not have is currently the main monetization force for Bilibili.

(4) Membership fees are the main monetization method for iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku Video

Other monetization methods include advertising revenue, content distribution revenue, etc. Revenues are highly correlated and heavily dependent on the quality of content broadcast. Xigua Video aggregates and publishes video content, relying on Toutiao's advanced algorithm distribution mechanism to accumulate user traffic and attract advertising to complete the business loop, and its revenue structure is slightly simple.

Relying on its own business layout advantages, Bilibili has more diversified monetization methods. Including games, memberships, live broadcasts, e-commerce, etc., games are currently the main force for monetization. In the long run, the correlation between Bilibili's various revenue businesses is lower, they are more independent, and the revenue structure is more stable.

(5) In terms of live broadcast business

Bilibili, iQiyi, Tencent Video and Xigua Video all have their own characteristics. Bilibili's live streaming still starts from the two-dimensional culture and extends to games, entertainment and other areas; iQiyi's live streaming business mainly revolves around games and entertainment; Tencent Video has not yet deployed a live streaming business because Tencent has an independent "NOW" live streaming platform; and due to the entry of Alibaba, Youku's live streaming business is currently dominated by sports events; Xigua Video has the support of Toutiao's massive number of low-end users, and its live streaming business is more down-to-earth, mainly focusing on live streaming with goods, countryside, games and entertainment.

(6) In terms of community business

Since iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are involved in the production of big IP variety shows and web dramas, they have the inherent advantage of being more accessible to popular traffic and first-line stars, so their community layout is mainly based on star-fan interaction, with an emphasis on fan economy.

However, for Bilibili and Xigua Video, which have more obvious UGC attributes and decentralization, community business does not seem to be that important. Currently, Bilibili's community business mainly focuses on the two-dimensional figure circle and model circle, with a limited number of user groups and relatively small space for communication. Xigua Video currently has no community business.

2.4 Development History

The development history of Bilibili and its competitors

The above picture summarizes the development history of Bilibili, iQiyi, Tencent Video and Xigua Video. It can be seen that:

The original intention of establishing Bilibili was to meet the needs of two-dimensional enthusiasts to share video barrages. This original intention has given Bilibili a friendly, healthy and unique community atmosphere. It is also the reason why Bilibili did not have a clear positioning in its early days.

In the past ten years, with the expansion of platform content and users, Bilibili’s product positioning has continued to change. When it was first established, it was a "bullet screen sharing website", in 2010 it was positioned as a "two-dimensional vertical content community", in 2013 it was expanded to a "pan-two-dimensional community", and in 2017 it gradually developed into today's "pan-entertainment community serving young people".

Commercialization started relatively late, and every step was taken very cautiously. In 2014, Chen Rui joined Bilibili and started the comprehensive commercialization layout. In 2014, the new series contracting plan and live broadcast were launched. In 2016, the charging function and the great navigation function were launched, and game monetization was explored. In 2017, membership purchase was launched and e-commerce was laid out.

However, since most of the above monetization channels are based on the two-dimensional culture, the two-dimensional culture is a niche group with a limited number of users, the actual revenue is not significant at present, and the high proportion of games in Bilibili's revenue structure has also been criticized.

It is worth mentioning that during the ten years of development, Bilibili has always adhered to its original founding intention and continuously enriched high-quality copyrighted content. The scope covers animation dramas, domestic creations, movies, documentaries, etc. More and more two-dimensional and pan-two-dimensional people gather here to cultivate interests, learn skills, and enrich their lives. The entry of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League into Bilibili in 2017 was an official recognition of the positive impact of Bilibili on young people.

High-quality content and an active and creative young group have created a unique UGC community atmosphere at Bilibili. In 2018, the "Creator Incentive Program" was launched to fully support UGC content creation. In 2018, Bilibili went public and Tencent and Alibaba invested in it successively, which showed that capital and video giants unanimously recognized Bilibili's content market.

In comparison, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video’s development paths and commercialization ambitions are very clear. Since its inception, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video have positioned their products as comprehensive video websites for mass entertainment.

Backed by the capital and resource support of BAT, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video have purchased a large number of copyrighted videos in the areas of copyrighted content that they each focus on, and have also produced their own variety shows and web dramas, striving to continuously provide users with high-quality content and comprehensively seize user traffic.

Within two years, the number of monthly active users exceeded 100 million. After that, it quickly launched the "membership" system, laid out advertising business, and completed the business loop using the "membership + advertising" model.

At the same time, noticing the booming development of the UGC content market and live streaming, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video launched UGC video services in 2014, and iQiyi and Youku launched live streaming services in 2015, in order to expand their business coverage.

Xigua Video , which emerged out of nowhere in the business matrix of Toutiao, shared the huge sinking user market behind Toutiao as soon as it went online. In just one year, the number of users exceeded 100 million and the DAU exceeded 10 million. The user growth rate was exponential, and it took another 5 months to increase the number of users from 100 million to 200 million.

Xigua Video, which has hundreds of millions of users , has set its sights on the UGC video battlefield . At the beginning of its establishment, it provided 1 billion subsidies to support UGC creators and made full efforts in UGC videos.

On the one hand, it holds platform activities such as the Xigua PLAY Video Carnival and the Golden Second Award to cultivate and encourage UGC creators to produce high-quality content; on the other hand, it launches the "3+X" monetization plan, the watch-and-buy function and the live broadcast function to actively guide UGC creators to monetize their content. Coupled with Toutiao's mature algorithm recommendations and huge advertising client base, it has quickly built a complete business closed loop of "user content consumption - platform advertising monetization - creator content sharing."

By 2019, faced with the near saturation of competition for online video users, the high correlation between revenue businesses and the heavy reliance on content quality, as well as the soaring costs of copyrighted videos, even BAT, which has strong resources and capital, cannot continue to make up for the bottomless pit of losses for iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.

The advance on-demand viewing incident of "Joy of Life" that caused great controversy not long ago can also indirectly confirm this point. Tencent Video must have predicted the market reaction to this function before it went online (after all, "The Untamed" had made a similar attempt before and also caused disgust), but still chose to take the risk and try it.

In 2019, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent all worked hard to explore new profit points in the membership payment business. For example, iQiyi and Tencent jointly launched membership upgrade services with JD.com, Suning, Tongcheng and other platforms, and Youku was included in Alibaba's 88VIP membership card as a video benefit. The copyrighted content and self-made videos introduced at a high cost are certainly of high quality, but the continued losses caused by their high costs and uncontrollable low autonomy are indeed the development difficulties that iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are currently facing.

B Station, which operates outside the three major mainstream platforms, seems to have taken a different path by relying on its natural two-dimensional community attributes. Most of the costs are spent on content sharing, which is highly controllable, autonomous and efficient; there are multiple ways to monetize, businesses are independent, and the income structure is more stable; users have high stickiness and loyalty, and there is a clustering effect of the attributes of the two-dimensional community, but this is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

In 2019, Bilibili encountered its own development challenges. The three key words of breaking the circle, growth, and making money surround Bilibili, and also carry the expectations and optimism of the capital market for Bilibili.

The company spent 800 million yuan to buy the exclusive broadcasting rights for the League of Legends finals for three years, signed an exclusive contract with popular anchor Feng Timo, and held the first New Year's Eve party inviting many popular stars. Each of these steps was costly and important. Needless to say, with the potential user base behind League of Legends, Feng Timo and celebrities, Bilibili has made every effort to increase its user base.

But breaking the circle requires not only user growth, but also more diverse content. Although Bilibili has achieved good results in the generalization and diversification of content, the author believes that in order to continuously expand user growth and retain users, the content must be long-tail enough and the UGC content attributes must be maximized and utilized.

However, so far, there has been no new progress or action on the part of Bilibili in supporting up-masters, especially in terms of monetization methods for up-masters at Bilibili. There has even been a phenomenon where quite a few B station up hosts have switched to Xigua Video.

In terms of profitability, Bilibili's monetization business layout is already very diversified, and it only needs to break through the circle and achieve growth, and then the overall linkage will come naturally. Thanks to Bilibili's efforts over the past year, the company's revenue structure has been developing in a positive direction. The third-quarter financial report shows that the revenue of Bilibili's gaming business has dropped to 50%, which is basically the same as its non-gaming business.

2.5 Data Performance

Data performance of Bilibili and competitors

The above figure summarizes the data performance of Bilibili and its competitors, and we can see that:

(Special note: In terms of industry exclusivity, Analysys assigns B Station to the vertical video industry, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video to the comprehensive video industry, and Xigua Video to the short video aggregation platform)

(1) In terms of user scale

iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are the three largest video platforms in the market and are far ahead of the rest, mainly due to their product positioning and the strong support from BAT behind them. In comparison, the dimension group has expanded to include pan-two-dimensional young people, and even among young people, a large number of them still have the impression that Bilibili is limited to the two-dimensional niche circle. They always feel that they are isolated from the circle, so the user scale cannot reach the level of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.

However, since the end of 2019, Bilibili has made a lot of breakthrough arrangements in terms of user growth, but obvious results cannot be seen in the short term. Xigua Video, as Toutiao's platform for building the Chinese version of YouTube, has grown rapidly since its establishment by relying on Toutiao's huge user traffic. Coupled with the aggregation effect of its own short video platform, its user growth is very rapid.

(2) Industry monopoly rate

Bilibili has the highest exclusivity rate, mainly because the industry selected by the data is the vertical video field, and Bilibili currently has a monopoly in this field. In terms of data performance, Xigua Video, which is second only to Bilibili, is currently in a position where no one can surpass it among short video aggregation platforms.

In the competition in the comprehensive video field, the three giants of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video occupied the top three places, but Youku Video was obviously lagging behind the first two, not only in terms of industry monopoly rate, but also in terms of membership scale, user stickiness and retention. All data of Youku Video have lagged behind iQiyi and Tencent Video.

(3) User stickiness and retention data

In comparison, Bilibili's user stickiness and retention data lag behind Xigua Video. In addition to not being able to have the precise algorithm distribution mechanism of Toutiao, the author believes that it may also be because the quantity and quality of UGC content on the Bilibili platform needs to be improved.

Data released by Bilibili shows that the proportion of PUGC playback reached 89% of the total playback volume in 2018. Therefore, whether the up-host can continue to produce high-quality content has become a key factor in attracting and retaining users on the platform. The creative passion of the up-master requires not only to generate power for love, but also a way to monetize it.

Compared with the various subsidy policies and support in the field of UGC creation since the establishment of Xigua Video, Bilibili has not made any new moves since the launch of the creation incentive plan in 2018. Faced with huge user growth and retention pressure in the future, Bilibili, which survives and continues to be active on content, may need to come up with more support and incentive measures to provide more suitable commercialization channels for up-masters.

(4) Average usage time per person

In terms of average usage time per person, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are far superior to Bilibili, which shows that the self-made videos and copyrighted content that cost huge investments have indeed been recognized by users. However, iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video all lost to the latecomer - Xigua Video - in terms of user stickiness and retention data.

Speculated reasons for the low number of daily startups per capita:

• First, most of the users of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video watch long variety shows and TV series on their platforms. Before opening the platform, users generally have a psychological preparation process, that is, I need to spend a relatively large block of time to watch a certain variety show or TV series, which increases the cost of opening the platform.
• Second, the homepage recommendations of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are not UGC videos that cater to everyone's tastes recommended by algorithms, but various copyrighted videos that the platforms have arranged according to their own wishes. At this time, search often plays a greater role. Whether it is selection or search, users need to have their own goal first. The cost of watching videos increases again, so many aimless people will not take the initiative to open iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.

The reasons for the low average daily usage time and monthly usage days are as follows: iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video users generally have a purpose in watching TV series or variety shows before watching videos on the platforms. After watching the videos for a set period of time, they will no longer stay on the platforms. The usage scenario of Xigua Video is more like opening it and scrolling through it casually, and finding that every piece of content is what I want to watch, so I get immersed in it without paying attention, and then when I look back, I realize that I have been scrolling for so long.

2.6 Competitive Product Summary

Summary of the advantages and disadvantages of Station B

The above figure briefly analyzes and summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of Station B. It can be seen that:

Bilibili has remained true to its original founding mission for ten years, which has resulted in a unique, friendly and healthy community atmosphere . However, it has also resulted in Bilibili, which has relied almost entirely on natural growth, seeing slow growth in user scale over the past 10 years, let alone catching up with iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.

Even though Bilibili's product positioning has been greatly expanded, many young people still think of Bilibili as a niche two-dimensional circle. This perception directly creates a psychological barrier for Bilibili's potential users.

Bilibili's UGC content creation is booming, and the platform's content has a long tail , which has attracted many users. UGC content is “high quality and low price”, which is a big advantage for small sites that have fewer resources than iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video. However, if UGC content is relied upon to grow wildly, its content quantity and quality will be difficult to guarantee , and it will be impossible to bring about sustained and substantial user growth for the platform.

Referring to the development history of YouTube, it connected to Google Adsense in the early days and decided to share revenue with creators, with the highest revenue sharing ratio reaching 55%. These measures have enabled many YouTubers to produce videos full-time and become PGC creators with more stable production capacity.

Therefore, in the long run, if B wants to maintain a healthy UGC creation ecosystem, it must provide creators with more substantial monetization channels and build a closed-loop channel that can continuously transform UGC into stable PGC. In order to achieve this, we have to mention the commercialization of Bilibili.

In terms of commercialization , Bilibili has adopted many different ways of change, with each business having a high degree of independence and a more stable revenue structure. This means that when a certain business or industry is in recession, Bilibili's revenue structure can better withstand risks.

However, it is an indisputable fact that problems still exist, such as Bilibili has not yet formed a closed business loop, its revenue is overly dependent on games, and its actual revenue is not significant.

Especially in terms of creator profit-sharing incentives , unlike YouTube, since Bilibili promised early on not to use interstitial ads , this not only makes the platform unable to make a profit in terms of content. More importantly, a large number of up-loaders are put in a contradictory situation where they have to spend a lot of time and energy on part-time video production but cannot get the expected compensation . This poses a great challenge to Bilibili in building a sustainable content creation ecosystem.

In terms of capital and resources , Bilibili, which once fought alone, certainly cannot compare with iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video, which are backed by BAT. However, relying on its own unique attributes, it has already shown a monopoly in the development of the vertical video field, and the capital market is optimistic about it. After going public in 2018, Bilibili has successively received investments from Alibaba and Tencent. Not only has it gained recognition from capital and the industry, but its own disadvantages in capital and resources have also gradually weakened.

3. User analysis

3.1 User role map

B station user role map

3.2 User Profile

4. User research

4.1 Research Purpose

This survey mainly starts from five usage scenarios: social interaction, learning, star-chasing, anime-chasing, and premium membership. Users are divided into two types: students and working people . The purpose is to discover users' potential needs and verify whether the direction of function optimization is correct. Design research questions for each functional scenario and restore the user usage scenario as much as possible.

This survey was conducted in the form of in-depth voice interviews , with each interview lasting approximately 40 to 60 minutes. Based on the user portrait, the author found 6 typical users of Bilibili through friends, classmates and QQ groups for research interviews.

4.2 Research Questions

(1) Basic information

a. Gender

b. Age c. Occupation

d. Salary range/monthly pocket money

e. City

f. How to access Bilibili?

g. When did you start using Bilibili? What is the reason for getting into the pit?

h. In what scenarios do you usually open Bilibili?

i. How often is it opened? How long is each use?

j. What do you mainly do at Bilibili?

k. What do you usually watch first when you open Bilibili? Describes the approximate browsing path.

l. Would you recommend Bilibili to others? Why?

m. Do you have any suggestions or opinions about Bilibili?

(2) Specific usage scenarios

① Social

1. When you watch video content, do you feel the urge to share it? Who do you usually share with? By what method? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this sharing method? Why? If possible, who would you like to share it with?
2. When you watch video content, do you want to discuss it with others? Who do you usually discuss this with? By what method? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this discussion style? Why? What kind of discussion would you like to have?
3. Do you use dynamic features? Will you express your own ideas? Will it bring up topics? Will there be discussion? Why?
4. If the comment section can create topics for discussion about the video content, would you like to join? Why?
5. Would you want to recommend a certain up-host to other people? To whom should I recommend it (friends? Like-minded strangers?) and how should I recommend it? What is the final effect of Amway? If possible, how would you like to promote it?
6. Have you made any friends through Bilibili? What was the reason and how did you get to know each other? Would you like to make more friends on Bilibili? Why?

②Learning

1) Current students

a. What is your main purpose of studying at Bilibili? What do you learn on Bilibili? How did you find this content? b. In what scenarios do you usually open Bilibili to study? How often do you study? How long does it usually take to study?

c. Describe your learning process at Bilibili. Are there any other tools needed during this period?

d. What difficulties or inconveniences did you encounter during the learning process, and how did you eventually resolve them?

e. How effective do you think your learning is? Any gains or regrets?

f. Do you set learning goals or plans for yourself? What are your usual study habits?

g. When you study on Bilibili, do you discuss with others? Through what channels? What were the results of the discussion? If possible, how would you like to discuss it?

h. What else do you hope to learn on Bilibili? Or how can it help you learn better?

2) Professionals

a. What do you mainly learn on Bilibili? How did you learn about this?

b. In what scenarios do you usually open Bilibili to study? How often do you study? How long does it usually take to study?

c. Describe your learning process at Bilibili. Do you need to use other tools during this period?

d. What difficulties or inconveniences did you encounter during the learning process, and how did you overcome them in the end?

e. How complete are your studies at Bilibili? What are the barriers to completion? Have you taken steps to overcome it?

f. How effective do you think your learning is? Any gains or regrets?

g. Do you set learning goals or plans for yourself? What are your usual study habits?

h. Where else do you usually study? What is the main content of learning? How was the experience?

i. What is your main purpose of studying? Have you met your expectations so far? Why?

j. What other help do you hope to get from Bilibili in your studies?

③ Star chasing

a. Do you follow idols on Bilibili? Through what channels? What content are you paying attention to?

b. Do many of your friends in the fan circle use Bilibili to chase stars? Why choose Bilibili?

c. Will there be interaction between fans? Through what channels? What is the main interactive content?

d. What are the main daily routines of star chasing? What platforms are needed to complete this? How was the experience?

e. In the process of chasing stars on Bilibili, are there any unpleasant or very exciting moments?

④ Follow the show

a. In what scenarios do you usually use the catch-up function? What is the frequency? How long is each use?

b. How did you learn about the anime series you follow? Inside or outside of Station B?

c. Which categories on Bilibili do you mainly use to find the anime you want to watch? Which one is used most frequently? Why?

d. When you follow anime, do you engage in interactive activities? For example, posting barrages, liking, commenting, etc.? Why?

e. Will you share anime? For what purpose? Who to share with? By what method? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of sharing in this way? If possible, how would you like to share?

f. Do you use other apps to follow anime? Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages compared to Station B?

⑤ General Member

a. Have you purchased a B-station membership? Why?

b. Which of the various rights and benefits of Bilibili membership can you generally use? c. Do you think it is worth it for you to pay for B station membership? Why?

d. Will you continue to pay? Why?

e. Which one do you prefer, a short-term membership of 3 or 7 days or a membership for a certain type of content that includes partial benefits?

f. Do you have anything to complain about Bilibili’s premium membership?

4.3 Survey Results

1) Current students

2) Professionals

4.4 Summary of Survey Results

A total of 6 users participated in this survey, including 2 boys and 4 girls, mainly living in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui. Among them, 3 were working people and 3 were students. There are 5 heavy users and 1 moderate user. Five out of six users came across Bilibili through recommendations from friends, and only one discovered it through his own search.

This also confirms that for a long time, Bilibili has done very little external publicity and new user acquisition. All six users started using Bilibili between 2014 and 2016. They all like to open Bilibili before meals, before bedtime or in other free time, and the homepage recommendations are the place they hang out most often.

All six users are willing to recommend Bilibili to other friends, because like, happiness, enrichment and friends are the words most often mentioned when talking about Bilibili. Three users not only need to socialize with acquaintances, but also want to socialize with strangers on Bilibili, while the remaining three only accept socializing with acquaintances.

There are 4 users who study on Bilibili, 4 users who chase stars here, and 4 users who love to follow anime, but most people do not approve of the current premium membership package.

According to the summary of the survey results, basic optimization directions can be analyzed for services and functions in business scenarios such as social networking, learning, anime tracking, premium membership and others.

4.5.1 Social

1) Added a group chat function. According to the survey results of user interviews, all six users have the need to share and discuss, but the current implementation methods are mainly WeChat and Weibo. These two methods currently have problems such as untimely feedback, limited resonance among the group of people, and the inconvenience of switching back and forth.

The author believes that this problem can be solved by users creating chat rooms. From the perspective of ordinary users, they can create their own chat rooms and socialize with acquaintances on Bilibili, or they can join the chat room of the up-master and socialize with strangers who share the same interests as their fans. From the perspective of the up master, you can further interact with fans, upload documents, and share resources.

2) Innovate the comment area, create topics for discussion, and browse or join the discussion in a targeted manner.

3) Optimize the dynamic section. According to user feedback, the six users almost never post dynamics and rarely browse topic dynamics. The main reasons are that the topic dynamics are hidden too deeply, there are no fans and no one reads them, or there is a fear of posting too much irrelevant content to mislead fans.

This can be solved by optimizing the way topic dynamics are displayed and adding the option to select viewing permissions when posting dynamics. The current dynamics have two sub-pages: video and comprehensive. The content overlaps and some functions are hidden deep.

The optimization has been changed to two sub-pages: My News and Square News. My News includes the most frequently visited, my follow-up, and subscription news (which can be filtered to only watch videos or only watch friends). Square News uses topics as the navigation bar, directly presenting a single dynamic block, and automatically refreshes the new news by pulling down.

4) Enhanced message reminders. The push settings page allows you to choose to turn on/off private message push notifications, including switch buttons for only pushing private messages from friends and pushing all private messages.

4.5.2 Learning

1) A new study room has been added, where you can freely invite friends to join, set their own learning goals, display everyone's learning progress, chat and discuss, or call each other to study online, discuss with each other and supervise each other.

2) New content classification for learning videos has been added, which is mainly presented in the structure of a knowledge tree. In addition to searching with a clear purpose, users can also search for learning content in an organized and systematic manner without a clear purpose.

3) Added learning mode and timed reminders. Select a time range to start the learning mode. During the process, you only have the authority to view the learning content and enter the study room. Set study time reminders in advance and remind yourself of your daily study tasks on a regular basis.

4) Innovate the comment area, create topics based on the video content, invite experts to share their views, and enhance the extensibility of knowledge.

5) The video content can be rated after learning, which provides a judging dimension for screening and also enhances the relationship between users and the platform.

4.5.3 Follow the show

1) Optimize the domestic creation recommendation section. Too much content leads to low efficiency in user acquisition. This can be improved by strengthening the primary navigation bar, weakening the carousel banner, moving the "Everyone is Watching" section to the back, moving the commonly used navigation such as hot recommendations/hot lists/completed recommendations to the front, and adding a secondary quick label navigation.

2) A new circle function has been added, which allows users to freely join discussions and display UGC content related to the drama to increase the richness of the content.

4.5.4 Member

1) Add 3-day and 7-day short-term premium memberships and single premium memberships specifically for animation and movies, so that users are willing to experience the premium membership service first, and gradually get used to it and develop into long-term premium memberships.

2) Optimize the benefits description of the VIP package to reduce users’ learning and acceptance costs.

4.5.5 Others

1) Provide a deletion function for published comments to stop being harassed by keyboard warriors.

2) Added keyword blocking function (home page recommendation settings module).

3) Added 15s back/forward shortcut function.

5. Functional analysis and optimization plan

Based on the analysis results of the user survey, the current problems of Bilibili can be roughly classified into the following five directions: social scenarios, learning scenarios, anime-chasing scenarios, premium membership and other detail optimizations .

The following will carry out functional analysis from these five aspects and give corresponding optimization solutions.

B station function optimization mind map

5.1 Social Scenarios

Demand background: The results of the first round of user research show that problems such as Bilibili’s weak social attributes and difficulty in communication between users have been mentioned repeatedly.

By focusing on usage scenarios and conducting two rounds of research interviews, the author summarized the main problems currently encountered by Bilibili users in social scenarios as follows:

1. Due to the lack of group chat function, users' group chat related needs can only be met by other APPs.
2. Currently, the content of simple building comments is mixed and unclassified. Firstly, it is inconvenient for users to browse, and secondly, it is impossible to quickly find partners with common concerns for interactive communication.
3. The usage rate of dynamic modules is low. Currently, the two major pages of the module, video and comprehensive, have overlapping content, some functions are hidden deep, and the user learning cost is too high.
4. The usage rate of the private message function is low. The survey found that users' private message needs are generally transferred to WeChat or Weibo. The main reason is that the private message reminder of Bilibili is too weak and private message information cannot be received in time.

Optimization goal: On the premise of balancing the isolation of circles, enrich the social attributes of Bilibili in a targeted manner, meet user needs, and improve user stickiness.

Optimization suggestions:

1. Added a group chat function to meet the group chat needs between ordinary users and up masters or between ordinary users.
2. Add new topic comments and innovate the comment area, dividing it into two parts: topic comments and popular comments.
3. Optimize the dynamic module and optimize the existing dynamic module into two parts: my dynamic and square dynamic.
4. Strengthen message reminders and add message reminders and push settings for group chats.

5.1.1 Added group chat function

Based on the interview results, the author found that users’ needs for group chats include both group chats for social interaction with strangers and group chats for social interaction with acquaintances. Among them, the acquaintance group chat is created and joined based on mutual followers, while the stranger group chat is mainly a fan group centered on the up-master. Compared with the friend group, it is more open and targets a wider range of people.

Therefore, the stranger group chat uses the up-host and its video content as the first-level boundary, and makes a certain isolation in the circle. At the same time, it adopts methods such as following before joining the group and applying for group Q&A to further screen users entering the group, so as to avoid circle collisions caused by huge differences between different users and ensure the atmosphere and quality of the community.

1) Create a group

Any Bilibili user can create his or her own group chat. Users can start creating a group chat by clicking the Create Group Chat button in My Section - Personal Center - My Group Chat page.

When creating a group chat, users can select the group avatar, group name, and group introduction, but must select a method for joining the group.

• The first type: friends invite each other, that is, they choose users who follow each other and initiate a group chat.
• The second type: answer questions and have them reviewed by the administrator, that is, preset questions and the answers are reviewed by the administrator.
• The third method: Answer questions correctly, that is, preset questions and answers. You can join the group chat if you answer correctly.

After filling in the form, click Submit and wait for official platform review.

2) How to join the group

After successfully creating a group chat, there are three main ways for users to join the group. The first type: friends invite each other. As long as users follow each other, they can freely invite friends to join the group.

The second method: answer questions and be reviewed by the administrator. The administrator has the final say on whether you can enter the group chat. (The default group owner is the administrator, and the group owner can appoint other members as administrators in group management)

The third option: Answer the question correctly. Whether you can enter the group chat depends on whether the answer is correct.

Note: The application entrance for the second and third ways to join the group can be found through the up-host’s video playback page or the up-host’s personal homepage, but the prerequisite is that you need to follow the up-host. If you do not follow the up-host, the group entrance will not be displayed. The nature of the group chat in the first way of joining the group is more like a private chat room, so there is no public application entrance and you can only rely on invitations from friends.

3) Group entrance

For group chats with the second and third ways of joining, in addition to the two group entrances mentioned when applying to join the group, after successfully joining the group, the group chat information will be automatically added to the My Group Chat page and the Message page. These are also the other two entrances to enter the group chat. However, due to the privacy of the group chat in the first way, there are only two entrances: my group chat page and message page.

4) Management Group

After users join a group chat, especially the group chat created by the up-host, its nature is more like a fan group. Considering that it takes a lot of energy for up-hosts to create videos and many of them are part-time up-hosts, it is difficult for group owners to conduct frequent interactions within the group relying solely on their own strength. In order to help group owners maintain the activity and stickiness of group chats as much as possible, and also to promote interaction within group chats, three new functions have been added : shared screening rooms, theme live, and message board flipping .

【Shared Screening Room】: This function can be turned on/off by the group owner, who is also the up-host. All free video resources on Bilibili (including his own videos) can be freely added and played one by one in the order in which they are arranged. The loop playback mode can be selected. Fans in the group can watch videos at the same time in the shared screening room within the group, which can effectively alleviate problems such as the untimely discussion and limited number of people who can resonate with the group.

【Topic Live】: This function mainly revolves around a preset theme, hosted by the up master, guiding group members to share and communicate.

During the activity, the group owner first sends a voice message in the group to share the content he or she has prepared, and then the group owner and group members discuss freely.

After the event ends, you can only replay and view the Live content, and you can no longer speak or interact.

The activity can only be initiated/ended by the group owner. When the group owner is giving a speech, the group members will be temporarily muted. This form has a low threshold and strong interactivity, which makes up for the high threshold for video production and limited interaction, and further promotes communication and interaction between up hosts and fans.

[Message Board Flipping]: Message Board Flipping is a way of interaction between up-hosts and fans with a lower threshold and simpler operation. Fans can browse other people's messages or post their own messages when they enter the message board.

When the up-host enters the message board, the system will randomly distribute messages. The up master clicks on the flip card and chooses whether to like or reply to the message. When the up-host leaves a message, a group message will be sent directly and synchronized to the group chat.

5) Toolbox

In order to meet the needs of daily interactive communication in group chats, functions such as group files, group voting, and bulletin boards are basic necessities and are all included in the group chat toolbox. The toolbox functions are relatively basic and will not be explained in detail here.

5.1.2 Add new topic comments

Add new topic comments in the existing comment area, pin the three most popular topic comments to the top, and guide users to view more. “Popular Comments” still retains its original format and is placed below the topic comments.

[Topic comment details page]: Topics are sorted from high to low in terms of popularity, support keyword search and filtering by popularity/time, allow up hosts and users of LV4 and above to create topics, and all users can browse topics and post comments freely. You can also invite other people you follow to participate in the topic commentary. Especially for highly professional video content, inviting certified UP hosts in a certain professional field can provide more targeted and professional insights.

5.1.3 Optimizing dynamic modules

Optimize the current dynamic module's "Video" and "Comprehensive" into two major parts: "My Dynamics" and "Square Dynamics".

1) My updates

Most frequently visited, my favorite shows, my circles and updates. The most frequently visited and my fan following data remain unchanged. My circles refer to the fan following circles I have joined. A red dot will remind you when there is new activity. Click to jump to the corresponding circle page.

Following updates means following updates posted by users, including video updates and picture and text updates. To facilitate browsing, new filtering buttons "Only see video updates" and "Only see friends' updates" have been added (friends refer to users who follow each other).

2) Square Dynamics

Includes topic navigation bar and dynamic blocks. The topic navigation bar is located at the top below the search, including two major categories: "Subscribe to Topics" and "Hot Topics". "Subscribe to Topics" is displayed by default. A single dynamic box is displayed directly below the two major topic categories, which can be refreshed by pulling down, reducing the user's usage path and discovery cost.

Post updates - add who can see them, options include public, visible only to friends, visible only to yourself. Help users reduce their concerns when posting updates and increase the frequency of using updates.

3) Publish updates

Add who can see it, options include public, visible to friends only, visible to myself only. Help users reduce their concerns when posting updates and increase the frequency of using updates.

5.1.4 Enhanced message reminders

On the one hand, strengthening message reminders is the result of survey feedback. 90% of users reported that they never use the private message function of Bilibili. The main reason is that private messages do not have a push function and messages are not sent and received in a timely manner. On the other hand, this optimization has added a group chat function, and the corresponding message reminders should also be optimized. The optimization content mainly includes two aspects: group chat message reminders and push settings.

1) Group chat dialog boxes need to be displayed on the chat list page, arranged in reverse chronological order of the last conversation. When there are unread messages and message reminders are turned on, the small envelope in the upper right corner of the homepage needs to display a message digital reminder

2) Push settings have added private messages and group chat messages, including private message push for everyone and private message push for friends only, as well as message push for group chats. Push settings are initially turned off by default.

5.2 Learning Scenario

Demand background: According to the survey results, two-thirds of users said that they would study on Bilibili, and the main purpose of learning was to cultivate interests and hobbies or prepare for postgraduate entrance examinations and write papers. But in fact, Bilibili currently only provides a platform for users to upload and share videos, and it does not have any functions related to building learning scenarios.

Therefore, many users also reported that they encountered many problems in learning at Station B, which are summarized as follows:

1. I’m used to taking notes while watching learning videos, but it’s troublesome to carry a pen and paper every time.
2. The learning resource links posted by the up-loader in the comment section are easily invalid and inconvenient to obtain.
3. There is a lack of communication and discussion. I hope to study with friends on Bilibili where we can chat and discuss.
4. I also hope for more professional guidance and explanation, and it would be best if I could invite a certified up-host to answer questions in the comment section.
5. The results of searching for learning videos are sorted according to popularity rather than knowledge structure, resulting in low efficiency in finding learning resources.
6. The learning completion rate is not high, the main reasons are laziness, easy forgetfulness, and the distraction of too much interesting content on the site.

Optimization goals: Build the main functions under the learning scenario, enrich and improve the learning scenario of Bilibili, improve user experience, and increase user stickiness.

Optimization suggestions:

1. A new note-taking function has been added, which supports adding notes at any time point in the video and saving them online.
2. The group chat-group file function has solved this problem (the group chat-group file function has been added in social scenarios).
3. A new study room function has been added, where users can freely invite friends to form a study room, study in groups, and discuss with each other.
4. The Topic Comments - Invite Comments feature has solved this problem (in social scenarios, the Topic Comments - Invite Comments feature has been added).
5. New learning video content classification and content scoring functions, multiple reference dimensions to improve the efficiency of searching for learning videos.
6. Two new auxiliary tools, learning mode and learning reminder, are added to help users improve their learning completion.

5.2.1 Added note-taking function

Added note-taking function. When playing in full screen, click the note-taking shortcut button on the right side of the screen to jump to the note editing page and start recording.

Click Save to jump back to the video playback page. There will be dots on the progress bar to indicate the notes here. Click to automatically jump to the node where the notes are recorded. Long press to edit/delete the notes.

At the same time, saved notes will be automatically saved to my favorites for easy viewing.

5.2.2 Added learning room function

According to the survey, many users who study on Bilibili reported that there is no discussion space, it is troublesome to switch back and forth on WeChat, it depends on fate to reply in the comment area, and they really want to find someone to study with. It is obvious that the existing functions cannot meet the needs of users in the learning scenario. Therefore, a new study room function has been added to support users to study in groups, hold group discussions, share resources, check in for study, complete homework, etc.

The following is a detailed explanation of each functional point:

1) Overview of the Study Room

In order to make it easier for users to find various learning-related functions, I added a learning center section to my page, including my study room, study mode, scheduled reminders, my courses and other functional entrances. Every Bilibili user can freely create a study room. As long as they are friends who follow each other, they can immediately form a group to create a study room.

The study room is equipped with functions such as shared folders, study room clock-in, study room homework and study room voting.

2) Shared folder

The shared data rack can not only support the sharing of learning resources among members in the study room, but also serve as a goal for members to check in for common learning. It includes both collected files, that is, the learning video resources that users see in the B station community can be collected into a certain study room (omitted here), and files uploaded by users, supporting uploading of pictures, videos, Word/Excel/PPT/PDF and other types. Supports searching within folders.

3) Study room check-in

Study room clock-in supports users to clock in every day. Users can enter text, attach pictures or link any file in the shared folder. At the same time, you can also check the check-in status of other users in the supervised study room. Click to call them to study, and they will receive a push notification to call them to the study room. While supervising ourselves, we can also supervise each other.

4) Study room assignments

By doing homework, you can review your learning results more effectively. Any member in the study room can assign homework, and other members can complete it online.

5.2.3 Adding a new learning zone

In order to solve the problems of inefficient user search for learning resources and single structure of learning information, a new content distribution channel - learning partitioning, is added to classify and organize learning-related video content.

There are first-level navigation bars such as recommendations, further studies and career choices, universities, middle schools, workplaces, and elementary schools. Each first-level navigation bar has multiple second-level navigation bars.

5.2.4 New content rating

A new content rating function has been added to collect user feedback on learning content, further helping users improve the efficiency of searching for learning resources and reduce screening costs.

5.2.5 Other auxiliary functions

The newly added learning mode and timed reminder functions are mainly aimed at users who have not completed their learning on Bilibili, reducing the impact of the external environment and helping users improve their completion rate as much as possible.

When learning mode is turned on, all functions not related to learning will be hidden or unavailable. Turn off learning mode and return to normal.

After turning on the scheduled reminder, a message will be automatically pushed to remind the user when the time is up. When the user clicks on the push notification, the scheduled reminder will be automatically closed. Otherwise, a reminder will be given every five minutes.

5.3 Anime-chasing scenes

Demand background: According to the results of user surveys, the functional requirements in the anime-chasing scenario currently have the following two main problems: 1. The content of the domestic creation recommendation page is messy, and users cannot quickly obtain effective information. This results in the page being used less and less frequently. 2. Sharing and communication among anime-chasing users are limited, and they are not satisfied with communicating only in the comment section. This caused some users to transfer to competing apps.

Optimization goals: Improve the speed of obtaining effective information on the domestic creation recommendation page; enrich the interactive attributes of chasing anime and innovate communication methods.

Optimization suggestions:

1. Optimize the national creation recommendation page to improve the efficiency of information acquisition.
2. A new anime circle function has been added to meet the communication needs of anime users.

5.3.1 Optimize the recommendation of national creation

Strengthen the top navigation bar, weaken the carousel banner, move "Everyone is watching" to the back, place the most commonly used functions such as index/schedule/popular list below the banner in the form of icons, move commonly used sections such as popular recommendations/popular list/completed recommendations to the front and add quick label navigation.

5.3.2 Add a new fan circle

A new anime following circle function has been added, and users can freely choose to join/exit the circle. After joining the circle, you can post updates and discuss with others. If you are not in the circle, you can only browse but not post updates.

You can also browse related video recommendations to discover more interesting content related to the anime you are following. In addition, the updates in the dynamic section with the tag of the drama will also be displayed in the updates of their circle of fans.

5.4 General Member

Demand background: Through the user survey in the previous stage, the author found that the usage rate of B station’s premium membership is not high. All five interviewees are old users who have used Bilibili for more than three years, but only two of them have recharged their premium membership, and they only recharged once and never renewed it again.

Comparing the survey results, we can see that the low usage rate is roughly due to the following reasons:

• The current premium membership packages include many benefits and are sold to all users indiscriminately. However, a survey found that more than half of the users only want to pay for one of the benefits. Plus, since there are no advertisements on Bilibili, users feel they can tolerate it.
• The description of membership benefits on the VIP membership activation page is too simple. Users say they can’t understand it and are unwilling to spend time to understand it.

Optimization goals: enrich the package options for premium members, improve the rights and interests description on the activation page, guide users to recharge, and gradually form habits.

Optimization suggestions:

1. New VIP packages have been added to enrich the options for VIP members.
2. Optimize the introduction of VIP members’ rights and interests to reduce users’ learning costs.

5.4.1 New Premium Member Package

New VIP packages have been added, forming three package types: comprehensive VIP membership, short-term VIP membership and single VIP membership.

① Comprehensive VIP membership: that is, the existing VIP membership package, the pricing and benefits remain unchanged.

② Short-term membership: including 3-day and 7-day membership packages. Enjoy all the benefits like comprehensive members.

③ Single-item membership: includes movie and TV series membership packages. Since it is only for a certain type of content, individual VIP members can only enjoy free viewing of certain types of content, early viewing of certain types of content, and high-definition viewing of certain types of content, and they do not enjoy other rights.

5.4.2 Optimize the benefits description

Complete the explanation of the rights and interests of VIP members. The rights and interests are introduced at the bottom of the VIP membership activation page. You can view the details with each click.

5.5 Other details optimization

5.5.1 Added keyword blocking

A new keyword blocking function has been added to the home page recommendation settings module. This feature mainly comes from the fact that when star-chasing girls are browsing the recommended videos on the homepage of Bilibili, they often see their idols being paired with people they don’t like. Clicking “not interested” does not completely block the relationship.

Therefore, the author is considering adding a keyword blocking function to the recommended settings module on the home page. As long as the video title contains keywords set by the user, it will not be pushed to the user. Effectively avoid seeing CPs you dislike recommended on the homepage again.

5.5.2 Added back/forward shortcut keys

Added 15s back/forward shortcut keys. During the research on learning scenarios, two users reported that when watching learning videos, especially English learning videos or videos that require strong thinking and comprehension skills, they often manually rewind and listen to a certain section of the video again. But it is very difficult to take notes and listen to videos with one hand. New shortcut keys have been added to support full-screen viewing and one-handed operation for rewinding/forwarding 15 seconds.

5.5.3 Add and delete reply to my comment

Added the function of deleting replies to my comments. The main reason is that some users have reported that their comments have been continuously harassed by keyboard warriors, and they hope that the keyboard warriors’ replies can be deleted so that out of sight, out of mind. In the Message-Reply to Me page, the comment deletion function is supported.

6. Conclusion

Today, the competition in China's Internet video battlefield is fierce, and the industry environment in which Bilibili is located can be described as "surrounded" by dangers. Copyrighted videos are facing the three giants of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video, pugc videos are facing the coveted attention of Toutiao, and the battle between Tik Tok and Kuaishou in the short video field is fierce.

At the same time, as its own expansion and development accelerated, Bilibili’s contradictions and problems were gradually exposed. The small user base needs to grow beyond the circle, but the lowering of the entry threshold will inevitably impact the community atmosphere. The monetization channels are diversified but the profits are not significant. Creators have limited ways to monetize, and competitors poach UP hosts.

But the author is still optimistic about Bilibili, not only as an ordinary user, but also out of love for this small and pure land. At the same time, from a product perspective, the author believes that being searchable, enjoyable to watch, and having a good atmosphere are the three key winning points for video products, and long videos that carry more value are the future development trend.

Although iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video are in competition with Bilibili, copyrighted videos are not the core driving force of Bilibili, so the competition is not a life-and-death struggle.

The biggest threat right now may be Xigua Video, which is targeting the UGC front and has impressive data performance. However, Toutiao's original background, such as mindlessly injecting traffic, piling up communities with capital, and focusing on the sinking market, has largely determined that it will be difficult for Xigua Video to form a high-level long-tail content and a good community atmosphere in a short period of time.

In terms of searchability and good atmosphere, Xigua Video still has a long way to go. With its advantages such as high content generalization, high-definition and ad-free viewing experience, and a good community atmosphere, Bilibili excels in the three key winning points.

In particular, the content ecology and community atmosphere cannot be replicated overnight or with huge amounts of capital. Bilibili is therefore also known as the Chinese YouTube.

And the author believes that what is more important is that in the Chinese Internet market, Bilibili has no boundaries and is full of imagination. Whether it is the original intention of creating the two-dimensional culture, or the insistence on generalizing content and bravely breaking the circle, Bilibili is always unique, taking the path that suits it best, and never deliberately imitating anyone.

Nowadays, young people of all ages with different interests and hobbies gather here to play pranks, learn, follow anime, watch dramas, and chase stars. Bilibili's imagination will never stop at China's YouTube.

I still remember that when Chen Rui talked about the end of Bilibili, he said: "Not only online, Bilibili will eventually become a cultural brand company, just like Disney."

In short, everything can be found on Bilibili, and the future of Bilibili is promising.

Author: Hermine

Source: Hermine