Bilibili: Its Evolution from a Community-based Online Video Platform to Building a Business Ecosystem

Bilibili started as an online community focusing on animation, comic, and games content but has expanded into a comprehensive online video platform geared toward teenagers and young adults in China. With a large user base, Bilibili originally offered game-related and value-added services, and later diversified its revenue streams by expanding its e-commerce businesses. The membership purchase model was one of the main features of the e-commerce businesses, given the high potential of merchandising in different creative sectors. The membership purchase model was a channel for the legitimate content derivatives and ticket sales channels based on the crowdfunding feature. The animation, comic, and games community origins of Bilibili made the membership purchase model a promising service for both creators and their fans. However, the feature was still limited to a specific set of creators and content on the platform. Could Bilibili successfully expand the membership purchase model and connect the two significant domains of intellectual property and e-commerce to build a sustainable business ecosystem? Students will be asked to formulate strategic options for Bilibili and recommend the most effective approach to building a business ecosystem.