Bilibili has launched a new initiative called the “Awakening Program” to support creators of animated short dramas. The platform is offering content creators, MCNs, and animation studios financial backing that covers 30% to 100% of production costs, along with a revenue-sharing rate of up to 80%.

A Bilibili representative said that in the first quarter of 2025, animated microdramas organically generated tens of millions of yuan (approximately US$2.7 million to US$13.8 million) in monthly revenue through the platform’s monetization tool. For all of 2024, the total viewership of animated short drama content exceeded 100 billion plays, with year-on-year growth continuing at double-digit percentages.

Bilibili is also pushing ahead with copyright deals with major online fiction platforms, aiming to adapt more IPs into short-form animated content.

🔗 Source: 36Kr

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Bilibili’s incentive strategy follows its proven community-first business model

The “Awakening Plan” continues Bilibili’s long-standing approach of cultivating user-generated content communities through targeted incentives rather than simply licensing expensive content.

Since its founding in 2009, Bilibili has built its business model around user participation, with approximately 70% of content being user-generated as of 2019 1.

This community-centric approach has previously delivered impressive financial results, with the platform reporting a 132% year-on-year increase in paying subscribers and a 58% revenue growth in Q1 2019 alone 1.

The animated short drama initiative represents a natural evolution of Bilibili’s ecosystem cultivation strategy that has already attracted investments from tech giants Alibaba and Tencent, who held approximately 12% of the company’s stock by 2019 1.

By incentivizing creators with both production funding and revenue sharing, Bilibili is applying its proven formula of turning passionate community members into content producers who drive platform growth.

2️⃣ Incentive programs reflect adaptation to China’s regulatory environment

Bilibili’s structured approach to animated content development demonstrates how Chinese platforms must carefully balance content growth with regulatory compliance.

The company has previously faced significant regulatory challenges, including a 2018 app store removal due to content concerns that forced implementation of enhanced self-regulation through a 36,000-user discipline committee 2.

Even earlier, in 2017, Bilibili conducted significant content removals, particularly of foreign TV shows and films, highlighting the ongoing regulatory pressures in China’s digital media landscape 3.

The “Awakening Plan” appears designed to foster high-quality domestic animated content that aligns with regulatory expectations while still appealing to Bilibili’s predominantly young audience, with 90% of users reported to be under 25 4.

Recent Bilibili developments