Leading YouTube personality, MrBeast – a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson – made his first-ever appearance on China’s internet. Launching an initial video on Bilibili Inc., a crowd-pleasing Chinese video service, his debut sparked rapid interest and engagement from viewers, despite Chinese cyber-space’s notable constraints on Western social media platforms.
The entry of MrBeast, who boasts a staggering 230 million subscribers on YouTube, into the Chinese market is seen as a rare feat. His initial offering on Bilibili – a short, 90-second collage video – swiftly racked up over 3 million views, amassing a whopping 270,000 likes. At a peak moment, the video saw simultaneous viewership exceeding 5,000, undoubtedly a momentous achievement in bridging Western content with Eastern viewership.
However, MrBeast’s Chinese venture doesn’t stop at Bilibili. The YouTube sensation is gearing up to make further inroads into other popular Chinese platforms, such as Douyin, Kuaishou, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, with strategic plans for their expansion scheduled in the upcoming months.
Bilibili was handpicked as MrBeast’s Chinese launchpad, thanks to its striking similarity to YouTube – a platform currently inaccessible per China’s regulations. In addition to localized content, MrBeast’s team also intends to collaborate with Bilibili’s established Chinese creators, thereby engaging with and appealing to the local audience.
The arrival of MrBeast in China’s internet realm has been facilitated by Eyal Baumel, armed with expertise in content globalization and a track record of aligning creators with local markets. Riding on the success of MrBeast’s first China-targeted video, experts opine that his content manages to connect with the Chinese audience, transcending the barrier of cultural differences.