Bilibili keeps CCTV Spring Festival Gala young—but what's in it for the platform?

She Xiaochen

Over the past decade, partnering with the CCTV Spring Festival Gala has become a key milestone for Chinese internet platforms. WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart), and Kuaishou have all used the event to expand their reach. WeChat’s 2015 red envelope feature, Alipay’s 2016 "Five Fortune" collection, and Douyin’s 2021 interactive red envelope campaign all drove massive traffic surges.

Bilibili’s 2025 collaboration with the gala continued this trend, but with a distinct twist. The platform focused on rejuvenating the event to appeal to a younger, more digitally-savvy audience, a demographic it has long been known to serve. Its tagline—“Watch the Spring Festival Gala with 300 million young people”—underscored its commitment to engaging a much younger audience than the typical viewers of the 42-year-old gala.

Connecting with the users habitual on Bilibili

After three months of talks, Bilibili’s partnership with the gala took shape, incorporating danmu interactions, co-produced content, and interactive features designed to enhance engagement. Bilibili’s signature danmu (bullet comments) were integral to the experience. With 83% of viewers under 30, more than 120 million danmu flooded the broadcast, reinforcing the platform’s deep connection with younger users.

Originally a niche platform for anime and subcultures, Bilibili took an active role in content production. For example, its 2017 “Spring Festival Red Envelope,” a catchy song originally accompanied by anime visuals, was reworked with live performers for the gala, incorporating Chinese heritage elements and floating danmu projections on stage. Bilibili also brought in international rock band OneRepublic for a global touch.

To drive engagement, Bilibili introduced interactive quizzes during the broadcast. Over 10 million users participated, answering more than 50 million questions. The interactive feature not only boosted real-time participation but also attracted new users, with a prize pool worth tens of millions of yuan up for grabs.

Reach beyond the Bilibili circle

While Spring Festival Gala collaborations often serve as a marketing tool to boost a platform’s “national recognition,” Bilibili’s approach went beyond that. The platform had already gained substantial mainstream appeal, particularly after its 2019 New Year’s Eve concert, which boosted both stock price and user base.

For Bilibili, the real value of the gala lay in the content. The platform has long been a go-to destination for festive celebrations, and this year’s partnership was a natural extension of that tradition. According to the project lead, Bilibili’s annual New Year’s Eve events consistently attract over 10 million viewers, reflecting a strong connection to holiday-themed content.

Looking ahead, Bilibili plans to continue building on its danmu feature while exploring new forms of content engagement, such as live and on-demand broadcasts, user-generated content, and interactive comments. The goal is to make high-profile events like the Spring Festival Gala an ongoing experience that users can revisit year after year.

As Bilibili continues to grow beyond its niche roots, collaborations like this one with the Spring Festival Gala offer fresh avenues for storytelling and expansion within China’s fiercely competitive digital ecosystem.