Sony invests in China’s Bilibili

Sony has taken a minority stake in Chinese entertainment platform Bilibili for approximately US$400m, a move that values the company at US$8bn.

Sony subsidiary Sony Corporation of America has taken a 4.98% stake in the online entertainment platform that is popular with young people in China.

Focusing on Generation Z – roughly individuals born between 1990 and 2009– Bilibili’s main business areas include mobile games, live streaming and distribution of video content such as professional user-generated videos and animation.

Sony described China as “a key strategic region in the entertainment business” and has also agreed to collaborate with Bilibili in areas such as animation and mobile game apps.

C21 reported towards the end of 2019 that Bilibili had been expanding its content proposition, with documentaries and factual entertainment proving increasingly popular among its audience.