Mr Beast releases first video on Chinese video platform Bilibili

A Chinese YouTuber has said that Mr Beast will have to monetize in "the China way" after he released his first video on the Chinese video platform Bilibili. 

Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his YouTube persona Mr Beast, uploaded his first video to the platform last week to a channel that had previously been run by some of his fans in China.  

The video became the most watched on the platform last week, with 7 million views as of Friday, according to Semafor.  

"We have an audience basically all over the world except China,” Donaldson said. “I thought it would be cool to start getting the content over to China.” 

However, the content appears to be altered in the new market. Viewers can reportedly hear "subtle differences" in Donaldson’s videos uploaded to Bilibili, according to Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s (ASPI) China analyst Fergus Ryan when he spoke to the outlet.   

Raz Gal-Or, a China-based YouTuber, told the outlet that Donaldson will have to monetize in “the China way” of social media and business.  

“You must give your heart to the Chinese audience to win back the brands and the platforms,” Gal-Or said.  

The map he uses of China does not include Taiwan as a nation because the channel cannot cross “the red lines that exist on the Chinese internet," Ryan stated. He also said that Chinese censors may frame Mr. Beast's giveaways, that the channel is known for and could be contrary to the socialist views the Chinese state wants being promulgated, to show “the unequal nature of society in America.” 

Mr Beast is known for producing viral content made up of contests and various challenges where those participating in the video can earn thousands of dollars for the gameshow-styled tasks. He has also funded a great amount of charity work with his YouTube channel.