Chinese video platform Bilibili on Wednesday introduced a new earphone brand called Bilipods with a first product, as it tries to expand its business in the consumer electronics market.

Why is it important: In the past, Bilibili has partnered with consumer electronics companies to release products with its brand. The launch of Bilipods signals that the video platform wants to go further and use its large user base (about 270 million in 2021) to benefit from the booming headphone market.

Details: On Wednesday, Bilibili officially promoted the new headphone brand and its first product to the public. The video platform previously released its headphones and earphones through BEMOE, a sub-brand focusing on various animation-related merchandise.

• Bilipods was first announced on social media platform Weibo on March 24, indicating that the brand will focus on Animation, Comics and Gaming (ACG) themed products, a key area of Bilibili.
• Two days after the announcement, Bilipods released its first product: wireless headphones themed around the popular Japanese manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, one of the most popular anime series on Bilibili, with more than a billion views.
• The new headphones support Hi-Res Audio with Bluetooth version 5.2. Users can also enjoy special UI animation effects while watching videos on Bilibili. It costs 249 RMB ($39.2), targeting the mid to low-end market.

The context: This is not Bilibili’s first attempt to get into consumer electronics, as the company has already partnered with various consumer electronics manufacturers to release products using the Bilibili brand.

• To celebrate Bilibili’s 10th anniversary in 2019, the company collaborated with keyboard maker Cherry to release a Bilibili-branded keyboard.
• Founded in 2009, Bilibili has grown into one of China’s largest anime video platforms and communities, with a vast collection of original anime content.