Bilibili and Kuaishou’s Hong Kong listings will showcase the e-commerce prowess of China’s video-sharing giants

Kuaishou Technology and Bilibili executives will become the internet stars of their own online videos when they digitally market their video-sharing apps’ Hong Kong share sales in the coming months.

Kuaishou is readying a US$4 billion to US$5 billion initial public offering (IPO) before mid-February, while Bilibili has applied to the Hong Kong stock exchange to raise roughly US$3 billion via a secondary listing in the city. ByteDance is also mulling floating Douyin, the domestic version of its TikTok app, people familiar with the matter said.

China is the world leader in blending celebrity live streamers’ glamour with e-commerce. The companies at the forefront of the video-sharing market will showcase the nation’s creative approach to this “shopertainment” during listings in Hong Kong.

“We expect short-form video to become a key topic of discussion in the entertainment sector given the huge user base, time spent, and monetisation potential,” said Thomas Chong, an analyst at brokerage Jefferies.

The listings come as investors hunt for beneficiaries of retail’s shift online last year. Consumer brands turned en masse to influencers to live-stream the promotion and sale of their excess inventory as the coronavirus pandemic curbed trips to shopping malls. Small businesses and artisans could still reach customers by sharing short videos on digital platforms.