What Hupu does

Hupu (虎扑) is a male-focused sports and lifestyle online community platform in China, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Shanghai. The platform operates a unified portal (hupu.com) and mobile applications that integrate dedicated sports verticals for NBA, CBA, and major football leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Chinese Super League), an esports hub covering League of Legends, Honor of Kings, PUBG, CS2, and Valorant, a lifestyle discussion board (步行街), a sports equipment e-commerce marketplace (识货/Shihuo), a street basketball tournament brand (路人王/Luren Wang), a sports lottery discussion section, and a virtual currency/membership tier system (虎扑币, H-coin, VIP). Its core users are Chinese male sports enthusiasts who consume news, live scores, video, and user-generated forum content across these verticals.

Name

Hupu

Legal name

Shanghai Kuanghui Network Technology Co., Ltd. (上海匡慧网络科技有限公司)

Website

https://hupu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Hupu (虎扑) is a Shanghai-based online sports community platform founded in 2004, serving Chinese male sports enthusiasts with integrated news, forums, live streaming, esports, and sports equipment e-commerce across NBA, CBA, football, and gaming verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Media & Community

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Gaming Social Networks & Community Platforms (profiles, guilds, forums, discovery) (MPAFAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gaming-Focused Live Streaming Platforms (MPACACAB), Social/Creator-Led Sports Live Streaming & Watch-Alongs (MPAKAOAI)

Keywords

• Sports community platform
• Sports news media
• Esports content
• Sports e-commerce
• Online discussion forums

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Hupu generates revenue through display advertising, promotional content, and sponsored posts across its website and mobile applications, targeting sports enthusiasts with relevant brand messages.
2. Membership Services: The platform offers paid membership services including Hupu coins, H-coins, and VIP features that provide enhanced user experiences and exclusive content access.
3. E-commerce (Shihuo): Hupu operates Shihuo (识货), an e-commerce platform for sports equipment and products, generating revenue through product sales and affiliate commissions.
4. Esports and Gaming Services: The platform provides esports content, tournament coverage, and gaming community features that attract users and generate engagement-based revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hupu is a Chinese male-focused online sports community platform that aggregates real-time sports news, league coverage (NBA, CBA, European football, Chinese Super League), community forums, live streaming, and esports content through its website (hupu.com) and mobile applications. The platform operates Shihuo (识货), a sports equipment marketplace with deals and group buying, and supports virtual currency (Hupu coins, H-coins) and premium membership tiers for value-added services and exclusive content access.

Product overview

Hupu (虎扑) is a male-focused sports and lifestyle online community platform in China, built around a unified portal (hupu.com / Hupu App) that integrates a diverse set of products: core sports verticals for NBA, CBA, and football leagues (NBA hub, CBA hub, soccer hub), esports gaming communities covering League of Legends, Honor of Kings, CS2, PUBG and others, the general-lifestyle discussion board (步行街), a sports equipment marketplace (识货), a street basketball tournament brand (路人王), and virtual currency/membership tiers (虎扑币, H币, 虎扑会员). The platform also offers sports lottery discussion (彩票) and various digital content products including news, video streaming, live broadcasts, and community forums. In June 2025, Hupu was acquired by Xunlei Limited for RMB 500 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 路人王 (Luren Wang): Street basketball competition/event brand operated by Hupu.
• 步行街
• 识货 (Shihuo)
• 虎扑电竞

Products and services

• Hupu Website (hupu.com) Main sports community website covering NBA, CBA, football (soccer), esports, and general discussion forums. Provides news, match schedules, standings, team/player information, video streaming, photo galleries, and community forums for user-generated content. Targets male sports enthusiasts in China.
• Hupu Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing the full suite of Hupu services including news browsing, live streaming, community forums, match schedules, push notifications, one-click login, real-time match scores with home screen widgets, and AI content moderation. Targets individual sports fans.
• 步行街 (Buxingjie) Lifestyle Forum General lifestyle and off-topic community discussion board separate from sports topics, including sections for daily life, relationships, history, stocks, entertainment, and general social topics. One of the most popular community sections on the platform.
• 电竞/游戏中心 (Esports & Gaming Hub) Esports and gaming content hub covering League of Legends (英雄联盟), Honor of Kings (王者荣耀), CS2, PUBG (绝地求生), Valorant (无畏契约), Peace Elite (和平精英), and other competitive games. Includes match schedules, news, community forums, and game-related content.
• 识货 (Shihuo) Sports Equipment Marketplace Sports equipment and product marketplace and discovery platform. Offers deals/discounts, group buying (团购), overseas shopping (海淘), product recommendations, and user reviews for sports gear. Connects buyers with third-party sellers of athletic equipment.
• 路人王 (Luren Wang) Street Basketball Tournament Street basketball tournament brand and platform organizing competitive one-on-one and three-on-three basketball games. Operates as a branded event series under Hupu.
• League Hubs (NBA / CBA / Soccer) Dedicated sub-sites and sections for major sports leagues: NBA (nba.hupu.com), CBA (cba.hupu.com), Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Chinese Super League (soccer.hupu.com). Each provides league-specific news, match schedules, standings, player/team databases, video, photo, and forum sections.
• 装备 (Sports Equipment Vertical) Sports equipment vertical covering sports gear news, product listings, rankings, and community forums for discussing equipment.
• Hupu Membership / Hupu Coins / H-Coins Virtual currency and paid membership tiers on the Hupu platform. Hupu Coins and H-coins used for in-app purchases, premium features, and value-added services. Members receive exclusive benefits including enhanced content access and promotional perks.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration31 records

AI capability4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Baidu Tieba: Baidu's flagship UGC forum platform in China with topic-dedicated sub-forums (bars) covering sports, entertainment, gaming, and lifestyle. Comparable to Hupu in community/UGC-first model and target mass-market Chinese internet users, though Tieba is broader and more general-purpose.
• Sina Sports: One of China's largest mainstream sports news and commentary portals under Sina Weibo's media group. Directly overlaps with Hupu on NBA, CBA, soccer, and Chinese football coverage, serving similar male sports enthusiasts with news, scores, and discussion.
• Tencent Sports: Tencent's dedicated sports platform distributing licensed sports content (NBA China, soccer leagues) and complementary streaming. Competes with Hupu for Chinese sports-media attention and offers integrated live streaming that Hupu also provides for sports and esports.
• Bilibili: China's leading video community with strong gaming/esports, sports, and lifestyle UGC verticals. Directly comparable to Hupu on esports (LoL, Honor of Kings coverage), community-driven content, and live streaming monetization, while operating at significantly larger scale.
• Zhihu: Major Chinese knowledge and discussion community with verticals covering sports, gaming, and lifestyle topics. Comparable to Hupu in UGC-driven community monetization (membership, advertising) and Chinese-language audience focus, though more text/Q&A-led than sports-led.
• NetEase Sports / NetEase Esports: NetEase-operated sports news portal and esports coverage hub. Overlaps with Hupu on Chinese soccer, NBA, and major esports titles (NetEase's LoL partnership), competing for similar Chinese sports/esports audiences and ad budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Kuaishou: Major Chinese short-video and live-streaming platform with significant sports and esports content creators. Competes with Hupu for user attention and ad spend via algorithmic video feeds, though Kuaishou is far broader and a much larger incumbent.
• Douyin (ByteDance): ByteDance's flagship short-video platform and a prior Hupu investor ($182M, 2019). Competes for Chinese sports-fan attention via creator content and live sports streaming; represents a strategic threat and past partnership/interest vector for Hupu.

Regional players

• ESPN / TheScore: Global sports-media incumbents delivering news, scores, commentary, and live streaming for major leagues (NBA, NFL, Premier League). Functionally comparable to Hupu on sports-news-plus-community model but geographically distinct (Western markets) rather than direct Chinese-market competitors.
• Reddit (r/sports, r/nba): Global UGC community platform with mega-subreddits for sports leagues (r/nba, r/soccer). Structurally analogous to Hupu's forum-based model with high-engagement sports communities, but operates in Western markets and as a general-purpose (not sports-led) platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hoopchina
• Instagramvoice.hupu.com/other/1634334.html
• Facebookfacebook.com/391116250940660

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hupu