Pili International Multimedia

What Pili International Multimedia does

Pili International Multimedia (霹靂國際多媒體股份有限公司) is a Taiwan-based, publicly listed (TWSE: 8450) entertainment company founded in 1995 that produces, distributes, and merchandises content built on traditional Taiwanese glove puppetry (布袋戲). Its core catalog spans 2,600+ episodes across more than 40 years of continuous production, featuring iconic characters such as 素還真, 葉小釵, and 一頁書 organized into structured faction systems (儒/道/釋/邪魔). The company operates a diversified media ecosystem that includes the PILI Taiwan TV cable channel (established 1995), the PILI線上看 streaming platform, the ec.pili.com.tw e-commerce store, the Pilifan fan club membership system, the 霹靂行動月刊 monthly magazine (350+ issues), direct retail stores, and an official Taobao storefront for Mainland China. The company also co-produces the international Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀) anime franchise with Japanese studio DROBE and runs a children's animated series (仙界小霹靂) with Mandarin and Taiwanese-language versions.

The business model combines four revenue streams: (1) content production and licensing across TV, streaming, and international markets; (2) merchandise and e-commerce sales of collectibles, apparel, DVDs, and fan products through its own online storefront and 7-ELEVEN exclusive physical media launches; (3) TV broadcasting and channel operations with advertising and cable distribution revenue; and (4) Pilifan annual membership subscriptions (January–December cycles) including newsletters, gift packages, and exclusive content. Distribution is multi-channel: cable TV operators (中嘉, 凱擘, 台灣寬頻, 台數科, 台固), 7-ELEVEN convenience stores for physical drama releases, own streaming and e-commerce properties, YouTube, social platforms (Facebook, LINE, Instagram, Weibo, Twitch), and Taobao. A unified SSO system (sso.pili.com.tw) integrates Google, LINE, Apple, WeChat, and Weibo logins across all digital properties.

Financially, the company is in a sustained decline: revenue contracted from approximately NT$15.43 billion in 2021 to NT$7.58 billion in 2025 (a ~51% decline), with negative operating income, negative EBITDA, and net losses every year in the 2021–2025 window. Gross profit turned negative in 2025. The company maintains a wholly-owned subsidiary, 大霹靂國際整合行銷 (Big Pili International Integrated Marketing), for website and marketing operations. Despite the financial pressure, PILI continues to invest in content pipeline refresh (new 霹靂兵濤 and 霹靂邪章 drama arcs), international expansion via Thunderbolt Fantasy, and anti-piracy enforcement (May 2026 cross-border counterfeit case prosecution with Taiwan police).

Name

Pili International Multimedia

Legal name

PILI INTERNATIONAL MULTIMEDIA CO., LTD. (霹靂國際多媒體股份有限公司)

Website

https://pili.com.tw

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pili International Multimedia is a Taiwan-listed (TWSE: 8450) entertainment company that produces traditional Taiwanese glove puppetry (布袋戲) drama series, films, and children's animation, distributing through its own TV channel, streaming platform, e-commerce store, Pilifan fan club, 7-ELEVEN retail, and international co-productions like Thunderbolt Fantasy with Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Taipei

HQ country

Taiwan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Content Production & Licensing: Production of original PILI series, Thunderbolt Fantasy, films, and children's programming licensed across TV, streaming, and international markets.
2. Merchandise & E-commerce: Sale of licensed merchandise including collectibles, DVDs, apparel, and fan club products through the online shopping platform (ec.pili.com.tw) and physical retail stores.
3. TV Broadcasting & Channel Operations: Operation of PILI Taiwan TV channel with program scheduling, advertising revenue, and cable TV distribution agreements across Taiwan.
4. Pilifan Membership: Annual fan club membership (Pilifan) with services running January 1 to December 31 each year, including newsletters, journals, gift packages, and fan club events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Pili International Multimedia produces and distributes original Taiwanese hand puppetry (布袋戲) drama series, films, anime co-productions (Thunderbolt Fantasy), and children's programming through a vertically integrated ecosystem. The company operates its own cable TV channel (霹靂台灣台), an OTT streaming platform (PILI線上看), an e-commerce merchandise store (ec.pili.com.tw), and an annual fan club membership program (Pilifan), monetizing a 40+ year original content library through subscriptions, advertising, product sales, and licensing.

Product overview

Pili International Multimedia operates a comprehensive entertainment ecosystem centered on traditional Taiwanese puppet theater (布袋戲). The core offerings include the PILI Series (霹靂系列) of puppet drama productions spanning decades of content, the Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀) anime franchise developed with Japanese collaborators, and the children's series 仙界小霹靂. These content brands are distributed through multiple channels: the 霹靂台灣台 TV channel, 霹靂線上看 streaming platform, and 線上購物 e-commerce store. Fan engagement is managed through the Pilifan (霹靂會) membership system and 霹靂行動月刊 mobile magazine. The ecosystem is supported by extensive reference databases including character profiles, faction/organization encyclopedias, and weapon databases available on the official website. A unified SSO system integrates access across all digital properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pilifan: Official fan club and membership service, rebranded from 霹靂會 in 2020, offering digital services and community engagement for fans
• Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀)
• 仙界小霹靂
• 霹靂台灣台

Products and services

• PILI Online Streaming (霹靂線上看) Over-the-top streaming platform providing on-demand access to PILI drama series, animations, and exclusive content for Taiwanese puppetry fans and Thunderbolt Fantasy viewers.
• PILI E-commerce Store (線上購物) Official online merchandise store offering PILI-branded products, collectibles, apparel, accessories, and limited-edition items for fans and collectors.
• PILI Taiwan TV Channel (霹靂台灣台) Dedicated television channel broadcasting PILI puppet dramas, animations, and self-produced entertainment programs across Taiwan through multiple cable TV system operators.
• Pilifan Fan Club Membership (霹靂會會員服務) Official annual fan club membership service (rebranded from 霹靂會 in 2020) offering character fan organizations, monthly magazine subscriptions, annual gift packages, e-newsletters, and exclusive fan benefits.
• PILI Mobile Magazine (霹靂行動月刊) Monthly digital/physical magazine subscription featuring PILI character spotlights, drama previews, news, and fan club information for Pilifan members.
• PILI Series Drama (霹靂系列) Main PILI drama series featuring traditional Taiwanese puppetry with iconic characters spanning decades of productions, comprising 2,600+ episodes across multiple story arcs.
• Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀) Anime series franchise co-produced with Japanese studio DROBE/SYBILLE combining traditional puppetry with anime aesthetics, featuring multiple seasons and theatrical films distributed internationally.
• Xianjie Xiao Pili (仙界小霹靂) Children's animated series featuring PILI mascot characters in a fantasy academy setting, distributed in both Mandarin and Taiwanese language versions on TV and YouTube.
• PILI Feature Films Theatrical feature film releases spanning the PILI franchise, including 聖石傳說 (The Legend of the Sacred Stone), 奇人密碼 (The Arti), 素還真 (Su Huan Zhen), and the Thunderbolt Fantasy film trilogy.

Quantifiable outcome

• PILI Taiwan TV channel available across multiple cable operators in all major Taiwan cities and counties

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DROBE (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership with Japanese studio DROBE for the Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀) series. PILI provides original IP and production expertise while DROBE handles Japanese market production and animation. The series has spawned multiple seasons (Season 1-3), films (Thunderbolt Fantasy 生死一劍, Thunderbolt Fantasy 西幽玹歌, Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀 最終章), and has become an international anime brand.
• 7-ELEVEN (Taiwan)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor7-ELEVEN serves as the exclusive physical media retail partner for PILI drama releases. New chapters of PILI series (e.g., 《霹靂兵濤》) are launched exclusively at 7-ELEVEN convenience stores across Taiwan, with simultaneous release on PILI's digital streaming platform.
• Taobao (Alibaba)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPILI maintains an official Taobao store (霹靂國際品牌館) on Alibaba's Taobao platform for merchandise sales to Mainland China consumers, extending the brand's reach beyond Taiwan.
• Cable TV System Operators (Taiwan)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPILI Taiwan TV channel is distributed through multiple cable TV operators across Taiwan including 中嘉 (中嘉, 萬象, 麗冠, 長德, 家和), 凱擘 (大安文山, 新台北, 金頻道, 陽明山, 全聯, 振道, 豐盟, 新頻道, 南天, 觀昇, 屏南), 台灣寬頻 (南桃園, 新竹縣), 台數科 (台灣佳光, 大屯, 佳聯, 北港, 大揚), and others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aniplex: Produces and distributes anime IP across streaming, broadcast, film, and merchandise—comparable to PILI's multi-format distribution and licensing of original franchises.
• Bandai Namco Holdings: Combines character IP, content, toys, and collectibles across TV/film and merchandise—comparable to PILI's integration of series production with puppet toys and licensed goods.
• Toei Animation: A major Asian IP-driven animation studio that monetizes long-running franchises through content, broadcast, streaming, film, and merchandise licensing—mirroring PILI's content-to-commerce ecosystem at larger scale.
• Kadokawa Corporation: A media conglomerate that develops IP across publishing, anime, film, games, and merchandise; overlaps with PILI's IP-universe-to-multi-format monetization strategy.
• Sanrio: Builds and licenses character IP into merchandise, media, and experiences—comparable to PILI's reliance on iconic characters and a fan-driven merchandise business.

Direct peers

• The Jim Henson Company: A puppetry-driven entertainment producer that builds franchises and character IP with associated merchandise—directly analogous to PILI's puppet-show-centered content and licensing model, in a different cultural context.

Others

• Good Smile Company: A figure/collectible maker and anime production investor closely tied to the Thunderbolt Fantasy production ecosystem; overlaps with PILI on premium character collectibles and IP co-production.
• Aardman Animations: A character-driven stop-motion/animation studio that builds recognizable IP with merchandise tie-ins; thematically comparable to PILI's craft-based character franchise approach.

Regional players

• CJ ENM: A leading Asian entertainment company spanning content production, broadcasting, and streaming; comparable in business model but primarily serving Korea and broader Asian markets.

Emerging players

• Nitroplus: A Japanese story/character IP creator (behind Thunderbolt Fantasy's writing) producing genre content and collectibles; partial overlap through shared franchise and character-IP monetization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/epilinet
• Facebookfacebook.com/dapili
• Instagraminstagram.com/pili_puppetry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dapili

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Pili International Multimedia