Ocean Engine
Ocean Engine is ByteDance's official digital marketing and advertising platform, serving international and domestic brands seeking to reach Chinese consumers across Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ, Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel, with an aggregated reach of 1.9 billion monthly active user accounts and 63 billion+ daily ad requests.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Ocean Engine does
Ocean Engine, operated by Beijing Ocean Engine Information Technology Co., Ltd., is ByteDance's official digital marketing and advertising platform. It provides integrated advertising, marketing, and lead-retention services across ByteDance's app ecosystem, including Douyin (600M+ DAU, 400M+ Search DAU), Toutiao, CSJ (Chuanshanjia, 800M+ active DAUs across 100K+ apps), Xigua Video (180M MAU), and Fanqie Novel — collectively reaching 1.9 billion+ monthly active user accounts and processing 63B+ daily ad requests. The platform's technology stack is built around ByteDance's proprietary interest-based recommendation algorithm, augmented by AIGC tools for digital human and video content creation, and supported by the Yuntu customer data platform and UBMax automated bidding system. Its product portfolio includes Shopping Ads, In-Feed Ads, Search Ads, TopView, Branded Hashtag Challenges, Mission For All, Creator Collaboration, and Douyin E-Commerce Global cross-border commerce.
The platform serves a diversified customer base spanning international brands entering China (Outfit7, dermalogica, Samyang Foods, Facetune/Lightricks, vit.O.Best, COGI, Selsun), gaming and app developers (CSJ: 105K+ advertisers), beauty/skincare, e-commerce retail, education institutions, and tourism brands. Revenue is generated primarily through auction-based advertising placements (OCPM, CPM, CPS) across ByteDance apps, supplemented by e-commerce transaction fees from Douyin E-Commerce Global. Distribution is omnichannel: a self-serve online platform (oceanengine.io) with account-opening for non-Chinese businesses; a dedicated enterprise sales team (China Inbound Business led by Lucas Zhang) providing 1-to-1 onboarding; and a channel-partner ecosystem via Xingtu connecting 1,500+ MCNs, 2 million influencers, and 1,000+ agencies.
The business operates within ByteDance's corporate structure and is positioned as the international/inbound gateway to China's dominant short-video and content ecosystem. Pricing is quote-based with no publicly disclosed tiers; advertisers submit estimated annual budgets via contact forms. The company's strategic positioning combines platform reach (1.9B+ MAU), AI-driven personalization, a full-spectrum content ecosystem (short video, mid-form video, livestreaming, audio), and a creator/agency/MCN partner network — yielding a structural moat in the China digital advertising market that no independent ad-tech competitor can replicate without access to comparable user scale.
Ocean Engine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ocean Engine
- Legal name
- Beijing Ocean Engine Information Technology Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://oceanengine.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ocean Engine is ByteDance's official digital marketing and advertising platform, serving international and domestic brands seeking to reach Chinese consumers across Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ, Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel, with an aggregated reach of 1.9 billion monthly active user accounts and 63 billion+ daily ad requests.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ocean Engine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Advertising Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Influencer/Creator Marketplaces & Brand Deal Platforms (MPACABAI)
Keywords
Where Ocean Engine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ocean Engine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: Ocean Engine generates primary revenue through advertising placements across its network of ByteDance apps including Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ, Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel. Advertisers pay for various ad formats including In-Feed Ads, Search Ads, TopView, Branded Hashtag Challenges, Shopping Ads, and Live Stream ads, with pricing based on bidding auctions (OCPM, CPM) and performance metrics.
- Douyin E-Commerce Global: Douyin E-Commerce Global enables cross-border e-commerce sellers and international brands to sell products directly on Douyin, generating revenue through platform fees and take rates on transactions facilitated through the platform's livestream commerce, product seeding, and product venue features.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No publicly listed pricing tiers; advertiser engagement is quote-based with inquiry forms capturing estimated annual advertising budget. |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ocean Engine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ocean Engine is a digital marketing platform that enables brands and advertisers to run programmatic advertising campaigns across ByteDance's app ecosystem including Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ (Chuanshanjia), Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel. The platform offers auction-based bidding formats (OCPM, CPM, CPS), influencer marketing through Xingtu, customer data analytics via Yuntu, and integrated e-commerce solutions including Douyin E-Commerce Global for cross-border brands entering China. It serves both self-serve advertisers and enterprise clients with dedicated account management through its China Inbound Business team.
Product overview
Ocean Engine is a comprehensive digital marketing platform operated by Beijing Ocean Engine Information Technology Co., Ltd. (ByteDance subsidiary) that provides integrated advertising and marketing solutions across ByteDance's app ecosystem. The platform consists of the core Ocean Engine advertising platform plus multiple platforms including Douyin (short video with 600M+ DAU), Toutiao (content discovery with 100+ verticals), CSJ (app monetization serving 105K+ advertisers), Xigua Video (middle-form video), and Fanqie Novel (reading app). Supporting products include Xingtu (influencer partnership platform connecting 1,500+ MCNs and 2M influencers), Yuntu (customer data platform leveraging 1.5B+ user data), and UBMax (programmatic bidding optimization). The advertising product suite includes Shopping Ads, In-Feed Ads, Search Ads, TopView, Branded Hashtag Challenge, Mission For All, Creator Collaboration, Live Shopping Ads, Content Seeding, Short Video Shopping Ads, and Product Card Promotion. Ocean Engine enables brands to reach audiences through AI-powered interest-based recommendations, AIGC content creation tools, and comprehensive e-commerce solutions including Douyin E-Commerce Global for cross-border sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ocean Engine Advertising Platform A comprehensive digital marketing platform that enables brands and advertisers to run programmatic advertising campaigns across ByteDance's app ecosystem including Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ, Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel, with reach of 1.9 billion monthly active user accounts. Designed for international and domestic brands seeking to reach Chinese consumers through auction-based bidding (OCPM, CPM), influencer marketing, and integrated e-commerce solutions.
- Douyin Advertising Solutions Advertising products on China's leading short-form video platform with 600M+ Daily Active Users and 400M+ Search DAU, enabling brands to engage audiences with native content including In-Feed Ads, Shopping Ads, Search Ads, TopView, and Branded Hashtag Challenges.
- Toutiao Advertising Solutions Advertising products on one of China's largest content discovery and creation platforms with 100+ content verticals and 2.3M+ Creator Accounts, leveraging personalized recommendation for native ad delivery across sports, health, education, and more verticals.
- CSJ (Chuanshanjia) App Monetization Platform Enterprise-grade marketing platform helping app developers accelerate user growth, traffic monetization, and LTV by leveraging Ocean Engine's technology across 100K+ different apps with 800M+ active DAUs and 63B+ daily ad requests. Has served 105K+ advertisers.
- Xingtu Influencer Partnership Platform A partner service platform connecting brands with 1,500+ MCNs, 2 million influencers, 1.9 million brands/clients, and 1,000+ agencies and service providers in China. Facilitates strategic connections, negotiations, and collaborative partnerships between influencers, brands, and marketers through KOL marketing, livestreaming, and creator collaboration programs.
- Yuntu Customer Data Platform Customer data platform that aggregates consumption trends from 1.5B+ monthly active users, constructs 5A relationship assets and content assets, and supports market strategy, marketing strategy, business strategy, platform strategy, and measurement & evaluation with AI-powered predictive analytics for competitive landscape analysis.
- Douyin E-Commerce Global Cross-border e-commerce solution enabling international brands to sell products directly on Douyin through livestreaming commerce, product seeding, and product venue features, with platform fees and take rates on transactions facilitated through the platform.
- UBMax Programmatic Bidding Programmatic advertising bidding solution representing the highest bid an advertiser is willing to pay for an ad impression within Ocean Engine's auction-based environment, using AI-driven automation for real-time bid decisions and budget allocation optimization.
- In-Feed Ads Native in-feed advertising product adaptable across every marketing stage on Douyin and other ByteDance apps, with Interest Refeed feature enabling real-time interception of competitor audiences based on user interest profiles.
- Search Ads Search advertising products on Douyin enabling brands to reach high-intent users actively searching for products or content, with Game Brand Zone offering upgraded styles with guaranteed visibility and 7% increase in CTR.
- Shopping Ads and Live Shopping Ads Strategically placed ads within Douyin's native content feed capturing attention of users actively engaging with content, supporting direct links to product pages, promotional offers, and livestream commerce for real-time product demonstrations and sales conversion.
- TopView Brand Advertising Full-screen display advertising with strong visual impact on the opening screen of the Douyin app, ideal for brand events, new product launches, and major brand campaigns.
- Branded Hashtag Challenge Interactive branded hashtag challenges that invite users to participate in brand messaging, driving user-generated content creation, hashtag page views, and brand engagement across Douyin and ByteDance apps.
- Mission For All (PUGC Tool) PUGC interactive tool that boosts brand exposure through content tasks with cash or traffic rewards, with Performance Mode enabling high-quality user-generated videos to automatically contain game download buttons for app install campaigns.
- Product Card Promotion Product promotion format enabling brands to highlight specific products within the Douyin ecosystem with enhanced visibility and direct shopping links for conversion.
- Ocean Creator Marketplace Marketplace integrating influencer content with ad traffic, matching brands with creators to produce high-quality assets delivered through native strategies, with StarAD Unite connecting brand exposure, creator marketplace, and auction ads.
Quantifiable outcome
- Facetedune achieved 1.21% Avg CTR within one month, 195% growth in daily ad views, and 8-position improvement on App Ranking on Douyin.
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Ocean Engine
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ocean Engine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Ocean Engine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- WALOVI (Guangzhou Wang Lao Ji Great Health Industry Co., Ltd.)minorWALOVI, the international brand of Guangzhou Wang Lao Ji, signed distribution agreements with Ocean Engine among other partners (Meituan Delivery, Eleme, Dianping, Jiaye Trading Canada Corp.) to expand into Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. Ocean Engine serves as a distribution and marketing channel for WALOVI's canned plant-based beverage products on Douyin and ByteDance's ecosystem.
- ByteDance Ltd.coreOcean Engine is a subsidiary and the official digital marketing platform of ByteDance Ltd. The platform leverages ByteDance's technology, user data, and app ecosystem (Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ, Xigua Video, Fanqie Novel) to power its advertising solutions. Beijing Ocean Engine Information Technology Co., Ltd. operates the Ocean Engine Platform.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ocean Engine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ocean Engine social profiles
Digital presenceOcean Engine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ocean Engine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Ocean Engine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ocean Engine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ocean Engine
What does Ocean Engine do?
Ocean Engine is a digital marketing platform that enables brands and advertisers to run programmatic advertising campaigns across ByteDance's app ecosystem including Douyin, Toutiao, CSJ (Chuanshanjia), Xigua Video, and Fanqie Novel. The platform offers auction-based bidding formats (OCPM, CPM, CPS), influencer marketing through Xingtu, customer data analytics via Yuntu, and integrated e-commerce solutions including Douyin E-Commerce Global for cross-border brands entering China. It serves both self-serve advertisers and enterprise clients with dedicated account management through its China Inbound Business team.
Is Ocean Engine a public or private company?
Ocean Engine is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ocean Engine founded?
Ocean Engine was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ocean Engine based?
Ocean Engine is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does Ocean Engine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising Revenue is the primary driver. The others are douyin E-Commerce Global.
Does Ocean Engine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ocean Engine.
What industry is Ocean Engine in?
Ocean Engine's product category is Digital Advertising Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACABAI, Influencer/Creator Marketplaces & Brand Deal Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7310.