Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 134: Rich and Powerful (Subscription Request)

It would take another two years for video websites to become popular.

Xunlei was founded in 03.

LeTV, PPTV, and Sohu Video were established in 04.

Tudou, Youku, and Baofeng Technology, 05.

The emergence of many video websites led to a period of confusion in film and television copyrights.

Then there was a major reshuffle, piracy was abandoned, and then money was spent on a copyright war.

Now, Tang Wen has made arrangements in advance, there is no competition, and no one even understands him, so he can get it at a very low price.

There is even hope of obtaining permanent online broadcasting rights.

The most classic case is LeTV.

In 11, he paid a whopping price of 2000 million to acquire the exclusive online broadcasting rights for "The Legend of Zhen Huan".

Until the boss ran away for many years.

This drama still creates tens of millions of dollars in value every year.

They distributed it to Youku.

Without distribution, profits would be higher.

LeTV's remaining employees in China have no boss but have a stable income, and their lives are simply too good to be true.

Now it’s 2002.

Tang Wen is planning to stockpile a batch of exclusive online broadcasting rights for classic TV series.

His co-lawyer is a future partner of one of the top eight red circle law firms.

Outstanding achievements.

The winning rate is encouraging.

Once major video websites appear, anyone who dares to infringe on the rights of others and broadcast them will be sued for infringement, and every case will be successful.

The online copyright fees paid in advance can probably be earned back with compensation alone.

Then the online broadcasting rights can be rented out at a high price.

During the period of wild growth, there were once hundreds of video platforms.

Whoever pays the highest price for the broadcasting rights gets it. It’s easy to make 20 to 30 times the profit, so it’s not a big problem.

After the chaotic period is over, he plans to work with Penguin to develop online videos.

The broadcasting rights of these classic dramas will be directly converted into shares when the time comes.

I'm not afraid that Brother Ma won't buy it.

In short, in one word, win-win!
Tang Wen himself won many times over and over again...

Mr. Jiang, who had never heard of "online broadcasting rights", was not at all alert.

I was stunned for a moment and asked what happened.

Tang Wen: “Hi, the Internet company I invested in is called Penguin.

They wanted to try whether the TV series could be broadcast online.

I am a person who attaches great importance to copyright awareness, so I won’t say whether this matter will succeed or not.

You must buy what you need, even if the money is not much, but it is a matter of principle!"

"Broadcasting TV series online? Is it reliable?" Jiang Xingrou had never heard of online broadcasting rights.

Tang Wen used his master-level acting skills, shook his head and sighed, "I think the future is bleak. Piracy is rampant in the film and television industry. Apart from TV stations making money from advertising, you can't make a penny online. This is purely experimental, so my offer is not high."

It's good to have money.

Jiang Xingrou doesn't know much about the Internet, but the current network is still slow, so she doesn't think it can be used to broadcast TV series and movies.

We have never had the online broadcasting rights before, and now we can sell them for some money, so why not agree?
She agreed verbally.

After the show that night, Tang Wen came to Li Xiaoran's house.

Teacher Dabai is passionate.

He didn't say much the whole night. He either hemmed and hawed, or stammered.

However, Tang Wen said a lot.

"What Mr. Bai? I'm the principal and director..."

"You don't want your husband, father-in-law, or neighbors to know..."

Ms. Zhou Yi Jiang sobered up the next day, chatted with her husband for a long time, and asked people around.

No one understands the “online broadcasting rights”, including our friends overseas, who have never heard of it.

Strike while the iron is hot.

In the morning, Tang Wen consulted a lawyer and studied the contract for half a day.

Finally, I put together a list of "all TV series produced by Zhou Yi"

"Exclusive online broadcast rights"

"Perpetual Copyright"

The contract with key words such as "A", "B", and "C" was sent to Zhou Yi.

"Permanent contract? That's impossible."

There are no fools among successful people.

Even if we have no idea what the future will be like, no one would be stupid enough to sell the permanent copyright.

Zhang Ran, who went to negotiate in person, smiled bitterly and said:
"We know it's too much, but we have done repeated deductions and calculations, and finally concluded that unless we sign a contract for decades or a permanent copyright, it is impossible to make money."

"How do you say it? If it's convenient, Mr. Zhang, please explain it in detail."

Zhang Ran lit a cigarette and said, "The development of televisions started before 1960. It has been more than years since then, and it has reached today's scale.

Computers are much more expensive than TVs, and there are additional broadband charges, so it would be better if they developed twice as fast.

It will take 20 years before people start thinking about watching TV series online.

But the Internet is less reliable than TV stations. Anyone can upload resources and anyone can pirate them.

Moreover, they are all old dramas, and you, the producers, can still sell them to TV stations in rounds.

Television stations can also replay it repeatedly.

Therefore, it is impossible to attract advertisers and there is no profit point at all..."

Zhang Ran took a long puff of his cigarette.

Jiang Xingrou and her husband thought about it secretly for a while, and it seemed to be the case.

"Then why do it?"

"I asked Director Tang the same question. Guess what he said?"

"How to say?"

"There must always be pioneers in an industry, right?" Zhang Ran put out his cigarette butt in the ashtray.

The two sides chatted for more than two hours, and the two heads of Zhou Yi signed the revised contract with some indifference but also some admiration.

"Okay, thank you both for your support. I'll transfer the money when I get back. Please check it. Okay, please stay. Please stay."

Facing the general manager of Blue Star Entertainment, Tang Wen’s deputy.

How could Jiang Xirou not send him downstairs?

Back at Blue Star Entertainment, Zhang Ran came to Tang Wen's office.

"We have come to an agreement. According to what you said, Director Tang, they have indeed focused on the [Permanent Copyright].

I took one step back after another. I didn't want permanent copyright, but only 15 years of exclusivity, which could be licensed to others.

The broadcasting rights are still available 15 years later.

After 15 bids, someone came to Zhou Yi to buy the online broadcasting rights.

Our consent is required, otherwise it will be an infringement.

We have the power to sue each other..."

To put it bluntly, this is a set of sophistry designed by professional lawyers.

Zhang Ran told Zhou Yi that if Penguin’s experiment of broadcasting TV series and movies online was successful, it would find a profit point.

Then 15 years later, many people will come to buy the online broadcasting rights, and the opportunity to make money will come.

Since Blue Star Entertainment and Penguin had been making investments in the early stages, they asked for a profit share.

But it only accounts for 20%.

However, Blue Star Entertainment asked for a veto power.

That is, you can decide who to sell to and who not to sell to.

I don’t think there is any problem with Zhouyi.

They don't do anything and still get 80%, which is a huge bargain.

Tang Wen and Penguin need to continue to invest and keep breaking new ground.

No matter how you look at it or think about it, you are not losing out.

As for whether they will deliberately reject it and not sell it at that time.

They think it's impossible. Who has a grudge against money?

Say.

They actually don’t quite believe that people are still watching these TV series more than a decade later.

Even if you make money, I'm afraid you won't make much.

You know, last year in 2001, 8 to 9 episodes were produced throughout the year.

Among them, there are many fine products.

In 15 years, there will probably be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of TV series a year?
By then, these dramas will be outdated. How many people will go out of their way to watch them? Director Tang will most likely lose money on this business.

So, now that they had the money to pay, they signed the contract without hesitation.

It is totally unexpected that in the next 10 years when video websites are in chaos, it is a good time to buy copyrights and make money.

I could never imagine how bad the domestic entertainment industry would become a dozen years later.

After 10 years, when most of the video companies have died, a few will start competing against each other in a life-and-death battle.

We will not agree to authorize other companies just for a little profit.

If an old movie is valuable enough, it can bring in a large number of registered users.

So no matter how much money the other party offers, it is impossible to obtain the online broadcasting rights of the film.

The most amazing thing is that Tang Wen’s veto power has no time limit.

This means that as long as he wants and keeps vetoing other buyers, he will have the exclusive broadcasting rights permanently.

What Zhou Yi sold was the online broadcasting rights of all the films in their company's film library.

The total value is only seven figures.

It seems that they have made a profit now, but in a few years we will know who is the winner.

It’s not that Zhou Yi is stupid, it’s just that society develops too fast and no one can predict the future.

Not to mention making a profit by predicting the future.

"Good! Well done. Don't show up for other companies. Organize a professional negotiation team and discuss things slowly. Talk according to the same standards."

"no problem."

As long as we can take down a few major companies on the market, we can then talk to the film and television companies in Hong Kong.

You can have almost monopoly level resources.

By then, what will other video platforms use to compete with me?

Fight against our pistols, submachine guns and Gatling guns with your bare hands?

Later, Xia Tian came in and said, "The people over at 'Drawing Sword' also responded and said they are not selling it."

Tang Wen thought for a moment and called a few more senior executives.

"Let's talk about 'Drawing Sword' again and raise the price to 200 million. Tell them we are looking for the original author to buy the adaptation rights. Just say I intend to write the script myself and put pressure on them."

The original author wrote the novel and the screenplay.

The script was sold to a film and television company.

This creates a loophole.

He only sold the script; the adaptation rights of the original work are still in his hands.

"Drawing Sword", Tang Wen is determined to win.

Even if there is cooperation, the party must be the controlling party, holding more than 70% of the shares.

The news was passed back to Hairun.

Liu Yanming's face turned pale. "Young people have no moral principles and don't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is! We couldn't even review the script, so how could a newcomer like him pass it? It's a joke."

He bought the script for 100 million.

In less than a year, the business made a net profit of 100 million.

To be honest, he was moved.

But he also liked this story and put a lot of effort into it, so he was unwilling to give up easily.

However, Hairun and Zhouyi are similar in that they are both private enterprises.

In terms of financial strength, he is far inferior to Tang Wen.

In the previous life, after much trouble, all parties raised funds to put together a small crew.

Liu Yanming still expressed his intention not to sell.

The original author Du Liang was also unable to save his face.

It is said that the remake rights have been given to Mr. Liu of Hairun, and the two sides can negotiate.

Du Liang is a best-selling author, so simply throwing money at him won’t work.

After thinking for a while, Tang Wen called him personally.

Some people had made advance preparations and knew the meaning of this call:
"Director Tang, I see your sincerity. I have already promised Mr. Liu, and it is difficult to break the contract."

Tang Wen sent someone to buy the adaptation rights for 180 million.

Of course Du Liang was moved.

But he has both the character of a soldier and the integrity of a scholar.

I can only refuse with reluctance.

"Director Tang, let me act as the middleman. How about you two talk about working together?"

Tang Wen smiled and said, "Sure, but I don't want to just mess around and make an ordinary TV series.

I will invest at least 30 million to create a masterpiece.

A high-quality anti-Japanese drama that will have an impact on the next ten or twenty years!
Will he?"

In the original time and space, the filming conditions of "Drawing Sword" were extremely difficult due to insufficient funds.

The shooting period is less than 100 days, so we can only shoot in winter.

In the mountains, the temperature is minus 20 degrees Celsius.

The lunch box was delivered from outside, but it was already cold and frozen before I could eat it.

The kang where we sat while filming and drinking was not heated at all.

It's cold.

He Zhengjun and Zhang Guangbei both suffered from severe colds and had no time to receive intravenous drip treatment, so they could only rely on drinking cheap liquor to stay awake.

Li Youbin was even worse off. He had a high fever of 39 degrees but still had to insist on filming.

The most difficult part is the extras, who have to take turns playing different types of soldiers.

Lying in the cold wilderness for several hours...

Thirty million?!

Du Liang felt his throat tighten. "Director Tang, how much do you want to say? How much are you going to invest? This drama is a bit sensitive. There's a possibility that it won't be shown."

He was extremely eager for his first novel, "Drawing Sword", to be adapted into a film.

Tang Wen repeated, “It’s only 30 million. Even if you are completely banned, you can’t get even a penny of mine.

If it is blocked, then you write a script and we can continue shooting.

As long as the script is good, it's no problem to lose 30 million every year!"

These few words silenced Du Lianggan.

Ah!
Is this the confidence of an international director?

No wonder the box office is over 3 billion a year!

Tang Wen emphasized: "I am not talking big. As long as you agree today, the project can be launched tomorrow. Similarly, the money can be deposited into the project-specific account tomorrow!"

His generosity and sincerity completely shocked Du Liang.

The playwright silently regretted that he should have known what script to sell.

It would be better to go directly to Tang Wen.

After a long silence, Du Liang said, "Director Tang, don't worry. I'll help you persuade Mr. Liu."

After hanging up the phone, he called Liu Yanming.

I heard that Tang Wen was going to invest 30 million yuan exclusively to create a high-quality anti-Japanese war drama.

This big shot in the circle couldn't hold it anymore!

impossible!
Crazy?
Thirty million, no tax on bragging!
How many rounds of sales do you need to make your money back?
Who would dare to invest so much for a TV series that they don't even know if it can be released?

But Du Liang swore that Tang Wen had repeatedly asked for a large sum of money to buy the adaptation rights.

Liu Yanming was shaken: If this is true, can the script of "Drawing Sword" be sold at a higher price?
If I could earn two million from a script...

His heart skipped a beat: you know, some dramas are filmed and sold out, but in the end no one is interested in them and they don’t make more than two million.

Moreover, Du Liang obviously wanted to cooperate with Tang Wen more at this time.

"Let me think about it..."

"Drawing Sword" was not filmed until 04 at the earliest.

Don't be in a hurry, Tang Wen didn't continue to raise the price.

Once their scripts are rejected a few times, you will know how much resistance this project faces.

He sat in front of the computer and continued to write the script for "The World's Number One".

"Boss Tang, you can't forget our QQ song, right?"

The day before leaving for Hong Kong, Brother Xiao Ma called to urge me.

“As a major shareholder, you didn’t come to the company during the Chinese New Year. Would you like to come over soon?
We have already negotiated with Zhou Xun and invited her to endorse QQ."

This is the change brought by Tang Wen.

The valuation of Penguin at this time is much higher than in the original time and space.

They even have enough money to hire Zhou Xun as their spokesperson.

After looking at the schedule, Tang Wen replied, "I will fly over from Beijing tomorrow afternoon."

Secretary Xia Tian heard this and reminded him: "Miss Chen Hao asked you to have dinner at her house tomorrow night."

"Well, let's change it to noon."

(End of this chapter)