This celebrity is absolutely wicked.

Chapter 245: Can you still snag a bargain on Tencent Video?

Hunan Province representative, Orange Isle: "Forget about commendations or anything like that, I just got inspired after watching Director Lu's video and reading his article, and I wanted to give it a try. I'm going to get started now."

Guangdong representative Zhang Jinbu: "Wait a minute, what inspiration have you come up with? Tell me!"

Zhang Jinbu, urgent!
How come I had no inspiration after watching videos and reading articles, but you did?

[Henan Province representative, Liang Mancang: Old Zhang, the more you want something, the less likely you are to get it. Don't be so materialistic.]

[Wang Baoan, representative from Beijing: You can continue drawing your funny comics.]

[The Pharaoh, representing North Africa: Only by letting go can you gain, my benefactor.]

[Zhang Jinbu: I disagree.]

Orange Island doesn't actually have any talent for making videos; after all, he's not a professional content creator like Grain Full Warehouse.

He just thought that some scenes from movies and TV dramas could be edited into the special edition of "Youth" to create a music video for the song.

A truly century-old version of the music video.

Orange Isle takes action without hesitation.

While he was editing, some celebrities in the entertainment industry became a little uneasy.

Especially regarding "I Want to See You Tomorrow Too". Jiang Yixuan is keeping a low profile and doesn't dare to show his face. An Lingling and the second male and female leads are doing the promotional activities, so the promotional effect is definitely weaker.

But even spending tens of millions can't compare to Lu Ran's popularity.

The film "The Beginning" hasn't officially started its promotional campaign yet, but the lead actors are trending on social media every few days. Who can stand that?

On Tencent Video.

Zhang Tao, the head of film and television drama business, has been considering an important matter these past few days.

That is, how much money should be offered for "The Beginning".

If Lu Ran and Ning Sirou were just ordinary celebrities, they could easily earn a few hundred thousand per episode.

The problem is that Lu Ran's fame is rising higher and higher.

If you don't buy it today, its price will rise again tomorrow.

As its reputation grows, its price will naturally rise.

The problem is that, in terms of its subject matter, "The Beginning" is by no means a blockbuster.

A hit drama has to be a fantasy romance drama or a modern romance drama.

This has been proven by the market.

There are no similar dramas on the market that can be used as a price reference, such as those in the sci-fi, suspense, and infinite flow genres.

“Ning Sirou is worth one million, Lu Ran is worth one million, and the remaining one million is my sincerity. I didn’t buy the drama ‘The Beginning’; I bought Lu Ran as a person.”

After several days of careful consideration, Zhang Tao finally made a major decision.

Although this is Lu Ran's first drama written and acted in, it is very likely to flop.

But with Lu Ran and Ning Sirou's popularity on their side, even if it flops, it won't be too bad.

As long as you can befriend Lu Ran, everything else will be easier.

Soon, Zhang Tao instructed his subordinates to prepare documents to communicate with Chang'an Entertainment.

He believed that neither Lu Ran nor Chang'an Entertainment would be able to refuse such a price.

Inside Chang'an Entertainment.

Lu Ran came to the company for a visit today.

At Liaoyuan Studio, Yang Guang's team has already produced several episodes of "That Rabbit" and there are basically no problems. All that's left is to find professional voice actors to dub the episodes.

Another piece of good news is that Beijing Central Radio and Television Station has sent an invitation to Wang Jiayue, a singer from Burning Studio, to perform at their New Year's Eve gala.

Originally, CCTV only invited Lu Ran to participate in the New Year's Eve gala, but Lu Ran's rewritten lyrics for "Youth" suddenly appeared and became a hit across the internet.

The attitude of the headquarters changed immediately.

We definitely can't have Lu Ran sing "Youth" again, so let Wang Jiayue sing this special version of "Youth".

Wang Jiayue and Chen Ke were overjoyed.

It's worth noting that Wang Jiayue is a singer who only debuted this year, and she has only released one song that truly belongs to her: "Youth".

As a result, it will be featured on CCTV's New Year's Eve Gala.

This was something I wouldn't have dared to imagine before.

Wang Jiayue was still a little embarrassed.

After all, Li Haorui didn't even attend CCTV's New Year's Eve Gala, but she received an invitation.

If new employees have better resources than long-term employees, what will the long-term employees think?

She told Lu Ran about it with a mix of trepidation and excitement.

Lu Ran searched online for the program list of CCTV's New Year's Eve Gala from five years ago, and Li Haorui's name was on it.

"Mind your own business. Why are you always worrying about others? I have other plans for Li Haorui."

Wang Jiayue felt humiliated, but her mood improved, and she then focused on practicing this special version of "Youth".

Given her nervous personality, she would definitely be nervous about going on stage for CCTV's New Year's Eve gala.

After finishing up his business at the studio, Lu Ran went to Shen Qingyi's office.

Although it's winter, the office heating is on full blast, so it's not cold at all.

Shen Qingyi was wearing a light-colored fitted knit sweater and gold-rimmed glasses, dressed in a professional style.

Upon seeing Lu Ran, a smile appeared on her face.

"Please sit down, I have some good news for you."

After Lu Ran sat down, Shen Qingyi handed him a document.

"Tencent Video wants to buy the first round of online broadcasting rights for 'The Beginning' for three million per episode."

Shen Qingyi was very excited.

The production cost of "The Beginning" was only a little over ten million yuan, and it has a total of fifteen episodes.

According to Tencent Video's quote, the total revenue would be 45 million.

This doesn't even include other derivative income.

For example, the revenue from product placements in the show still belongs to the company.

If the show becomes a hit, the actors will gain more fame and their endorsement fees will be higher.

Some of the actors in this film are even Chang'an Entertainment's own actors.

For Shen Qingyi, turning over ten million into over forty million was within her expectations and she was already quite satisfied.

However, in Lu Ran's view, while the price was sincere, that was all.

Even by industry standards, this price is definitely not considered high.

In Lu Ran's memory, the 2018 drama "The Story of Ming Lan" had a total of 78 episodes, and the copyright fee for each episode was as high as 13 million.

In this world, the prices for web dramas featuring top-tier celebrities are incredibly high.

On Earth, the series *The Beginning* broke numerous records, with a single episode garnering over 100 million views, making it an absolute blockbuster of the year. In this world, it will only go higher, never lower.

After all, he and Ning Sirou were much more famous than the two lead actors at the time.

Even when "The Beginning" was being broadcast on Earth, the production company Daylight Entertainment itself didn't have much confidence in the show.

In the end, the video platform managed to snag "The Beginning".

I bought a blockbuster movie for the least amount of money.

Others can do it, but Lu Ran can't.

Could Tencent Video really snag a bargain?
"Sister Qingyi, we don't want a buyout; we want a revenue-sharing model."

There are many ways to share revenue, including advertising revenue sharing, viewership revenue sharing, and membership fee sharing.

Shen Qingyi: "If we split the revenue, we won't even recoup the costs if the viewership isn't high."

"The average number of views per episode of this drama will not be less than 100 million."

After Lu Ran finished speaking, Shen Qingyi stared at him with the eyes of someone who cares for children.

Then she got up and walked to the bookshelf behind her desk, and took out a handbag from it.

She handed the handbag to Lu Ran.

"I feel you look better in this outfit than I do."

Inside the handbag was a brand-new hospital gown.

Lu Ran was speechless.

I absolutely refuse to wear these clothes!
People call me Director Lu. Can I wear clothes like this?

Inappropriate!
"Sister Qingyi, I'm not joking. I have a lot of confidence in this drama. Can you talk to Tencent Video about whether only Tencent Video can buy it?"

After all, he and Ning Sirou are both big stars, how could only Tencent buy them?

"Dongsun Video also wanted to buy it, but they only offered two million per episode."

The long-form video platforms in the Chinese entertainment industry are Orange, Penguin, and Winter Bamboo Shoots.

Dongsun Video's capabilities are somewhat inferior to these two.

In terms of total membership, Dongsun cannot compare with Penguin Video and Orange Video.

Lu Ran: "We can also talk to Dongsun Video. At worst, we can make a bet. If I lose, I'll pay you back."

Shen Qingyi rolled her eyes: "Do you think I'd make you lose money? Losing money in business is normal."

"Do you really think that the average number of views per episode of 'The Beginning' can exceed 100 million?"

A drama with an average of over 100 million views per episode is undoubtedly a blockbuster in the industry, something Chang'an Entertainment never dared to dream of before.

Lu Ran nodded.

Shen Qingyi pondered for a moment.

Then she said, "I'll agree if you put on this hospital gown."

Lu Ran's expression froze.

If Shen Qingyi weren't an investor, he wouldn't have bothered saying anything at all.

Once he makes a big profit from this, he must suppress Shen Qingyi so that he can control the direction of the entire series from then on.

"Sister Qingyi, I can't change here."

Shen Qingyi's gaze swept over Lu Ran from head to toe.

"If you want to change here, that's fine too. I'll close my eyes and promise not to look."

"I'll go back and change. You should handle this as a matter of course!"

Lu Ran grabbed his bag and left.

Shen Qingyi, with a smile on her face, called Chang Na in.

After having Chang Na revise some clauses according to Lu Ran's ideas, she then contacted Zhang Tao.

In the Penguin Video video, Zhang Tao frowned after listening to his subordinate's report.

"Revenue sharing? They might even sign a performance-based agreement with us. Is Chang'an Entertainment really that confident in this drama?"

Zhang Tao, on the other hand, was somewhat unsure.

A buyout is a one-time deal, but a revenue-sharing deal is not.

If we happen to produce a blockbuster, the money we distribute will be enormous.

If Lu Ran receives more, Tencent Video will earn less.

Of course, there are risks involved in buying out a show. If the show flops, then it flops, and Tencent Video will have to accept it.

"Tell Chang'an Entertainment that we'll consider it."

On the other side, Ji Yongsheng, head of the film and television department of Dongsun Video, also received a report from his subordinates.

Ji Yongsheng was also a little unsure at this point.

“Originally, I was going to spend 30 million to buy a TV series, but now I don’t have to spend any money. I can just sign a revenue-sharing agreement, which is equivalent to buying the TV series for free. Anyway, I can make as much profit as I can.”

Ji Yongsheng's ideas differed from Zhang Tao's.

Anyway, it's all about making money, and there's no risk involved. The only question is how much money Lu Ran gets.

According to Chang'an Entertainment's terms, the more popular the show becomes, the more money Lu Ran will receive, while the platform will receive less.

This is where Ji Yongsheng is slightly conflicted.

But soon, Ji Yongsheng figured it out.

"Wait a minute, why am I imagining this show getting over 100 million views per episode? That's impossible."

Ji Yongsheng immediately summoned his subordinates.

"Tell Chang'an Entertainment that we can agree to this contract."

That evening, Lu Ran returned to Wutong Garden and changed into a hospital gown.

He took a selfie in front of the mirror, feeling utterly hopeless, and then sent it to Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi replied quickly.

"Not bad, very energetic!"

Lu Ran: "Is it the mental illness of a psychopath?"

Shen Qingyi: "You mean I'm sick?"

Lu Ran: "Of course not, you just have a childlike heart."

Shen Qingyi told Lu Ran about the replies from Penguin Video and Winter Bamboo Shoot Video.

"If Tencent Video is still hesitating, there's no rush, we can wait."

In terms of platform scale, Lu Ran still prefers Tencent Video.

(End of this chapter)