Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

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Huangguo TV is the undisputed strongest local satellite TV station in China, bar none.

Its glorious history and industry status are deeply imprinted in the collective memory of several generations of television viewers.

Since officially establishing its forward-looking and aggressive channel positioning of "targeting entertainment, targeting young people, and targeting the whole country" in 2002, Huangguo TV has embarked on a magnificent journey.

In 2006, thanks to the phenomenal popularity of the talent show "Super Girl,"

It not only created an unprecedented ratings phenomenon, but also ushered in a new era of television event marketing and fan economy in China, making the "Huangguo productions are always top-notch" brand shine brightly.

Since then,

Its position as the "dominant force in satellite TV" was virtually unshakeable for more than a decade, leading the aesthetic tastes and trending topics of audiences nationwide, whether in variety entertainment or drama series.

However, nothing lasts forever.

In recent years, especially against the backdrop of the mobile internet wave's dramatic impact on traditional television media,

This once-promising "entertainment carrier" has suffered a devastating defeat, revealing worrying signs of fatigue and decline.

First and foremost is its pioneering and proud concept of a "New Year's Eve gala".

once Upon a time,

Huang Guo's New Year's Eve special is the most important television event for people across the country besides Lunar New Year's Eve, and its ratings are far ahead of the competition.

However, for the past three years in a row, this prestigious brand has been overtaken by "Moonlight TV," which boasts a more innovative style and understands younger audiences, and "Frozen TV," which has strong financial backing and high-quality production.

They caught up and even overtook them, but were subjected to an unprecedented "mixed doubles" attack, losing face completely.

What is even more fatal and fundamental is the complete loss of its core competitive segment – ​​the television drama segment.

Huangguo TV's "Diamond Exclusive Theater," which made it famous, created a ratings miracle in 2014 with hit dramas such as "Swords of Legends" and "The Journey of Flower," pushing the theater's reputation to its peak.

Its final, glorious afterglow seems to linger on "Legend of Nine Tails Fox".

Since then,

The diamond seemed to have suddenly lost its luster.

The theater ratings plummeted like a rollercoaster ride, never to recover.

The station has invested heavily in and placed high hopes on a series of big-budget, big-IP dramas, such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas," "Song in the Clouds," "General and I," "Chinese Paladin 5," "Ice Fantasy," and "Fighter of the Destiny."

One after another, as if under a curse, both critical acclaim and viewership plummeted, with none spared.

among them,

The live-action adaptation of "Qin's Moon," touted as a huge investment and highly anticipated by fans, suffered an unprecedented and astonishing drop in average viewership ratings to a staggering 0.434%.
It set a new low in viewership for a prime-time drama series, becoming a laughing stock in the industry.

Even "In the Name of the People," which was originally expected to become a hit and reverse its decline with its high quality and profound themes, unfortunately ran into the "replenishment" storm sweeping the entire industry.

During that period,

The whole nation is watching the drama unfold, with public opinion completely drawn to the tax earthquake in the entertainment industry.

As a result, although this high-quality drama won critical acclaim, it unfortunately failed to garner widespread viewership and attention, and thus failed to shoulder the responsibility of "saving the market."

Looking back on the whole year, Huangguo TV has not only failed to create another phenomenal hit like "The Journey of Flower", but it is also difficult to find a drama that can even meet the basic standards of being a hit.

Not only did the huge sums of money spent on purchasing the films go down the drain and fail to achieve the expected advertising results, but advertisers even faced the embarrassing situation of demanding compensation and canceling their orders due to viewership not meeting promises.

For Huang Guotai, who was always proud and arrogant, this was tantamount to being slapped in the face in public, a great humiliation for the entire station.

The disastrous ratings will inevitably lead to personnel upheavals.

The first to be affected was the "film purchasing department," which held substantial funds and was responsible for acquiring theatrical productions.

This department, which had always been one of the most sought-after and lucrative core departments within the television station, suddenly plummeted from heaven to hell.

A thorough purge was carried out within the department.

Those who were the main people in charge and related personnel who initially advocated for purchasing those flop dramas have either resigned, been transferred from core positions, or been laid off to less demanding departments.

In an instant, the tree fell and the monkeys scattered.

The film purchasing department is a coveted position that countless people would do anything to squeeze into.

As one group of people left in disappointment, another group of people naturally rubbed their hands together, eager to "pack their bags and get to work."

The newly appointed leader faces unprecedented pressure, but also harbors enormous ambitions.

at the moment,

Nothing is more important than quickly achieving tangible results and consolidating one's position with an immediate ratings victory.

Then,

In today's high-risk film and television market, where audience tastes are unpredictable,

Which artist can guarantee, to the greatest extent possible, that the films they star in will have a very high success rate once they are released, or even that they can "guarantee" a profit?
The answer, after countless bloody lessons and data comparisons, seems to point to the same person.

In fact,
The current predicament of Huangguotai's film purchasing department is inextricably linked to Gu Qing's rise to power.

If it weren't for a series of major productions starring Gu Qing, such as "The Mystic Nine," "The Imperial Doctress," and "Nirvana in Fire,"

Following its phenomenal success on rival TVB, achieving both high ratings and critical acclaim, the show propelled TVB's drama programming to new heights.

This makes Huangguotai's situation even more dire, and the film purchasing department shouldn't have had to endure such immense internal pressure and public criticism.

The rise of enemy radio stations is the most intense and continuous slap in their faces.

This is precisely why, as early as when Gu Qing first showed his talent, a few individuals within the department strongly recommended that the station pay close attention to him and attempt to purchase his works.

It was "spared" from this cleaning.
Some even gained opportunities for promotion because of their "foresight." One of them is Su Man, the newly appointed head of the film purchasing department.

Su Man, a middle-aged woman in her early forties who still retains her charm, was the person in charge who once strongly supported the purchase of Gu Qing's drama.

Upon taking office, she defied public opinion and proposed "purchasing Gu Qing's works" as a way to turn the department's decline around.

At this moment,

There is currently a ready-made work on the market starring Gu Qing called "Love O2O".

In the fierce competition with its old rival, Dongfang TV, Su Man withstood internal criticism and made the decision on her own.
With an astonishing price nearly half that of the flop hit "Fighter of the Destiny," they snatched the exclusive television broadcasting rights for "Love O2O" from the wealthy Dongfang TV.

To outsiders and even many colleagues, this deal was simply incomprehensible.

Spending so much money

Unless "Love O2O" achieves the nationwide popularity of shows like "The Journey of Flower" or "The Mystic Nine," it's unlikely to become a hit.

Otherwise, with such high costs for purchasing the shows, the TV station would inevitably suffer huge losses.

Faced with her colleagues' doubts, ridicule, and even whispers behind her back, Su Man pretended not to care, but she knew very well what was going on in her heart.

To secure this position, one must take risky measures.

Instead of betting on those "traffic stars" who have no representative works and rely solely on fan hype, and gambling on their illusory "audience appeal,"
Why not gamble on Gu Qing, this "lucky charm" who has already proven her ability to "turn lead into gold" with multiple hit shows?

Is it difficult to choose?

Su Man sometimes sneered inwardly, "Is it a gamble that Gu Qing's drama will be a huge hit, or a gamble that some pretty-boy actors will suddenly have a change of heart? Even a fool should know which to choose."

She knew that not all of her dissenting colleagues were fools.

Price is only one aspect.

After all, it wasn't their own money they were spending.

She knew the deeper reason perfectly well, which could be summed up in five words: "She couldn't get what she wanted."

Although in the TV drama industry, truly popular artists have considerable influence.

However, Huangguotai is, after all, the industry leader with huge platform advantages.

in the past,

The film acquisition department takes a liking to a drama starring a certain artist, extends an "invitation," suggesting a dinner and drinks to foster "relationship," and those artists...

Especially for artists who are on the rise and need platform resources, who wouldn't give them face?
Who would dare not come?

At the dinner table, watching those young and handsome male actors and beautiful female celebrities, with smiles that were either ingratiating or respectful, toasting and chatting with people calling them "leader" or "sister,"
That sense of control and pleasure is one of the important "benefits" for many people to secure their positions.

But Gu Qing is an "oddball".

The young people are completely out of touch.

During filming, when he was "visited" or "invited" by the film purchasing department, he would go back to his room to study the script after work.

Once filming is finished, they're nowhere to be seen, quickly jumping into the next job, their schedules so tight there's no room for anything else.

You, Gu Qing, are a top star, so beautiful it's irresistible, but you can only look at them, never touch them.

What practical "meaning" does it have for some people who are used to a certain "way of working"?

In that case,

It's better to buy films by artists who are more "sensible" and "well-behaved".

At the dinner party, listening to the handsome young men sweet-talking and calling her "sister" this and "sister" that...
Wouldn't it be perfect to be able to complete your work and satisfy your personal desires at the same time?
As for whether the show flops or not... well, it's not my money, and I've always done it this way before, haven't I?
"A bunch of idiots."

Su Man dismissed this with disdain.

In her view, this was putting the cart before the horse and losing sight of the bigger picture.

Is it really that hard to get Gu Qing to have a meal with me?
Is it really that hard to arrange a meeting with him?
As long as his film is successfully sold to the station, as the lead actor, he will have to appear on the station's variety shows during the promotional period of the series, right?
Which celebrity would dare not attend the after-dinner gathering that is a tradition of "Happy Camp"?
As long as he promotes, there's no need to worry about not having the opportunity to meet, communicate, or even establish contact.

"As you've probably seen, 'Love O2O' was a hit even before it aired, and its online popularity was incredibly high in the early stages."

At the final decision-making meeting, Su Man calmly stated in the face of doubts, "Although we brought Jing Tian, ​​who is a box office poison, it will not affect Gu Qing's appeal."

"With him around, at least the advertisers won't make a fuss and demand a refund from us!"

This sentence sealed the deal.

after all,

The station can no longer afford another round of advertisers demanding compensation.

that's it,
Amidst immense internal and external pressure and anticipation, Huang Guo won the television broadcasting rights for "Love O2O".

blink of an eye,

Then came the day the series premiered.

The golden age of television, when a hit drama could easily break the 2 or 3 ratings mark, and even create a myth of breaking the 10 ratings like "Princess Pearl," is long gone.

The rise of online video platforms has significantly diverted young viewers, and the age of television viewers is constantly shifting upwards.

Nowadays, if a TV series can maintain an average viewership rating of around 0.8%, it is considered an excellent achievement and something to celebrate.

If it can break 1%, then it will definitely be a hugely popular drama, worthy of being mentioned in great detail.

"Gu Qing's drama... giving it a 0.9 rating for the premiere, or maybe even breaking 1 if we're lucky, isn't that fair?"

That night,

The woman returned to her mansion and personally watched the premiere of "Love O2O".

She was a widow, and the old man, twenty years her senior, was already dead.

In the past, I would call a young, handsome man to keep me company during times like this.

But today,
She wasn't in the mood, so she changed into a silk nightgown and stared at the TV.

At first, her mind was not on the plot at all.

Eyes glued to the screen, but mind rehearsing all the possible data results, fingers anxiously reaching for the phone every now and then.
Check if there has been any prior leak of inside information, or browse the scattered discussions about "Love O2O" on social media.

The air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, but she still felt a bit stuffy.

However, as the well-produced virtual world scenes unfolded at the beginning of the film and the plot progressed rapidly, I was still drawn in.

For an older widow like her
This youthful, campus vibe is just so appealing.

I watched both episodes in one go with great enjoyment.
After the first episode introduces the backgrounds of the male and female leads, and then their chance encounter at an internet cafe, Xiao Nai is attracted to Bei Weiwei, who is focused on fighting.

After unexpectedly discovering his identity in the second episode

The two became a couple in the game, but within the game, Bei Weiwei was falsely accused of kidnapping Zhenshui Wuxiang.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nai, the male lead, attended a press conference for the first time with his mobile game and gained the appreciation of various companies, while busy with his own career.

The pacing is tight, and the plot is not drawn out or padded. In fact, after two episodes, Bei Weiwei and Xiao Nai did not make eye contact or have a single conversation in real life.

But that sweet, refreshing aura kept escaping through a series of coincidences. "Ahhh!! Xiao Nai seems aloof and reserved on the surface, but he's a completely different person in private. I totally understand him!"

"This kind of man looks so innocent and detached, but when no one's around, who knows what kind of beastly nature he might unleash? Tsk tsk."

"I wonder if Gu Qing is like this in private... Just thinking about it makes my legs go weak."

"Haha, remember to change the sheets tomorrow morning."

Seeing the unrestrained and suggestive remarks from the women in the group, Su Man's lips, which had been tightly pressed together all night, finally couldn't help but curl upwards.

Even these worldly-wise and discerning "sisters" couldn't resist the charm of the character Gu Qing portrayed in the drama.

What can young girls, just beginning to experience love and in the prime of their youth, use to resist?
A heavy weight seemed to have been lifted from my heart as the plot became more engaging.

She slumped into the sofa and let out a long sigh.

The quality of the series seems to have far exceeded expectations, which gives her more confidence in the ratings data.

This night,
Su Man had a beautiful dream.

……

The next morning,

Su Man woke up earlier than usual, dressed herself carefully, and drove to the Huangguotai TV building with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

She knew that the crucial moment that would determine the success or failure of her job lay in the thin viewership report that would be delivered today.

"Good morning, Director Su."

"Hello, director."

Along the way, every employee we encountered greeted us respectfully.

Upon entering the spacious and bright director's office, Su Man's gaze immediately fell upon the large mahogany desk—which was completely empty.

She then remembered that, according to the procedure, the viewership data needed to go through multiple rounds of review and summarization, and it usually wouldn't be delivered to the heads of various departments until after 9:30 a.m.

There's still more than half an hour left.

Those half hours were an extremely agonizing experience for Su Man.

She forced herself to process a few unimportant documents, only to find that she couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

I drank two cups of coffee, but I still couldn't calm down the anxiety in my heart.

"With Gu Qing's appeal and the pre-release publicity, the ratings for the first episode shouldn't be too bad, and it's possible that it will break 1... The key is the second episode."

She mentally rehearsed, "If the retention rate for the second episode can remain stable, or even increase slightly, it means the show's quality has captivated the audience, and it's not simply relying on fans inflating numbers. This is the beginning of a virtuous cycle..."

in fact,

She could easily turn on her computer or phone right now to check the first-day viewership, bullet comments, and even public opinion on social media for "Love O2O" on the Kuzi platform.

Although online data is often heavily inflated, for a top influencer like Gu Qing, early data is often quite valuable for reference.

But she forced herself to hold back. What she wanted was data that was more "traditional," more "authoritative," and more convincing to the station's leaders.

Television ratings from professional viewership statistics agencies.

This represents how many households turned on their televisions and tuned in to CCTV-4 at a fixed time.
This is a more stable and harder-to-recruit "base," the very foundation upon which a television station survives.

Time passed second by second, each second feeling exceptionally long.

Finally, when the clock struck 9:40, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Director, the viewership data has arrived." The young data specialist walked in respectfully, holding a folder.

Before he could put the folder on the table, Su Man jumped up and snatched it away almost as if she were grabbing it.
He raised his hand and gestured for her to leave, his voice slightly hoarse from nervousness: "Okay, I understand, you can go now."

The young clerk tactfully and quickly withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, only Su Man's slightly rapid breathing could be heard in the office.

She took a deep breath and quickly opened the folder that would determine her fate.

The reports were very detailed and professional, with each ten-minute segment serving as a statistical node from the premiere last night to the rebroadcast at midnight, showing the ups and downs of the viewership curve.

Su Man's gaze skipped over the complex curves and time-sharing data, eagerly moving to the bottom of the report, where the average viewership ratings for the two episodes of the TV series during that time slot were summarized.

The moment my eyes fell on the first number—

Su Man's breath hitched, and her pupils contracted sharply.

She could hardly believe her eyes. She instinctively leaned closer and blinked rapidly, as if afraid it was an illusion or a misreading of the decimal point.

The words are in black and white, crystal clear:
《微微一笑很倾城》第一集（19:30-20:15）平均收视率：1.112％

"1.112... It's broken 1.1?!"

Su Man murmured softly, a huge surge of unbelievable ecstasy rushing to her head, making her feel slightly dizzy.

This number not only easily surpassed the 1% threshold for trending topics, but even exceeded her boldest predictions.

In an era of generally low television ratings, breaking 1.1 on the first broadcast is almost a dream start!

A surge of immense joy washed over me.

The first episode focuses on attracting users, the second episode focuses on user retention – that's the real test!

The ratings for "Fighter of the Destiny" also broke 2 on its first day, but plummeted to 0.8 in the second episode.

Champagne shouldn't be opened too early.

She pressed her hand firmly against her heart, which was pounding in her chest. Her fingers trembled slightly with excitement and nervousness as she quickly turned to the second page and looked at the average viewership data for the second episode.

The next number catches the eye—

Su Man was completely stunned.

《微微一笑很倾城》第二集（20:20-21:05）平均收视率：1.254％

"1.254...?!"

She uttered the number in a trembling voice, her tone distorted.

Not only did it stabilize!
It even grew!

The growth rate exceeded 0.14 percentage points!

In a TV series, it is quite rare for the second episode to have a higher viewership rating than the first episode (i.e., a positive "retention rate").

This means that a significant portion of viewers who were not fans of the lead actors, or who simply turned on the TV out of curiosity, were drawn in by the content of the first episode and chose to continue watching the second episode.

This strongly demonstrates the quality and appeal of the series itself, rather than relying solely on the lead actor's fan base.

"This retention rate...this growth..."

Su Man murmured to herself, feeling a sense of pleasure after exhaustion.

Following this trend, as long as the subsequent plot does not suffer a major collapse, the viewership ratings of "Love O2O" are very likely to continue to rise, and may even... reach an even higher peak.

This is not just the success of one TV series.
It was also the most timely turnaround for Su Man after she joined the company!

at this time,

A faint commotion could be heard in the corridor outside the office.

There were respectful greetings from employees, and a familiar, loud, and cheerful laugh coming from afar—it was the station manager's voice!
"Hahaha, great! Excellent! Xiao Su has done a great job this time! These statistics are impressive! Absolutely impressive!"

The station director's hearty laughter and undisguised praise came through the not-so-soundproof door clearly.

Su Man leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and let out a long, thorough sigh of relief, finally relaxing her tense shoulders.

When I opened my eyes again, my face reflected in the mirror seemed to have instantly become radiant.

Steady!

……

at the same time,

Authoritative viewership data platforms such as TV networks updated the national satellite TV viewership rankings for the previous day at noon.

The phenomenal success of "Love O2O" – topping the charts upon its premiere and rising even higher in its second episode – was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a massive wave in the industry.

Those who failed to acquire the rights to "Love O2O" for various reasons, especially the Dongfang TV acquisition department which was just a step behind in terms of bid, had been waiting for a long time.

Upon the release of the data, the relevant offices were initially deathly silent, then erupted in incredulous gasps and uproar.

"A premiere on January 1.1st?! A second episode on January 1.25th?! Is Huangguo TV on steroids or is the data fabricated?!"

"Are you kidding me?! Is this data even real?! Are we still in the television age?"

"I can understand that Gu Qing has a strong appeal, but why is it even stronger in the second episode?! Isn't Jing Tian 'poison'? This doesn't make sense!"

"Gu Qingzhen is insane! She can carry Jing Tian in a 1v2 situation and still dominate the ratings? What's the difference between this and an ADC carrying a 'negative-strength' support and still getting a pentakill?!"

"It's over...it's all over...the station is definitely going to be in an uproar..."

With its premiere topping the charts and demonstrating strong staying power, "Love O2O" dazzled all its competitors with its viewership numbers.

The one who is regretting it the most right now is Dongfang TV.

It wasn't that they couldn't afford a higher price than Huang Guo, but in their evaluation, they placed too much emphasis on Jing Tian's "historical baggage" and underestimated Gu Qing's ability to carry a drama and the quality of the drama itself.

Ultimately, leaving room for maneuver during the bidding process led to failure at the last minute.

The purchasing director of Dongfang TV, who was in charge of this bidding competition, was summoned to the station director's office less than an hour after the data was released.

Even through the heavy door, the employees outside could hear the relentless and furious shouts coming from inside. The duration and intensity of the shouts were terrifying.

Dongfang TV is open to discussing anything except losing to its competitors in terms of financial power.

This also enabled the opponent to make a comeback, which was a double blow.

……

If the surge in television ratings is just the beginning...

The real stage for "Love O2O" to ignite a nationwide craze and demonstrate its terrifying influence was the online world, on the four major video platforms.

"It's finally our turn to reap the benefits from Gu Qing's success! Hahahaha!"

Inside the high-level meeting room at the headquarters of the Pants platform, several directors responsible for content acquisition and operations couldn't stop smiling.

The conference room was filled with a long-lost, triumphant, and joyful atmosphere.

The platform had been consistently outperformed by the three major platforms (Huangguo TV, iQiyi, and Tencent Video), resulting in sluggish user growth and a scarcity of hit content.

Acquiring the exclusive online rights to "Love O2O" at a high price was also a gamble.

now,

The explosive premiere ratings undoubtedly prove that they made the right bet!

The platform's operations department immediately went into overdrive and activated the highest-level publicity plan.

From the ads on the app's launch screen to the huge featured ad at the very top of the homepage,

From banners guiding users across various channels to pop-up recommendations in the sidebar when users watch other videos…

All platform resources are being mobilized to drive every active and potential user to the "Love O2O" playback page.

On social media, especially on blogs, the main battleground for entertainment topics,

Fangirls in the Chinese entertainment industry are once again experiencing the "fear" of being completely dominated by the "Gu Qing effect".

The trending topics list has become a special report page for "Love O2O":
The middle and later parts of the trending search list

Li Binbin and Zhou Xun clearly didn't let this opportunity slip by, working together seamlessly to help their newcomers Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Ye make a strong impression with their lively performances in the drama.

Related topics such as "Zhang Jingyi and Zhao Erxi" and "Zhou Ye and Meng Yiran" quietly appeared on the list, accumulating valuable initial popularity for the two post-95 actresses.

Mid-section of the trending search list
It was almost entirely contracted out to Gu Qing.

Topics such as "Gu Qing and Xiao Nai", "Gu Qing's Crane Hand", and "Gu Qing Playing Chess" have sparked discussions and praise for his appearance, demeanor, and specific scenes in the drama.

And occupying the top of the trending search list,

What truly ignited nationwide discussion can only be described in one sentence:
"The young lady has arrived! Everyone get out of the way!!"

The top trending topic was a simple, direct, yet powerfully assertive phrase:
#JingTianIsFamous#
……

...(End of chapter)