Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 263 Three major television stations vie for the first broadcast rights of "Breaking the Formation Song"
The drama "Three Lives Three Worlds" which aired on January 30th, premiered on March 1st.

The average viewership rating reported by Tomato TV was 1.288%. Compared to the massive online viewership of 300 billion, the TV station's viewership data is relatively accurate.

As the opening drama of the year, "Eternal Love" has indeed become a hit both online and offline, and it is no exaggeration to call it a phenomenal blockbuster.

Normally, there are only a few hit dramas of this caliber each year.

However, unexpectedly...

March is not yet over, and another "ordinary" drama has become a hit.

《人民的名义》在3月28号当天登陆芒果台，28、29两天试播1集，CSM52城市网收视率平均为1.5%，同时段排名第一。

For the following week, the show remained at the top of its time slot.

On April 4th, the viewership rating soared to 2%.

For a time, discussions about "In the Name of the People" flooded various online platforms.

The terms "veteran actors' textbook-worthy acting skills", "no young idols", and "producer selling his house to invest" appeared frequently on the trending search list.

Undoubtedly, "In the Name of the People" became a hit, veteran actors became famous, and related things also attracted the attention of people in the industry.

After filming wrapped up in mid-January, "The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation" immediately began post-production. Due to the limited number of episodes, post-production was successfully completed in February, and the finished product was then sent to the Optoelectronics Center for content review.

With Han Sanping's reputation as a director, the review process for "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" went very smoothly, and the TV series distribution license was successfully issued at the end of March.

At this stage, the normal procedure should be to contact the TV station's program purchasing department to negotiate the sale of the finished program.

However, after learning that "The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation" had passed the review, Chen Xiu did not rush to contact him.

It wasn't until a week after "In the Name of the People" aired that he arranged for his company to contact the purchasing departments of major television stations.

After learning that the supporting cast of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" was directly borrowed from the veteran actors of "In the Name of the People", and that the lead actor was Chen Xiu, a rising star and hot topic last year, most TV stations sent people to the film and television distribution company under Datang Pictures to attend the purchase preview of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu".

……

The internal preview meeting room of Datang Film and Television Distribution Company.

The "Qin King's Battle Song" playing on the screen was the final episode, depicting Li Shimin's capture of two kings at the Battle of Hulao Pass.

Inside the tent, Chen Xiu, dressed in armor and with his helmet removed, was flanked by veteran actors portraying generals from the early Tang Dynasty, as well as several young actors playing junior generals.

Wearing armor and bound, Fu Dalong kneels on the ground, playing the role of King Dou Jiande of Xia.

"Dou Jiande, what does my campaign against Wang Shichong have to do with you? How dare you cross the border and infringe upon my military might!"

"If I hadn't come today, I would have troubled you, King Qin, to make a long journey to retrieve it in the future."

This line is rather shameless.

However, historical records describe Dou Jiande as someone who didn't care much about face.

Fu Dalong possesses an innate roguish charm and domineering presence, making him a natural fit for the role of Dou Jiande. His suitability for the character is even greater than his previous portrayal of Yang Guang.

However, judging from the screen, Chen Xiu's "acting skills" seem to be no less than Fu Dalong's, and even surpass him.

His every glance and gesture gave the impression that Li Shimin himself should act in this way...

Sitting in the conference room, Chen Ruhan, who represented Hunan TV at the preview event, looked at the TV series on the screen and already had a general assessment in her mind.

When selecting and purchasing programs, television stations typically consider three main aspects: the creators, the subject matter, and the content.

The creative team behind "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" is undoubtedly top-tier, boasting an S-level cast including veteran actors from the recently popular "In the Name of the People" and Chen Xiu, a top-tier celebrity.

This configuration balances both popularity and acting skills.

Chen Ruhan thought to herself: The initiator of the TV series was able to consider so many aspects; his thinking was truly thorough.

What's even more remarkable is that the subject matter of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" happens to be similar to that of the hit drama "Da Tang Glory" which aired earlier this year, so there's no need to worry about the audience feeling unfamiliar with it, or about the quality of the content...

Seeing the cinematic picture quality and meticulous props on the screen proved that the funds had not been wasted. The previous hours' content feast also left Chen Ruhan with no more doubts about the content.

She felt that the drama "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" had taken into account all the right timing, location, and people, and could definitely be classified as a potential hit drama.

Must win!

Chen Ruhan clenched her fist and then began to sized up her competitors in the conference room.

While Dolphin TV and Chili TV are still decent, considering the industry standard of "one drama, two channels," these later-ranked TV stations are actually no longer in the competitive arena.

The only true competitors Chen Ruhan considered were representatives from Tomato TV, Blueberry TV, and Lychee TV.

These three, plus Hunan TV, make up the top four TV stations besides the leading one.

Only two venues can be selected for the premiere, so there will inevitably be some competition.

As Chen Ruhan discreetly observed the three representatives and secretly calculated her bid, the other three representatives also glanced at her, sensing her presence.

The four were old acquaintances; they exchanged glances and understood each other's thoughts.

When the final episodes of the TV series ended, the screen went black before the end credits were played, and representatives from various TV stations began to be on high alert.

As the staff came in to finish tidying up the footage, Chen Xiu, along with representatives from the two production companies, iQiyi Pictures and Tencent Pictures, also entered the meeting room.

This year, Datang Pictures has undertaken many projects. Wei Feng went to the United States with the crew of "Detective Chinatown 2", Xiong Ben is in Chongqing keeping an eye on the crew of "Better Days", and Zhong Lifang is in charge of the company's daily operations... There was really no one else to send, and since Chen Xiu himself is the producer of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu", he was the only one who could handle the negotiations for the first broadcast rights this time.

Standing at the head of the table in the conference room, Chen Xiu turned to look at everyone.

"Hello everyone, the preview screening of 'Qin King's Battle Song' has ended. If you are not interested in the upcoming episode sales, you can go to the lounge next door to rest for a while."

No one moved, even representatives from TV stations like Dolphin TV and Chili TV, who knew they weren't very competitive, stayed just in case.

Seeing this, Chen Xiu did not show much joy on her face.

Because those who stay now don't mean anything; those who stay after the price is quoted are the ones who truly have a chance.

"Okay, everyone has been watching TV for several hours already, so I won't waste any more time. Let's get straight to the point: the bid for the first broadcast rights of 'Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu' on television is 1200 million per episode!"

Upon hearing this price, most of the representatives' expressions changed.

Currently, the price of top-tier period dramas is around 500 million to 1000 million yuan per episode. For example, "General and I," which premiered at the beginning of the year, was priced at 800 million yuan per episode.

This price is already top-of-the-line, but "Qin King's Battle Song" costs 400 million more, so it's no wonder they were surprised.

"This price is acceptable to Hunan TV!"

Chen Ruhan first stated that the 1200 million yuan was a price jointly paid by the two broadcasting stations, with each station bearing 50% of the cost. Hunan TV is a large and well-off company, so it can afford it.

The main reason is that "General and I" can command a price of 800 million per episode, so Chen Xiu's status is definitely higher than that of Angelababy plus Zhong Hanliang. In addition, considering a group of young and old actors, this deal is not a loss.

"Tomato TV is also acceptable."

"Blueberry Channel is fine too."

"And there's Lychee Terrace..."

Representatives from the top four television stations all indicated that the price was acceptable.

Although some representatives also wanted to join the fray, considering that only two TV stations could participate in the premiere, and given how sought-after the drama "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" was, the distributors and producers would likely choose the more popular platform.

Thinking of this, they could only shut their mouths in embarrassment.

High-quality content will always be in competition.

Hunan TV had to send people to visit the "In the Name of the People" production team several times before they finally secured the first-run broadcast rights. Such fair competition is already considered relatively easy.

Seeing that her bids had eliminated a large number of competitors, Chen Xiu arranged for the others to rest in the next room before proceeding to set conditions for the remaining four competitors.

"The online broadcast of 'Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu' is scheduled for early August during the summer vacation. We hope that the TV station can also cooperate with it during the prime time slot at the same time. If the four of you have already arranged other dramas in your 'Video Broadcast Filing Forms,' then you can withdraw."

Upon hearing this, the representative from Jiangsu TV could only awkwardly get up, say goodbye, and leave.

The peak seasons for TV dramas and movies are highly consistent, both being the summer and Spring Festival holidays.

Prime time slots on satellite TV (19:30 PM to 22:00 PM) are even scarcer, with many big productions booked well in advance and their schedules already set, making adjustments impossible without special circumstances.

When the meeting room door closed again, the last ones remaining were none other than Hunan TV, Tomato TV, and Blueberry TV, and all three of their representatives were women.

Looking at the composed women, Chen Xiu asked in confusion, "Are the three representatives' film slates still empty for August?"

"Mango TV has always been cautious about popular time slots. Unless there is a very high-quality drama, it will not give it to other stations in advance."

Chen Ruhan's words were a veiled compliment to "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" (The Song of the King of Qin Breaking the Enemy's Formation), and the representatives from the other two organizations shared the same sentiment.

The price and availability are acceptable, but we still have to eliminate one of the three.

For a moment, Chen Xiu also hesitated.

"Mango TV launched 'General and I' at the beginning of this year, and this month they will also release 'Fighter of the Destiny' and 'The Legend of Mi Yue,' all of which are period dramas with a lot of episodes. They should be close to the 15% limit, right?"

The representative from Tomato TV suddenly spoke up.

The representative from Blueberry TV echoed this sentiment, clearly indicating their intention to join forces with Tomato TV to oust Hunan TV.

"The so-called 15% limit is not explicitly stipulated, and your two companies seem to focus on urban dramas, so why are you also interested in period dramas?"

"Focusing on urban dramas does not mean abandoning the period drama market."

"The drama 'Three Lives Three Worlds' is a period fantasy drama..."

Seeing the three of them start arguing, Chen Xiu quickly tried to mediate.

"The three of you, why don't you listen to my suggestion?"

The three of them fell silent and turned to look at Chen Xiu, wanting to hear what insightful opinions he had.

Chen Xiu suggested, "It would be great if all three of you were optimistic about 'The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation,' but since the rule is that only two companies can premiere the show, someone will inevitably be left out."

"To satisfy everyone, I can make a promise: if the show performs well, then when the sequel is produced next year, the party that lost out can acquire the first broadcast rights through a pre-sale model. What do you think?"

The pre-sale model represents a cooperative relationship between a TV station and a high-quality production company. Generally, the production company needs to prove its strength to qualify for this treatment.

If "The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation" is a success, the sequel next year will surely be excellent. Chen Xiu used this method to compensate the three who were not selected, and none of them could voice any objections.

(End of this chapter)