Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 349 Kiwi Fruit Launch: The Impact of Short Dramas on Long Dramas?

March 29, New York, Four Seasons Hotel.

Today marks the day Kiwifruit went public on Nasdaq, and Gong Yu, the company's founder and CEO, is enjoying this moment of glory in his hotel room.

However, after the initial excitement, his expression turned sour again.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaohui, Chief Content Officer of iQiyi, came over and asked, "President Gong, what's wrong?"

"I'm thinking about the market value of kiwifruit."

"Today's closing figure is $127.4 billion. Is there a problem?"

"Netflix's revenue is 12 times that of ours. Why do you think there's such a big difference?"

Wang Xiaohui looked embarrassed, unsure how to answer.

Gong Yu glanced at him and said, "The difference lies in channels and content. We definitely can't compete with them in terms of channels, and the content is also uneven. Although you are the chief content officer, you haven't been here long, so the responsibility doesn't fall on you."

“We also have good content. For example, last year’s ‘Qin King’s Battle Song’ had a high viewership after it was released on Netflix.”

"Yes, speaking of which, has filming started for 'The Xuanwu Gate Incident'?"

"It's been a few days since it was turned on, and President Chen even organized a small event."

Thinking of Chen Xiu's actions, Wang Xiaohui's eyes revealed a smile of admiration and respect.

Gong Yu asked curiously, "What activity did he do this time?"

“I was in Hengdian yesterday, overseeing the filming of ‘The Xuanwu Gate Incident.’ The progress was very smooth. Then, Director Chen used what he had on the spot to have several important supporting actors perform a short drama of about 2 minutes, which was then uploaded to Douyin as a preview.”

"Another short drama..."

Gong Yu frowned, her expression turning gloomy and worried.

He felt that short dramas would change viewers' habits, and if left unchecked, they would eventually impact long dramas, which would not be a good thing for Kiwi.

However, short dramas are not even in their infancy yet. After worrying for a while, Gong Yu turned her attention elsewhere.

Why does Chen Xiu want to make short dramas? Are the actors willing to cooperate with him?

"That would be wonderful!"

Wang Xiaohui placed the second question first, indicating that this was the key point.

"The actors he chose were contracted artists of Datang Pictures. After filming the first episode of the short drama, the actors registered Douyin accounts. Combining the two, it can both promote 'The Xuanwu Gate Incident' and gain traffic for the actors. It's really worth it!"

“I just checked Douyin, and that episode of the short drama has already received over 100,000 likes. Chen Xiu also said that he will update one episode every week until the filming of ‘The Xuanwu Gate Incident’ is completed.”

Upon hearing this, Gong Yu couldn't help but show a look of admiration on her face.

In today's entertainment industry, popularity equals everything.

Last year, the hit drama "Qin King's Battle Song" boosted the popularity of "The Xuanwu Gate Incident." Chen Xiu's idea for a short drama format can indeed promote the series, bring traffic to the actors, and generate content traffic for Douyin (TikTok)...

Thinking of this, Gong Yu suddenly said, "Hearing you say that, I'd like to hurry back and have a chat with Chen Xiu."

"why?"

"When we discussed the overseas rights sale of 'The Xuanwu Gate Incident' with him, we realized that Netflix and Little Days TV had taken advantage of 'The Qin King's Battle Song,' so we couldn't sell it for such a low price this time."

"Ha! Yes, that's certainly right."

Wang Xiaohui nodded in agreement, sensing that Gong Yu hadn't finished speaking, but he didn't ask any further questions.

Gong Yu did have things he didn't say, such as the future development of short dramas, and whether iQiyi and Douyin could reach a cooperation on short dramas. These were things he needed to discuss with Chen Xiu in person.

He seemed somewhat distracted during the latter half of the celebration.

After finally getting through the tough times, I was told that I would have to deal with Kiwi's stock distributors and other events for the next two days.

After working non-stop, Gong Yu finally returned to China on April 2nd, and then rushed to Hengdian.

At this time, filming for "The Xuanwu Gate Incident" had been underway for nearly two weeks. In addition to filming the main feature, preparations were also being made for the filming of the second short drama.

……

Gong Yu arrived at the perimeter of the film set and saw that the crew was filming.

Inside the palace, Chen Xiu, dressed in ancient costume and wearing a wig, knelt behind a table. Food and utensils were laid out on the table, and an actress with her hair tied up in a bun and wearing a red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) was pouring wine for him.

Gong Yu asked the executive producer who had led him over, "What are we filming now?"

"The Crown Prince and the King of Qi held a banquet to poison the King of Qin, but Princess Yang of Qi stepped in to save him!"

"Oh, you go ahead with your work! I'll just stand here and watch."

"Ok."

Gong Yu is the producer and executive producer of "The Xuanwu Gate Incident," so it's perfectly acceptable for him to stay and watch.

On set, Chen Xiu accepted the gold wine glass handed to her by Tian Xinwei and stared intently at her.

However, instead of exchanging meaningful glances, Tian Xinwei's eyes betrayed a hint of dissatisfaction... so obvious that even director Lu Yang couldn't bear to watch.

"Click! Oda, your expression is off, adjust it!"

"Excuse me, Director."

Tian Xinwei stood up and apologized, while Chen Xiu remained kneeling on the spot without making a move.

After pointing out that Tian Xinwei's expression was too fierce, Lu Yang told her to sit down and rest, preparing for the NG (no good) scene.

Looking at Tian Xinwei, who had sat down again, Chen Xiu remained motionless and said softly, "Are you in a bad mood?"

"No."

"Make some adjustments so as not to delay the production schedule."

"Huh???" Tian Xinwei stared wide-eyed at Chen Xiu, thinking: Is this even human language you're talking about?
Chen Xiu pursed her lips and continued in a low voice, "We can talk about it later, but don't bother others or delay their work now."

"..."

Tian Xinwei pursed her lips, her almond-shaped eyes filled with a mixture of grievance and anger. At the same time, her strong-willed nature as a spicy Sichuan girl made her unwilling to show weakness in front of so many people, especially Chen Xiu.

Taking a deep breath, Tian Xinwei said with a forced smile, "Don't worry, I'm not that unprofessional. I was just a little distracted just now."

Chen Xiu nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

He has been spending the last two weeks with Meng Ziyi, and it's normal for Tian Xinwei to have feelings about it.

Just now, when filming was paused, Chen Xiu saw Gong Yu outside the set and already knew his purpose. Naturally, she didn't want Tian Xinwei's little mood to affect the work.

After adjusting her emotions, Tian Xinwei performed much better when she went back to act in the scene.

She picked up the wine jug filled with water, poured a full cup into the golden goblet, and said to Chen Xiu with a flirtatious look, "King Qin and I, shall we drink another cup?"

"Sister, why don't you dance a Zhezhi dance, and I'll drink this cup of wine then?"

"No, you must drink this cup first, then I will dance the Zhezhi dance!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go first."

Chen Xiu held the gold wine glass and drank the water inside in one gulp.

After finishing the drinks, the rest of the scene involved Oda getting up, walking to the center of the stage, and dancing the Zhezhi dance, accompanied by the extras playing dancers.

Tian Xinwei already has a background in dance, so dancing is just a regular thing for her and there's no difficulty in it.

Chen Xiu sat behind the table, intently watching her dance, her eyes glazed over, which was quite fitting for the plot...

"Cut! OK, this one's passed."

Lu Yang called a halt, and the actors wrapped up their work.

Chen Xiu remained kneeling, while Tian Xinwei in the dance floor also stopped her movements and remained in a single-leg support position.

The two looked at each other silently. Chen Xiu gave her an apologetic smile, then stood up, leaned on the table, walked outside the film set, and greeted Gong Yu, who had been standing there for a while.

"Mr. Gong, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"No! You're working, it's only right that I wait."

Gong Yu reached out her hand with a smile, her attitude appearing very friendly.

Chen Xiu shook hands with him and congratulated him, saying, "With the successful launch of kiwifruit, Mr. Gong's net worth has increased dramatically in a single day. Congratulations!"

"It's just paper wealth. When it comes to real stock market assets, I'm far behind you."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gong Yu gestured with her chin toward a secluded corner.

Chen Xiu nodded silently and walked over beside him. Seeing this, the other actors all wisely moved away from that corner.

Seeing this, Tian Xinwei, who had left the set, could only reluctantly give up her idea of ​​confronting Chen Xiu.

Reaching a corner, Chen Xiu smiled at Gong Yu and said, "Mr. Gong, is there anything you need to say here?"

"We were supposed to talk over a meal at the hotel, but when we came over, Wang Xiaohui told me you're quite busy right now, so let's talk here."

"fair enough."

Chen Xiu smiled and nodded, admitting that she was indeed very busy.

The filming period for "The Xuanwu Gate Incident" was only two and a half months. 80% of the court drama scenes had to be filmed within one and a half months, and war scenes had to be filmed on location in May.

With limited time and a heavy workload, the whole drinking culture is a waste of time; let's save where we can.

After a moment's thought, Gong Yu directly voiced what she had been thinking about these past few days: "President Chen, I would like to ask you, will the short dramas produced by Douyin have an impact on long dramas in the future?"

This question made Chen Xiu think for a long time.

"Mr. Gong, do you think the 'Detective Chinatown' short series affected the viewership of 'Detective Chinatown 2'?"

"That's definitely not the case; it actually boosted the movie's box office."

"Do you think that the short drama I'm currently producing, 'The Xuanwu Gate Incident,' will affect the ratings of future TV series?"

"The short dramas you filmed are unrelated to the main plot; they tell the personal stories of some important characters, which will only increase the ratings."

"That's the answer."

Chen Xiu looked at Gong Yu with an air of self-righteousness, not feeling at all that short dramas could have any impact on long dramas.

The reason why short dramas will become so popular in the future is mainly due to their advantages such as low barriers to entry, small investment, and eye-catching appeal. However, these advantages also mean fierce competition. Many short dramas don't make money at all. What outsiders think is profitable is just hype and news reports.

In the cultural industry, content is always the primary pursuit.

Long-running dramas, as long as they are engaging and don't contain unnecessary padding, will never lack fans; short-running dramas, on the other hand, will eventually decline as the tide recedes.

After Chen Xiu said that, the look in Gong Yu's eyes changed from confusion to clarity.

"Ultimately, we still have to make good content."

"What else can the cultural industry do if not create content?"

"If that's the case, then Kiwi could also try short drama content."

"of course."

Chen Xiu smiled.

As far as he knew, iQiyi was probably among the first to embrace short dramas, although they didn't initially call their productions short dramas, but rather vertical screen dramas...

(End of this chapter)