Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire.

Chapter 268 Dealing with 5K (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and subscriptions!)

The launch ceremony of RTV's official renaming to Phoenix TV, and the premiere of "The Land of Love," caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

The ratings report shows that the average ratings of "The Land of Love" in its first week have approached those of TVB's long-running variety show "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" in the same time slot. This is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for RTV (now Phoenix TV), which has been struggling for many years.

In recent days, the entertainment and financial sections of major Hong Kong newspapers have been dominated by headlines such as "Phoenix Rising from the Ashes," "A New Television Overlord Is Rising?" and "TVB Faces Its Strongest Challenge."

Ordinary citizens are discussing the touching plot and superb performances of "The Land's Grace," while those in the industry are more concerned about the grand scale of the young boss behind Phoenix TV and his unconventional style.

Since CTV went bankrupt due to mismanagement, the free-to-air television market in Hong Kong Island has long been dominated by TVB and RTV, with TVB maintaining an absolute advantage.

Phoenix TV is now making a strong comeback, clearly aiming to break TVB's monopoly.

In his office on the top floor of the Weiye Building, Chen Bingwen looked at the latest viewership report and clippings compiled by Morris, his face expressionless.

This result was within his expectations. With a solid script, excellent production, and pre-production publicity, success was a natural outcome.

"Morris, a good start is great, but we can't let our guard down." Chen Bingwen put down the documents and said to Morris, who was sitting opposite him, "TVB won't sit idly by. Run Run Shaw and Zhou Liang Shuyi are not to be underestimated."

Sir Run Run Shaw and Chow Leung Suk-yee are not simple characters; they may face a full-scale counterattack from TVB.

"I understand, Mr. Chan." Morris nodded. He had previously worked for the Hong Kong government's Information Services Department and was very familiar with the character of TVB's senior executives. "Sir Run Run Shaw has already made his move."

My friend at TVB revealed that they've been having frequent internal meetings these past few days, with Chow Leung Suk-yee personally overseeing program scheduling. They're reportedly in the urgent preparation of several big-budget productions, directly targeting our "The Land of Love."

"Yes, this is an inevitable competitive response." Chen Bingwen wasn't surprised. "We can't rely solely on 'The Land's Grace'."

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For a television station to survive, it needs to consistently produce high-quality content and also needs hit programs that can attract nationwide participation.

He paused, looked at Maurice, and said, "Two things, you must do them immediately."

"Please speak, Mr. Chen."

"First, we need to increase investment in content production and form a tiered system."

Since Wong Jing, Johnnie To, and Patrick Tam have all come, we should give them room to perform.

I have some story ideas and plot concepts here, I'll have Ali organize them for you later.

You organize them all, hold a meeting to discuss which ones can be implemented as soon as possible and transformed into scripts or program plans.

The subject matter can be diverse; period dramas set in the Republican era, modern times, martial arts films, and even workplace dramas are all worth trying. The key is to be fast-paced and entertaining.

Chen Bingwen plans to adapt some of the successful TV dramas from his past life memories of this era, such as "Genesis" (feuds and business battles), "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" (martial arts legends), and "The Unyielding Spirit" (family feuds).

He doesn't need to copy directly; he only needs to provide direction and core ideas, and let professional screenwriters like Wong Jing develop them.

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

I will convene a meeting of the creative department as soon as possible.

Morris took out his notebook and wrote it down.

"Secondly, we need to plan a large-scale variety show, not only to boost ratings, but also to discover and cultivate future star resources for the station."

"You mean—a talent show?" Morris reacted quickly.

I immediately thought of TVB's "Miss Hong Kong" pageant.

At that time, the most famous talent show in Hong Kong was the annual Miss Hong Kong pageant. It was not only a beauty pageant, but also TVB's "star-making machine," with extremely high viewership and was the focus of public attention.

"Yes, but it's not a simple talent show..."

'

Chen Bingwen simplified the format of his previous shows, such as "Super Girl" and "The Voice of China," which involved grassroots participation, judges' comments, and audience interaction, and combined it with the technological conditions of the early 1980s. He said, "We can plan a program, let's call it 'Phoenix New Talent Competition' for now."

The competition format should be innovative, with a low-threshold preliminary selection stage, allowing ordinary citizens, regardless of gender, to sign up and participate as long as they have singing talent.

The judges should include not only professional musicians, but also well-known directors and producers, so that they can discover talented individuals with good voices and audience appeal on the spot. Those who perform outstandingly can be directly signed or invited to act in movies or TV shows.

"Through this program, we aim to generate social buzz, boost viewership, and, more importantly, build Phoenix's own talent pool."

Morris's eyes lit up. This idea broke the existing model of talent shows, making it more participatory and suspenseful. If successful, it would have a huge impact.

"Mr. Chen, this idea is brilliant!"

If it can be done, it will indeed achieve multiple benefits.

I'll immediately have someone study the specific competition format, sponsorship plans, and promotional strategies!

"Okay, go do it."

We need to establish our advantage before the wireless industry launches a full-scale counterattack.

Chen Bingwen gave the instructions again.

Meanwhile, at 81 Broadcast Drive, the headquarters building of TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited).

Shaw sat in the main seat, his face calm, but those who knew him could sense the suppressed anger beneath that calm surface.

General Manager Zhou Liang Shuyi sat next to him, her brows furrowed.

Below them sat the core management team, including the program department, production department, and artist department.

"38 points." Run Run Shaw spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it made everyone present tense. "RTV, oh, now it's called Phoenix TV, has a show called 'The Land of Love' that reached a rating of 38 points in its first week."

What are your thoughts, everyone?

The meeting room was completely silent.

This number struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart.

It's been a long time since prime-time TV programming has felt such a direct threat.

Zhou Liang Shuyi cleared her throat, breaking the silence: "Sixth Brother, colleagues, Phoenix TV is coming in with great force this time. Behind them is Chen Bingwen of Sugar Heart Capital, who has abundant funds and seems determined to make a big splash in the television industry."

Their film, *The Land's Grace*, with its clever subject matter and well-made production, caught us completely off guard.

She paused, then continued her analysis: "Based on what we know, Phoenix TV not only retained its original production backbone, such as Tsui Siu-ming and Lee Siu-hung, with a lot of money, but also poached a group of promising directors from our side and other places, such as Wong Jing and Johnnie To."

They are systematically building their team.

It seems likely that this won't be the only project following this series; there will be further developments.

"They've even tried to poach talent from our company!" the head of the artist management department exclaimed angrily. "Especially Wong Jing, whose father, Wong Tin-lam, is one of our producers. This is simply—"

Run Run Shaw raised his hand to quell the commotion below.

He was also very angry about Wong Jing's job-hopping.

Wong Jing, Johnnie To, and Patrick Tam were the core personnel he originally intended to "succeed" Wong Tin-lam and Kam Kwok-leung.

Now that Phoenix TV has taken over the entire company, it's like they've directly poached TVB's "creative core" for the next ten years. His inner rage far exceeds what he shows.

But he knew even better that getting angry at this moment wouldn't solve anything.

"There's no need to dwell on the past."

Shaw said coldly, "The key issue now is how to respond."

Shuyi, what's your plan?

Zhou Liang Shuyi was clearly prepared, and opened the folder in front of her: "The most urgent task is to stabilize the current viewership base, and at the same time quickly launch a new drama with significant impact to offset the impact of 'The Land of Love'."

I suggest that we immediately begin filming two major drama series.

"The first one is a gangster drama set in Shanghai during the Republic of China era. The theme is similar to 'Shanghai Bund,' but the scope is larger, incorporating more elements of gang warfare and the changing times."

The script could be a collaboration between a veteran makeup artist and screenwriter. As for the cast, consider casting Chow Yun-fat, who just rose to fame with "Shanghai Bund," in the lead role, paired with a popular leading lady, aiming for instant stardom.

"The second project is a large-scale martial arts drama. We can adapt popular martial arts novels. We want to use TVB's production advantages and star-studded cast to show the audience who is the king of Hong Kong television."

After saying that, she glanced at Run Run Shaw's expression and added, "In addition, regarding variety shows, 'Enjoy Yourself Tonight' needs to increase investment in celebrity guests and game segments to ensure that its core audience is not lost."

At the same time, we also need to promote our annual Miss Hong Kong pageant in advance and increase publicity. This is our trump card, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose it.

After listening, Run Run Shaw pondered for a moment and nodded: "Do as you say."

The production of the series needs to be fast, but the quality must also be guaranteed.

In terms of budget, appropriate adjustments can be made.

As for poaching—”

His gaze swept across the room, and his tone became serious: "On the one hand, we need to strengthen communication with core artists and directors, and renew contracts as soon as possible, with negotiable terms."

On the other hand, for those big shots who are not firm in their stance or feel that TVB is too small to accommodate them, TVB is not short of talent.

"Wireless is still wireless, no matter who's gone!"

His words were resolute and carried an undeniable air of authority, serving both to reassure the troops and to warn those who might waver.

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

The powerful launch of Phoenix TV has had an impact that extends far beyond the entertainment industry.

Some established capital firms have begun to re-evaluate Sugarheart Capital and its young leader, Chen Bingwen.

In a top-floor office of a hotel in Central, several well-dressed men were sitting together enjoying afternoon tea, and their conversation naturally turned to the recent prominent figures.

"This Chen Bingwen is quick on his feet."

An elderly man with gray hair took a sip of red tea and said slowly, "First it was Qingzhou Yingni, then it was Hehuang, and now it's the TV station."

Every step was perfectly timed, and the appetite was quite large.

A middle-aged man with blond hair wearing glasses chimed in, "It's not just accurate, it's downright audacious."

After he took over Hutchison Whampoa, Li Jiacheng was very reluctant to step down, and there were probably some power struggles behind this that we don't know about.

Now they're directly challenging TVB's position; this time, Run Run Shaw is probably really angry.

"It's a good thing for young people to have drive."

However, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it.

With him expanding so aggressively in all directions, will his cash flow be able to keep up?

I heard he made a lot of money in the London gold market, but the television industry is a bottomless pit, and integrating with Huang's side also requires a lot of capital.

Another slightly overweight man expressed his doubts.

The old man put down his teacup, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "As for the funding issue, I'm afraid we don't need to worry about it for him."

Don't forget, he also has the cash cow of energy drinks behind him, plus his gains in the gold market, so he should have plenty of funds.

I'm curious to see where he'll set his sights next.

Real estate? Finance?

Or—the livelihoods of us old folks?

These words caused everyone present to fall silent for a moment.

Chan Ping-man's rise was too rapid, and his business strategy was different from that of traditional Hong Kong family businesses, which made these old-fashioned businessmen who were used to following the established order feel a sense of threat and unease.

"I heard he's getting close to HSBC's Jimmy Sham?" the man with the gold-rimmed glasses asked.

"Yes, that old fox Shen Bi is the best at judging the situation."

His high regard for Chen Bingwen shows that the young man truly possesses exceptional qualities.

The old man said calmly, "However, HSBC's attitude doesn't represent the whole picture."

The waters around Hong Kong Island run deep.

Look at Chen Songqing from Jia Ning, isn't he enjoying unparalleled popularity right now?

But these tall buildings rise quickly, and they collapse just as quickly.

The conversation then turned to the rising star, Jianing Group, and Chen Songqing, with a mixture of envy and wariness in their words.

In the eyes of these veteran businessmen who have been deeply rooted in Hong Kong for many years, both Chan Ping-man and Chan Chung-ching belong to "new money," and their rise has disrupted the existing business order.

Meeting room of the Phoenix TV Creative Department.

Wong Jing, Johnnie To, Patrick Tam, and former RTV key members such as Tsui Siu-ming and Lee Siu-hung sat together.

Morris sat in the head seat, and his secretary distributed several printed documents to everyone.

"Everyone, Mr. Chen said that the success of 'The Land's Grace' was a good start, but for us, it's just the beginning."

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Morris cut to the chase: "Wireless has already taken action, and we must be faster and more accurate."

The reasons for gathering everyone today are twofold: first, to discuss the development of the subsequent episodes; and second, Chen Sheng has provided some story ideas, which we would like to discuss together and see which ones have the potential for rapid development.

Wang Jing picked up the document and quickly scanned it.

The above lists several story directions and core settings. It is not a complete script, but the entry points are quite novel.

One of them is set against the backdrop of modern business warfare, telling the story of the grudges and business games between two family businesses, highlighting the complexity of human nature and the cruelty of the market.

Another one is a lighthearted and humorous modern urban romance story, but the characters are vividly portrayed and the conflicts are cleverly designed.

Wong Jing was increasingly alarmed as he watched. These stories were completely different from the common tropes of current TV dramas. They were both commercially viable and profound. If filmed well, they could very well lead a new trend.

He couldn't help but look up at Maurice, thinking to himself that this new boss was not only rich, but also so good at writing stories.

Johnnie To and Patrick Tam watched intently, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

They are all highly creative individuals, and these outlines clearly piqued their interest.

As the screenwriter and director of "The Land of Love", Tsui Siu-ming and Lee Siu-hung deeply understand the importance of a good story.

"Chen Sheng's ideas are just a starting point."

Morris said, "How to enrich the plot and develop the characters will require everyone to use their respective expertise."

Currently, the station's resources are being tilted towards content production. As long as a project passes the evaluation, budget and broadcast time slots are not a problem.

The key is to be fast and precise.

Unable to contain himself, Wang Jing spoke first: "Mr. Morris, I think the modern business war story proposed by Mr. Chen has great potential."

Hong Kong Island is a commercial society, so audiences have a natural affinity for this type of subject matter.

If the tension and excitement of business battles can be well combined with the emotional entanglements between characters, it has a great chance of becoming a hit.

I am personally very interested in this direction.

Johnnie To, on the other hand, was more interested in the Republican-era story with spy elements: "The industries and human nature in a chaotic world is a great angle, and it can be filmed with depth and scope."

I think it could be done in an epic direction.

Tam Ka-ming, Tsui Siu-ming, and others also expressed their respective areas of interest.

Morris nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Since everyone has areas of interest, please choose one or two based on your areas of expertise and come up with a more detailed story outline and preliminary budget as soon as possible."

We will conduct the evaluation as soon as possible, and projects that pass will be launched immediately.

Wong Jing, Johnnie To, Patrick Tam, you've just arrived, so you might not be very familiar with the production process at the station yet. Producers Tsui and Lee will assist you.

After the meeting, the atmosphere in the creative department became noticeably more lively.

With a clear direction and a commitment of ample resources, these creators are eager to get started and make a big splash.

Wang Jing returned to his assigned office, feeling somewhat excited.

Although he has connections with his father, Wong Tin-lam, at TVB, it's uncertain how many years it will take him to independently lead a major production.

At Phoenix TV, the opportunity was right in front of them.

He took a deep breath, picked up his pen, and began to scribble and draw on the outline of the business war story, with many exciting plot points already appearing in his mind.

He knew that this was a challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity.

He must seize it and make a name for himself on Phoenix TV.

Tokyo, Japan.

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