The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

However, plagiarism is very difficult to define within the industry, and Sugarman's lawsuit was unsuccessful.

However, a rumor later circulated in the industry that Yu Zheng produced "Palace" because Sugarman bought the rights to "Scarlet Heart".

Although Sugarman is declining in popularity, it remains a top-tier production company in the television drama industry.

TV dramas produced by Sugarman rarely have low viewership ratings.

Therefore, the choices made by people with diabetes are like a secret code for managing their online presence.

So when Yu Zheng learned that Tangren had bought the copyright to "Scarlet Heart", he did not immediately produce it. Instead, he prepared a similar script in advance and filmed it in front of Tangren.

In other words, although he bought the copyright of "Scarlet Heart" in advance, the fact that Tangren wanted to buy the copyright still attracted Yu Zheng's attention.

He's temporarily unable to film "Scarlet Heart," but who knows, Yu Zheng might still manage to produce "Palace."

The thought of this made Gu Ning feel nauseous, as if she had swallowed a fly.

Although the version of "Scarlet Heart" produced by Sugarman received better reviews, its viewership ratings were far lower than those of "Palace".

The script and filming of "Palace" were rushed, but because it seized the opportunity and became the first Qing Dynasty time-travel drama, it reaped huge profits.

Some say that the ratings for "Scarlet Heart" were not as high as those for "Palace" because the two dramas had different plot focuses.

"Scarlet Heart" is more historically accurate, mainly focusing on the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.

Although "Palace" also features a power struggle among nine princes, everyone revolves around the female lead.

It's a melodramatic soap opera about loving a beautiful woman more than one's country.

But viewers clearly prefer this kind of show, so "Palace" had higher ratings.

Gu Ning also acknowledged this point, but the earlier broadcast of "Palace" still had an impact on "Scarlet Heart".

"What conditions did he offer?" Gu Ning asked.

"Yu Zheng proposed a collaborative production, and the company will use the script as a form of investment, which he will then manage," Liu Yang said.

"Oh."

Gu Ning sneered, "He's dreaming. Let's find a way to stall him first and get me in touch with Director Zheng Xiaolong."

He plans to talk to Zheng Xiaolong and get "Scarlet Heart" filmed first.

In comparison, adapting "Empresses in the Palace" is much more difficult. It's better to film "Scarlet Heart" first and then slowly polish the script.

Moreover, compared to the palace intrigue of "Empresses in the Palace," "Scarlet Heart," although not a historical drama, is considered superior to "Empresses in the Palace" in Zheng Xiaolong's mind now.

"Okay, I'll contact you as soon as possible." Liu Yang nodded.

Gu Ning was about to speak when her phone rang. She took it out and saw it was an unknown number.

After the call was connected, the other party immediately identified himself as someone from CCTV, saying he wanted to discuss the issue of short film television broadcasting rights.

Gu Ning immediately offered to broadcast it on CCTV for free.

We discussed some details with the other party before ending the call.

"Mr. Liu, please go to CCTV tomorrow and deliver the film footage of 'Red-Haired Girl' there," Gu Ning said.

"Yes, Mr. Gu."

Liu Yang smiled and said, "After being broadcast on CCTV, this short film might even be able to sell its copyright to some Southeast Asian countries."

"Haha, if you're interested, you can sell it. Don't worry too much about the money."

Gu Ning smiled and said, "Didn't you hire someone to be in charge of the brokerage department? Tell me about it in detail."

"As Director Gu suggested, I contacted some well-known agents, but they all declined."

In the end, they recruited one from under Wong Jing-hua's team. Although she had never been in charge of an artist on her own, she was responsible for coordinating the artist's schedule.

"The important thing is that I've been in the industry for quite some time, I'm skilled in the business, and I have business dealings with many companies," Liu Yang said.

Gu Ning nodded in satisfaction and said, "This person's resume is good enough, and I don't plan to sign too many artists."

"The head of the television production department is named Cao Bin. He was originally a deputy director at Hunan TV station in charge of purchasing television dramas."

"A person like that would be willing to give up a job within the system?" Gu Ning asked in surprise.

"Last year, his superior retired, and he couldn't get promoted, so he resigned in despair."

Liu Yang said, "I was able to persuade him to join the company thanks to President Gu, who asked me to acquire the copyright."

Gu Ning became even more interested upon hearing this. If the other party joined the company for financial reasons, other companies could offer better terms.

Those responsible for producing TV dramas do not necessarily need to have extensive professional knowledge in the field.

The most important thing is the network of contacts at various TV stations.

Currently, TV dramas still rely on television stations for broadcast, and video platforms offer very low prices for online streaming media players.

A deputy director in charge of purchasing TV dramas at a television station is highly sought after by various TV drama production companies.

However, the other party chose to join the company because his company acquired and hoarded copyrights, which shows that this person has good judgment.

They value not immediate profits, but the company's long-term development.

"Have Cao Bin come to my office. I want to have a talk with him," Gu Ning said.

"I'll call him right now."

"Okay, I'll go back to my office now," Gu Ning said, standing up.

Liu Yang saw Gu Ning out of the office and then made a phone call to Cao Bin.

Although Gu Ning hadn't been to the company for a while, his office had been kept clean.

I had only been sitting down for a few minutes when there was a knock on the office door.

"Go in!" Gu Ning said.

Liu Yang pushed open the office door and led Cao Bin in.

Cao Bin looked to be around forty years old, wore glasses, and appeared very refined.

At first glance, he looks like a teacher, not the deputy director of a TV station.

"Mr. Gu, this is Manager Cao Bin," Liu Yang introduced.

Gu Ning smiled and stepped forward, extending her hand, saying, "Welcome, Manager Cao, to the company!"

"I should be thanking President Gu for giving me a meal," Cao Bin said with a smile, extending his hand to shake hands with Gu Ning.

"Mr. Gu, you two talk," Liu Yang said.

"Mr. Liu, please sit down and let's have a chat."

Gu Ning invited the two to sit down, personally brewed tea for them, and then sat down herself.

"I heard that Manager Cao joined our company because the company purchased copyrights."

Gu Ning smiled and asked, "Manager Cao is very optimistic about this?"

Cao Bin knew this was a test from Gu Ning, and after a moment's thought, he said, "In the past few years, the TV drama market was almost entirely about what the TV stations broadcast and what the audience watched."

Even if a TV series is mediocre, it can still achieve good viewership ratings.

However, in recent years, with the widespread adoption of satellite antennas and wired/internet connections, this situation has been changing.

Gu Ning nodded slightly. In the early days, there was a large rural population, but due to limited conditions, most rural areas could only receive local and central radio stations.

Even if other satellite TV channels broadcast popular dramas, it's all for nothing if rural areas can't receive them.

Cao Bin said that back then, whatever the TV station broadcast, the audience would watch, which was no exaggeration.

Because there are only a few channels, you can only choose relatively good TV dramas to watch from the limited number of channels.

However, in recent years, more and more rural residents have gone out to work, and most of them have limited access to jobs in the city. As a result, satellite antennas have also appeared in large numbers in rural areas.

This gives the audience more choices.