Chapter 427 Star Player Returns
After Du Sheng learned about Miyamoto Hisahide's purpose, he raised his own questions:
"I'm not very familiar with how your country's television stations operate. Can you tell me more about it?"

Miyamoto Hisahide explained in detail:

“Our TV station is one of the top four TV drama production companies in Japan, and many well-known Japanese dramas and variety shows are produced by us.

For this purpose, an overseas business department was established, which is not only responsible for introducing overseas dramas to Fuji TV, but also responsible for purchasing for the Yomiuri Shimbun..."

After hearing this, Du Sheng immediately became interested.

Pushing TV dramas into the Japanese market is undoubtedly a form of anti-dumping.

After all, in recent years, Japanese and Korean dramas have been conquering the country, making many mainland-produced dramas unable to raise their heads.

In addition, Du Sheng is well aware that Japanese people are very fond of Eastern culture.

Among them, the Three Kingdoms theme is the most popular.

Although the previous film "Red Cliff" directed by Wu Yusen received mixed reviews, it actually achieved a box office of over 10 billion Neon coins in Neon.

Equivalent to nearly 7 million RMB!
In addition, costume dramas such as "The Fantasy Princess" and "The Secret History of Kangxi" have also achieved good market response in Japan.

This shows that costume dramas have a huge market in Japan.

If we also take into account Du Sheng’s own popularity in Japan…

It is for this reason that Hisahide Miyamoto is eager to purchase the broadcasting rights for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

Fuji TV and Yomiuri Shimbun have great influence in Japan, and cooperation with them is indeed beneficial to the popularity of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" and "Water Moon Cave".

It can also lay a solid foundation for the internationalization of the company's future film and television works.

Du Sheng pondered for a moment and said:

“In principle, we would be very happy to cooperate with your company.

But there are several key issues that need to be addressed.

First of all, there is the copyright price. I believe there is no need for me to describe how popular the drama "Legend of Sword and Fairy" is.

The second issue is the dubbing translation. If your company introduces our TV series, you must ensure the quality of the dubbing translation.

If we are not satisfied with this, we have the right to request modifications or even terminate the contract.

Finally, secondary authorization, promotion and payment methods..."

When it comes to the issue of licensing fees, Hisahide Miyamoto had already anticipated it.

Price discussion is an integral part of business negotiations.

However, Du Sheng's requirements regarding dubbing translation and payment method caught him off guard.

The reason why Du Sheng attached so much importance to these things was that in his previous life he had seen some excellent oriental dramas being messed up when they were released overseas.

Especially in Neon, the quality of dubbing translations is often unacceptable.

Seeing Miyamoto Hisahide's confusion, Du Sheng said in a teasing tone:

“When we at Interstellar Media produce our works, we pursue perfection in every detail, just like your country’s spirit of craftsmanship.

If the dubbing translation does not meet expectations, we would rather not make a profit than lose our reputation!"

After hearing this, Miyamoto Hisahide was shocked.

He didn't expect Du Sheng to be so clear about their craftsmanship, so he bowed deeply and said solemnly:
"Mr. Du, you are absolutely right!
After returning to the company, I will convey your spirit to everyone and try my best to broadcast your work in Neon."

"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Miyamoto."

Du Sheng stood up with a smile:

"If it's convenient for you, please come to Interstellar Media this afternoon or tomorrow morning and we will discuss the treaty in detail."

This is a temporary venue, and today's communication is just to express the wishes of both parties.

The specific terms need further discussion.

Miyamoto Hisahide immediately responded:

"Understood. I will bring someone to visit as soon as possible to promote cooperation as soon as possible."

Du Sheng said a few polite words and escorted Miyamoto Hisahide out of the lounge.

Zhong Zhen got in the car with him and asked:
"Let's talk about the issue of broadcast authorization next. Do you have any specific ideas?"

Du Sheng sat down beside her and said seriously:

“We Orientals value fairness and justice in our work.

How much did Zhujiang TV and Taiwan TV pay for the first broadcast rights of "Chinese Paladin"? If we sell it to Neon, we will get about twice the price."

Although "Legend of Sword and Fairy" was invested by Star Media, Ruanxing Technology and Pearl River TV, the dominant rights belong to Star Media.

Therefore, the film purchasing process continues as usual.

At the beginning, Zhujiang TV offered the first broadcast rights of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" for 20 per episode, and the price for 35 episodes was a total of 760 million yuan.

This price was shocking in 2004, but not outrageous.

After all, last year Zhang Da Huzi's "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" had a peak viewership of less than 6, but it still sold nearly 10 per episode.

With 40 episodes, dozens of TV stations across the country as well as audio-visual and overseas copyrights, it can earn at least tens of millions of yuan.

There is naturally a reason why Pearl River TV offers such a price.

First, as one of the investors of the drama, the high price it set for the drama means that most of the funds will still return to its own account.

Second, raising the price of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" will help with publicity and investment attraction, and help increase the value of its secondary broadcast rights.

Third, things are valuable because they are rare.

This is a way of killing two birds with one stone.

Subsequently, China Television purchased the TV at this price.

After hearing Du Sheng's words, Zhong Zhen was a little skeptical:
“40 RMB per episode! This is impossible, right?
Fuji TV will most likely not accept such a high price.

And after the producers of Pearl River TV know about this, they may suggest that we lower the price.”

For Zhao Yaoming, the export of "Chinese Paladin" to Japan represents cultural output and is also one of his political achievements, so he will definitely try his best to facilitate the deal. Du Sheng shook his head and said:

"There is no need to worry about these things. The control and overseas copyright of "Chinese Paladin" belong to us, and they will not interfere.

For Zhao Yaoming, selling the series at a high price is considered an achievement.

There have been cases of national television stations casually selling at low prices in the past, so it’s meaningless.”

Yangshi sold "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to Japan for 8 per episode, which made the Japanese ecstatic.

In Du Sheng's opinion, the cost of each episode of this excellent drama is nearly one million, and this price is almost a bargain.

There are many reasons for this.

The biggest reason is that domestic dramas often lack confidence in overseas markets.

Many producers hold the mentality of selling at a penny per share, and they lower the market price so that others cannot sell at a higher price.

However, those soap operas from Korea can be sold at high prices in Japan. The contrast is too stark.

Among them, "The Lonely and Great God" had the highest revenue of nearly one million RMB per episode, which can be said to be a money-grab.

In Du Sheng's opinion, if one wants to achieve cultural output, one should never rely on such humble or even begging methods.

Instead, he stood up straight and made money honestly.

"The Chinese Paladin has set viewership records in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland. It is certain to be a hit. Don't underestimate its influence."

Seeing that Zhong Zhen still had doubts, Du Sheng explained:

“The fact that Neon took the initiative to discuss the purchase is itself proof of its success.

In this way, we have the upper hand in negotiations and there is no room for negotiation on price.

Furthermore, if Fuji TV buys the copyright at a high price, it will pay more attention to the drama and will certainly promote it, which will undoubtedly further expand the influence of "Chinese Paladin".

At the end, Du Sheng concluded calmly:

“When dealing with Japanese people, politeness and respect are not enough, only strength can win their respect.

As long as our work is good enough, they will naturally make concessions.”

Zhong Zhen smiled and agreed:

“It is true that as the world’s second largest economy, Japan has strong financial resources.

Facing such a big dog owner, I would feel guilty if I didn’t kill it.”

After discussing this matter, she became curious again:
"Are you sure you want to participate in the K1 th Anniversary 'Star Player Return' event?"

There are only a few days left, and they must give an explanation, otherwise it will be difficult to make arrangements over there.

Du Sheng thought about it and finally nodded:

"You can reply to them, but the opponent must be a world boxing champion with an appearance fee of more than one million US dollars, otherwise I will just watch the game."

The reason for agreeing is not only to gain huge money and popularity.

The most important thing is to pave the way for your own film and television dramas and completely open up the Japanese market.

After all, this program is very popular in Japan, and its highest ratings once rivaled the Red and White Songs Contest (similar to the Spring Festival Gala).

This is also the tenth anniversary celebration, so there is a lot of hype and publicity, and huge traffic.

After discussing work matters, Du Sheng was invited to the homes of Zhong Zhen and Zheng Ziyan respectively.

Under the special "hospitality" of the two beauties, he felt that they were so slippery and had to save them out of kindness.

That evening, Hisahide Miyamoto came to Star Media with two of his subordinates.

This is a suburban area, surrounded by green trees, exuding an atmosphere of nature and harmony everywhere.

Miyamoto Hisahide retracted his gaze and praised Du Sheng who was receiving him:
"Mr. Du, your company is like a paradise, far away from the hustle and bustle, it cleanses people's souls."

Du Sheng knew that this was just a daily courtesy and smiled indifferently.

After some casual chat and getting down to business, Miyamoto Hisahide not only felt spiritually cleansed, but also suffered a great blow.

When Du Sheng quoted the price of 40 RMB per episode, he thought he had misheard.

Because their team's expected price is 12 per episode, and the highest reserve price is 20.

Compared with the past, Miyamoto Hisahide felt that this price was already quite sincere.

It even broke the price per episode for Japanese TV series introduced to Eastern countries.

Miyamoto Hisahide was a little excited:
"Mr. Du, this price is completely beyond our expectations.

After all, after purchasing the broadcasting rights, we still need to re-dub and translate the text, which is quite expensive.

We cannot afford such a high price.”

If we agree to the other party's offer, converted into Neon Dollars, it would be 520 million per episode, and the whole series would cost nearly 2 million!
Du Sheng smiled calmly and responded:

“Let’s talk business, I understand Mr. Miyamoto’s feelings.

It doesn’t matter if this cooperation cannot be concluded. Even if the deal fails, there is still friendship.”

Seeing that the other party was indifferent, Miyamoto Hisahide was a little confused and asked again:
"What about the price of the TV series "Water Moon Cave"?"

Du Sheng answered slowly:

"We have just started filming this drama. If you are interested, you can contact us later."

Miyamoto Hisahide nodded slightly. He had also done some homework before.

But such a high offer for "Legend of Sword and Fairy" is still a bit hard to accept.

I just wanted to leave like this, but I was very unwilling to do so.

At the very least, he couldn't explain to his superiors.

.........

(End of this chapter)