2006 1 Month 2 Day.

A sitcom called "Wulin Waijia" was quietly broadcast on CCTV-8.

At first, no one cared about this low-budget TV series.

This is just a comedy.

A bunch of jokes.

Several actors performed very well.

Two episodes are just a "make-up" show to fill the prime time slot.

Until his ratings exceeded 9%!

What does it mean to get a 9% audience rating on CCTV?

The average viewership of "Xinwen Lianbo" is 6%.

Generally speaking, within CCTV, as long as the ratings of a TV series or film exceed those of the "News Broadcast", it will be regarded as a masterpiece at the "King of Dramas" level.

In fact, on January 8, the first day that "Wulin Waijia" was broadcast, the person in charge of CCTV- did not take it seriously.

The ratings on the first day were 1.95%.

This result is actually quite good.

But there is a good example. The "Story of the Kitchen Team" aired in 02 broke 2 on the first day.

In fact, "The Story of the Kitchen Team" not only has good content, but also came at a good time.

Because since 02, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has issued two important policies to protect domestic dramas.

First: Extend the prime time period from 7:00 to 9:30 to 10:00.

This will increase the number of TV series that can be broadcast.

Second: Imported TV series are not allowed to be broadcast during prime time!

As soon as these two policies came out, the entire Chinese TV drama market began to take off. A large number of film and television companies, including Huayi, began to pay attention to and flock to the TV drama market from then on.

Times create heroes. It is precisely because of the country's policy of protecting domestic films and TV series that a large number of male and female movie stars who are unrivaled in their time have been born, and are almost impossible to replicate in later generations.

Because of these two policies, "The Story of the Kitchen Team", a low-budget sitcom with an investment of only one million yuan, was able to be broadcast on CCTV's prime time during the gap between other major dramas.

Therefore, when the program director saw that the ratings of "Wulin Waijia" on the first day were "less than 2%", he felt that this so-called comedy combined with ancient costumes should take a big step.

Still, sitcoms with military and modern themes are more popular with the audience.

"I Love My Family", "Idle Sister Ma", and "The Story of the Editorial Department" are not all modern themes.

Why are you doing martial arts in a sitcom, and then...

The people at the station received the ratings report for the next day.

4.26%!

After only one day of airing, the ratings increased by 218%!

Apparently, the audience who watched the show the day before tasted the goodness of it.

Next, "Wulin Waijia" even pushed its ratings to 9% within a week.

One of the two pinnacles of Chinese sitcoms was born.

But unfortunately, "Wulin Waijia" actually, in a sense, closed the door for later domestic sitcoms.

Not only is it too good, it overshadows all other works.

What’s even more terrifying is that because the show performed so well, it caused “public outrage”.

How much money is invested in a sitcom?

Other serious dramas and big dramas often have investments of 30 to 40 million yuan, but the cost ends up being three or four times higher, and the ratings are only 20 to 30% of yours.

Losing face is no big deal, the key is who will invest in serious dramas in the future?
Besides, because of the low cost, TV stations also charge low prices for sitcoms.

Who wouldn’t be happy to spend little money to accomplish great things?

Afterwards, apart from the "off-beat" masterpiece "Underground Traffic Station", the controversial "Love Apartment" was completely popular thanks to the rise of the Internet platform.

It is no exaggeration to say that "Wulin Waijia" is the last highlight of Chinese sitcoms.

At this time, in Huayi's president's office.

The bright black leather sofa was covered with tiny white spots.

It's not that the sofa has been used for a long time and the leather is worn out.

These white, sparse objects are the dandruff that fell off when the Wang brothers scratched their heads...

The two brothers were scratching their heads holding the ratings report of "Wulin Waijiao", but they still couldn't figure out why this crappy show could get such exaggerated results.

"So he succeeded again?"

After a while, Wang Zhonglei spoke.

The elder brother Wang Zhongjun who was sitting on the other side looked a little uncomfortable and nodded slightly.

"It's so strange, why is it that this guy only submits small-budget and small-scale works, but the results are so good?"

"The previous "Bright Sword" was because the new actors had good luck, so for this "Wulin Wai Zhuan", could it be that their luck has not yet run out and has improved again?"

"I don't think so." Wang Zhongjun disagreed with his brother.

"I don't think it's such a coincidence. He must have noticed something."

"This kid is such a thief. He must have relied on more than just luck to get to where he is today."

Wang Zhongjun is now at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

The average viewership of "Drawing Sword" exceeded 10%, and it has been confirmed as the No. 05 in CCTV's annual viewership in !

The rights for the second, third, and even fourth broadcasts have already been sold, and all major TV stations are scrambling to get them.

People from Huayi roughly estimated that the revenue from the broadcasting rights of "Drawing Sword" alone had reached 30 million.

Zhang Yuan accounts for 1/3 of the investment share, which can generate at least tens of millions in revenue.

This is only the first wave of copyrights. There will definitely be many more to come in the next ten or eight years of rotation.

Now there is another movie called "Wulin Wai Zhuan". Judging from the popularity, even if it is not as good as "Drawing Sword", it will not be much worse.

The two brothers calculated that these two dramas alone could provide Zhang Yuan with at least 20 million in revenue share for the first year of the gambling agreement.

This is more than half of the 40 million yuan in revenue for the first year.

"Next up is The Lotus Lantern." Wang Zhonglei pondered, "This drama is a big production with a strong cast, so it must be good."

The two brothers suddenly felt.

I clearly set a target for the other party that was absolutely impossible to achieve, but now it seems that it can be completed so easily?

I originally thought he was just messing around, digging everywhere with a hoe.

Who would have known that every hoe could reveal a gold mine and every hoe could reveal an oil field.

These dramas are so delicious!
"And you should have read the report. Zhang Weiping even invited this guy to audition for Curse of the Golden Flower."

"In addition to our Huayi's resources, he can also find other ways out on his own."

"Well, then we can't do casting for The Banquet anymore." Wang Zhonglei was referring to the fact that the role originally promised to Zhang Yuan was given to Huang Xiaoming: "Otherwise, the benefits will flow into the hands of outsiders."

"If they don't act in our films, they will only help our competitors."

Zhang Yuan's purpose in auditioning for "Curse of the Golden Flower" was to remind the other party, without breaking up, that he could get resources from more than just Huayi.

"Okay, we still have to give the praise and resources that are due."

"Among the younger male stars in Huayi, he is the most outstanding one."

"Huang Xiaoming is still a little short after all. Even in the online voting, he is far behind Zhang Yuan... Oh, right." Wang Zhongjun said this and suddenly remembered something.

"The video that's been going viral on the Internet recently is called 'A Murder Case Caused by a Steamed Bun'. Have you seen it?"

“Haha, I saw it.” Xiao Wang grinned, “Kaige, Kaige, I didn’t expect that he would be treated so badly by an online video.”

"Now when people mention The Promise, they think of this spoof video instead of the movie."

"I heard that Kaige has already hired a lawyer and is planning to sue the author of the video." Wang Zhongjun also laughed.

"That's really his style, pretending to be domineering."

In fact, after the release of "The Promise", poet Chen did more than just this one overbearing thing.

The couple was going crazy everywhere.

Nicholas Tse did not attend the film press conference of "The Promise" due to an announcement. As a result, Chen Hong threatened to ban Nicholas Tse because of this.

When Sandra Ng was promoting "A Dark Night" for her boyfriend Peter Chan, she mentioned "The Promise", saying that the film was not good and that Zhang Bozhi's big breasts in the film were too fake and were computer-generated.

Chen Hong was so angry that she threatened to ban Sandra Ng.

Whether Zhang Bozhi's breasts were big or not, and whether they were fake or not, was not only known by Nicholas Tse and Edison Chen, but later everyone knew about it.

Some of the effects in the film are indeed a bit strange.

In addition, after the preview, Chen Hong also asked the distributor, Star Media, not to release any negative reports.

As a result, they were criticized by Star Media, which said that "good works need to be tested by the audience, and it is illogical to not allow negative reports."

Later, the film received a lot of bad reviews, and Chen Hong even started to curse directly.

He said that the movie he spent 300 to 400 million yuan to make was attacked by so many people, and that it was people with ulterior motives who were disrupting the situation.

Do you know that this movie cost three or four hundred million?

Do you still need people with ulterior motives to mess up your business?

The audience is not blind.

The box office revenue for South Korea and Japan combined did not exceed 200 million US dollars.

The North American distributor angrily pulled the film off the air after it grossed less than $50 after one week of release.

When poet Chen and his wife went to Guangguang Media for an interview and publicity, Liu Yan, who was still a young host at the time, asked questions according to the script.

“If the results of The Promise do not meet your expectations, will it hurt your self-esteem?”

Poet Chen slammed the table and stood up, cursing Liu Yan.

"Your words are considered annoying in our capital!"

Director Chen felt that the host was cursing him.

Liu Yan was so scared that she had nightmares for a month and thought she was going to be banned from the entertainment circle.

Director Chen and his wife have a hard time. When they make a movie, there are more people who want to ban it than the audience...

Of course, in the end, Liu Yan got away with nothing, the company didn’t punish her, and Guangguang ignored Chen Shishi at all.

It can be said that this couple had their defenses broken down along the way, but what finally broke them down was this short film called "A Murder Caused by a Steamed Bun."

Because the online download volume of this 20-minute short film is higher than that of the film it spoofs, "The Promise"!
The pirated resources of the movie are not as good as the spoof video... It makes poet Chen angry.

This couple's tolerance is really not like that of a wealthy family, it's not even as big as a needle hole.

However, "The Promise" is actually pretty good, at least someone recorded a pirated version of it.

In Lu Sang's later work "638 Bureau", there was even a case where the pirated recorder put away the machine and left after watching half of it.

Those who have pirated the recording know that no one watches this stuff!

Moreover, Lu Sang also had his defenses broken down on the Internet.

It seems like all you veteran directors in the entertainment industry have the same temper.

"This incident also reminds us." After laughing for a while, the two brothers came back to their senses.

After all, "The Emperor and the Assassin" cost Hua Yi a lot of money, and the two brothers and poet Chen don't get along.

"The power of the Internet is growing stronger and stronger. A short film can ruin a masterpiece." "We also need to pay attention to online publicity."

"Yes...hiss." Wang Zhonglei nodded in response, but then he thought: "Zhang Yuan has been very popular on the Internet recently, and his reputation is very good."

"It's true!" Wang Zhongjun also reacted.

Ever since Zhang Yuan came back from Singapore, his reputation on the Internet has been overwhelmingly good.

"This kid is really one step ahead of others in everything. He has already used the power of the Internet."

The two brothers thought about Zhang Yuan's recent popularity on the Internet, and felt that Huayi should be more cautious in his attitude towards Zhang Yuan in the future...

On the other side, in a cafe, Zhang Yuan and Yao Cheng sat opposite each other.

Today, Yao Cheng was wearing a long black windbreaker with the collar pulled up high, and a pair of large black sunglasses on his nose.

This attire makes it look like a spy meeting.

Not that she's being pretentious.

Instead, she found that she suddenly became famous after the broadcast of "Wulin Waijia".

I get recognized all the time when I walk on the street.

"Hey, Mr. Li."

"I want to introduce someone to Dance With the Stars."

"A new actor, an artist from my company."

Zhang Yuan is fulfilling his promise and helping Yao Cheng to attract business.

"Your artist?" Li Ruigang frowned.

Zhang Yuan is an actor himself, so the people he recruits must be young actors.

"Dancing with the Stars" aims to attract audiences through celebrities. If they are unknown little people, it will be detrimental to the show.

But Zhang Yuan is the planner of the program, and it would be bad if he didn't give him face.

"Yao Cheng is Guo Furong in 'Wulin Waijiao'." Zhang Yuan replied.

"That's fine..." Mr. Li's worry gradually disappeared.

This movie is a hit and several of the actors are very popular.

"She's your artist. When did you sign a contract with her?"

"Just before the film aired."

"Oh..." Li Ruigang thought to himself, this kid has a really sharp vision. He signed Yao Cheng on the eve of his fame. He will definitely make a lot of money.

"Okay, the show has been finalized. We will notify you of the time and location of the competition when the time comes."

Yao Cheng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

"Wait a minute, I'll make another call."

"Hey, Brother Yiwei..."

"Yes, Xu Zheng told me that you are going to film Love Call Transfer. If I have time, I will go and make a cameo appearance."

"By the way, I heard that your crew is going to use more than ten actresses. I have a female artist here. Can you make room for me?"

Liu Yiwei's reaction was similar to Li Ruigang's.

He was naturally very welcome to Zhang Yuan's guest appearance.

Given his current popularity, it will definitely be a big boost to his film.

To be honest, he was not too happy about the idea of ​​bringing in other people while making guest appearances. After all, there was only one position for each person, and one had to leave.

However, after hearing that this person was Guo Furong in "Wulin Waijiao", his reaction was once again consistent with Li Ruigang's, and he welcomed it very much!

In fact, the routines of "Love Call Transfer" and "Dancing with the Stars" are similar, both are the so-called "star bombing", finding a bunch of celebrities to participate and making the audience dazzled.

After the broadcast of "Wulin Waijia", Yao Cheng became a little famous.

Liu Yiwei thought that he could not only do a favor for Zhang Yuan, but also gain a popular actress. Not only did he not lose money, he made money.

"Speaking of "Wulin Waijia", you have a good vision. You participated in the investment and should have made a lot of money." Liu Yiwei said with a smile.

"It's OK, but not as good as Brother Liu."

"Don't be modest, but you are happy, but some people are depressed."

This guy is just laughing.

Liu Yiwei became known to many viewers because of a program called "Daily Diet".

The producer of this program is China Audio-Visual.

This company is very powerful and far-sighted. As early as the 1990s, it collected and purchased a large number of novel copyrights.

From Er Yue He’s trilogy of “Yongzheng”, “Kangxi” and “Qianlong”.

To Yi Shu's trilogy: Xipo, The Best of Times, and The Story of Rose.

The copyright of these works belongs to this company.

The famous work "Sex and the City" that made Cheng Hao shine was also their work.

In the later period, it almost monopolized the copyrights of several popular IPs in the Jin Yong Universe.

A few years ago, China Audiovisual acquired the copyright of Mr. Lin Yutang's masterpiece, Moment in Peking.

Mr. Lin was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature for this work.

A total investment of 3000 million!
The main actors included Chen Baoguo, Pan Yueming, Pan Hong, Kou Zhenhai, Wang Gang, Li Qinqin, Hu Ke...even Brother Qian had a small cameo role.

CCTV even offered a sky-high fee of 73 per episode, totaling over 3500 million!
This novel has been adapted before, starring Zhao Yazhi, whose image is extremely classic.

This was made with the intention of defeating the old predecessors and relying on the drama to dominate the annual broadcast list.

Because of the support of the famous novel, CCTV sold more than 60 million RMB worth of interstitial advertising alone before the show even aired!
"Moment in Peking" was originally scheduled to be broadcast in October.

He also made a bold statement that he would surpass "The Inspector General of Song Dynasty", which was scheduled to be the best drama of the year.

But just one week before he was about to broadcast it, "Drawing Sword" was launched.

Huaxia Audio and Video took a look and found something was wrong!

What the hell is an average viewership of 11%?

When two brave men meet in a narrow road, the brave one wins... The opponent is obviously braver than us!

Adjust your schedule quickly to avoid being injured by mistake.

Moreover, China Audiovisual was quite cunning and deliberately moved the release date back to December.

The advantage of doing this is that it will be broadcast in 05 and end in 06.

If I can't beat "Drawing Sword", then I will consider myself as the TV series of 06 and compete for the title of the best TV series of 06.

They were secretly feeling proud of themselves on this side, but just over a week after the broadcast started, bursts of singing began to be heard over there.

"Hey, bro, we haven't seen you in a while."

"Hey, friend, if it's really you, please say hello!"

"Moment in Peking" means, I don't want to say hello to you!

There is a wolf in front and a tiger behind.

The crew of "Moment in Peking" felt like they were walking in a night alley and encountered hooligans at both ends. They were attacked from both sides!

A check by Huaxia Audio-Visual revealed that both films were invested by Zhang Yuan.

The company thought, could it be that this guy is here just to mess with us?
However, his name was registered with Huaxia Audiovisual and Zhao Wei.

"You have made Moment in Peking unable to even win the title of CCTV drama king in the two years before and after. This is worrying for the Chinese audio-visual industry..."

Zhang Yuan scratched his head and said, "Just don't hate me."

"I guess among those who will change the rules to prevent sitcoms from being broadcast on prime time, Huaxia Audiovisual will be involved..."

"With such a huge investment, they found this top-tier star, but he couldn't win the title. He must be mad."

"And CCTV will definitely consider the cost issue."

"Compared like this, the cost-effectiveness of "Drawing Sword" and "Wulin Wai Zhuan" is really high!"

"Okay, don't worry. I'll go and say hello for you. I'm familiar with the people at Huaxia Audiovisual, and we may be able to cooperate in the future." Liu Yiwei was willing to act as a peacemaker because Zhang Yuan took the initiative to make a guest appearance.

"Thank you, Viagra."

"Can you please stop calling me so aphrodisiac..."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuan said to Yao Cheng with a smile.

"Okay, now I've got the role in the movie. Even though it's a small role, it's not easy to be in a commercial movie."

"Yes..." Yao Cheng didn't know what to say, so he just nodded vigorously.

She didn't expect that her young boss would secure two jobs for her next year with just a few phone calls.

These two jobs, whether it was starring in a commercial film starring Xu Zheng or performing on a star-studded show on Shanghai TV, were things he had never dreamed of before.

Although Zhang Yuan is younger than her, she is now completely convinced.

Of course, all this was done deliberately by Zhang Yuan.

I called her out on purpose and dealt with these things in front of her after "Wulin Waijiao" was broadcast.

Just to plant the seed in her heart.

Even though you became famous because of "Wulin Wai Zhuan", it was still me who found you this job!

Zhang Yuan took out a stack of documents that Cheng Hao had collected and prepared from his bag.

"There are four advertising endorsements and six business activities here."

"It's just over three million in total. It's a welcome gift from the company for you."

Yao Cheng was surprised by these documents, and his mouth opened even wider.

It has been five years since her debut, and the money she has earned before has less than one million in total.

Now that she has just joined Zhang Yuan's company, she has been given a novice gift package worth three million...

[Received thanks from Yao Cheng, folk dance basics +3! ]

Zhang Yuan glanced at the attributes given by the other party.

"Lion dance, dragon dance, and yangko dance should all be considered folk dances..."

The women who could dance that I met before, whether it was Liu Xiaoli, Li Xiaoran or Liu Shishi, all learned either folk dance or classical dance, which emphasized elegance.

This girl looks "unrestrained" and the dance she learns is also unrestrained.

According to her contract, the company can also get 30% of these businesses, which is almost one million in revenue.

In the entertainment industry, as long as there is a play or a character that becomes popular, money can come really quickly!
It is not an exaggeration to earn in one year what others earn in their entire life.

Many hands make light work, but Zhang Yuan's energy alone is always limited.

Only if all the younger brothers can stand on their own can the company earn more.

"It's not good for the process. I have to be an actor and manage these people. It's obviously too much for me to handle."

"And she also wants to study at the Central Academy of Drama after her contract with Chengtian ends next year."

"She has worked so hard to help me, I cannot let her give up her career and future."

"It seems we need to find a suitable and professional candidate to replace her."

Zhang Yuan thought, it seems that it is time to consider starting a talent poaching operation. (End of this chapter)