lovenovelstory Chapter 33 Sales Hindered
Chapter 33 Sales Hindered
12 month 8 day,
The film "The Beginning" has been submitted for review for a week.
Han Ziming finally received news from Li Feng that the show had passed censorship and could be broadcast. Since "The Beginning" only had 15 episodes, there was little hope of getting it broadcast on a satellite TV network.
Han Ziming and Li Feng decided to first go to the online broadcasting site to discuss the matter.
Speaking of online streaming,
Those five mountains are unavoidable—Qi Du Hu Le Mang.
Tencent Video, owned by Tencent, is the leading online video platform.
iQiyi, a subsidiary of Baidu, firmly holds the second position.
Youku Video, a subsidiary of Foxconn, was once a leader in the industry, but now it's doing worse and worse, falling to third place.
Leishi.com is almost gone.
Han Ziming would not even consider it unless absolutely necessary.
I remember in my previous life in 2017, Leshi was basically caught in a media storm, and Boss Jia fooled a lot of people with his PowerPoint presentation.
Then there's Hunan TV, which has pitifully low viewership. It mainly broadcasts its own self-produced dramas, and most people watch Hunan TV.
Of these platforms, apart from Leshi and Mango, Han Ziming didn't show any particular favoritism towards any of the other three.
It mainly depends on which company offers the most favorable terms.
Youku Video,
When Yang Weidong joined Youku Tudou in 2013, it was undoubtedly the industry leader in the PC era.
However, with the advent of mobile internet and the PGC era, Tencent Video and iQiyi rose to prominence overnight.
After a price war among several platforms, Youku fell to third place.
The two soon arrived at Youku.
A short while later, I was led by the receptionist to the screening room to wait.
I waited for almost an hour, but no one showed up to watch the movie with me. I did drink a lot of water, though.
Han Ziming grew impatient and said directly:
"Mr. Li, we've been stood up!"
"Boss, let me make a call and ask. Wait a moment."
Just as Li Feng finished speaking, a man in a suit walked in through the door.
"You're from Mozi Films, right?"
"I'm Li, the purchasing manager at Youku. I was a bit busy just now, so let's skip the small talk and get straight to the video."
Li Feng originally intended to give an introduction.
Han Ziming reached out and stopped him, telling him to start playing the film quickly.
Li Feng took out the hard drive and performed some simple operations.
The screen started playing.
The three of them sat there watching the screen, and 45 minutes passed.
Han Ziming noticed that this so-called Manager Li kept checking his phone. When the second episode of "The Beginning" was about to air, he stopped it abruptly, saying with a stern face.
"I didn't understand this movie. We'll buy out the exclusive online streaming rights for 500 million. If you're willing, then sign the contract!"
Li Feng looked at this fellow clansman speechlessly and retorted.
"No, Manager Li, this novel already has a fan base from the TV series, and with top-tier actress Zhao Yingbao making a cameo appearance, it shouldn't be as low as 500 million, right?"
Manager Li said, "I'm sorry, but in my eyes, that's all it's worth. If you're not satisfied, you can find another supplier."
Han Ziming immediately realized that this person was making things difficult for them.
He spent 2000 million on this drama, not even counting the cost of the script and director. It sold for 500 million, which wasn't even enough to cover the actors' fees.
"In that case, let's check out other platforms."
After Han Ziming finished speaking, he got up and walked out.
At this moment, Manager Li from Youku called him over.
"You must be Mr. Han? Young people in this world need connections and ability; if you're not capable, don't offend people!"
"Thank you for reminding me, Manager Li."
Han Ziming smiled and said.
Manager Li then reminded them, "If you issue a public apology, we can still buy your film at the normal price."
Han Ziming mocked:
"I'm speechless. It seems the hierarchy of contempt exists everywhere. Do those small-time movie directors think they can boss your video platform around?"
Manager Li was quite surprised by Han Ziming's intelligence.
I guessed it right away.
Actually, if a famous director were to handle it...
They simply blocked the purchase, refusing to negotiate at all.
The people they brought in were all petty, inexperienced directors who just wanted to embarrass Han Ziming and force him to apologize publicly.
"You were young and impetuous, weren't you? You learn your lesson after suffering a little loss!"
"Thank you very much."
An apology is absolutely out of the question!
He wasn't angry. After all, this show was incredibly popular in its previous life. People with such poor judgment don't deserve to earn this money. No wonder Youku ranks third with such poor judgment.
Li Feng was a little unhappy. He originally wanted to argue with this fellow clansman, but Han Ziming quickly stopped him and left.
"Driver Lao Wu picked them up," Han Ziming said.
"Old Wu, let's go directly to Tencent Video."
Li Feng complained.
"Boss, they're really going too far, even interfering with the web series. Tencent is the publishing platform for this novel; they're part of the same group, they wouldn't be so ignorant."
Han Ziming remained quite calm.
"Calm down, it's okay. We'll know who the Joker is after 'The Beginning' airs."
"Exactly, let them cry then!"
Li Feng said indignantly.
Soon, Lao Wu sent them to Tencent Video.
As expected, Li Feng's guess was correct.
Han Zhijie, senior vice president of Tencent Penguin Pictures, had been waiting for this opportunity. He is mainly responsible for Tencent Video's drama copyright cooperation, marketing, and brand management.
As soon as Han Ziming and his group arrived, they were led to the screening room, where Han Zhijie and his subordinates, secretary, and others were present.
When Han Zhijie saw them, he took the initiative to greet them, a contrast that left Han Ziming and Li Feng somewhat bewildered.
"Haha, Director Han, President Li, we've been waiting for you for a long time."
"I heard that the movie your Mozi Films invested in has also wrapped up filming. We can not only collaborate on TV series, but also discuss movies."
Han Zhijie said with a smile.
Han Ziming smiled and tried to build rapport.
"Hey, I didn't expect we're from the same clan. I'll call you Brother Jie."
Han Zhijie said, "Okay, then I'll call you Xiao Mo."
Having lived two lives, Han Ziming naturally knew that one should be tactful in dealing with people; after all, it takes two to tango.
Besides, web series will rely on platforms in the future, and the copyrights are all in their hands. Before you succeed, keep a low profile. Once you succeed, any casual remark you make will become a golden quote.
Han Zhijie didn't waste any words and spoke.
"Okay, let's see how the film turned out."
Tencent's people are indeed efficient; they started watching the film very quickly.
Han Zhijie and the other two stared intently at the screen.
As the story of "The Beginning" played, Han Ziming saw that they were watching intently, so he didn't disturb them.
After watching all four episodes, the group was still eager for more.
Han Zhijie knew that work was important, so he said...
"The subject matter of your drama is quite interesting. No wonder the novel received a good response. The combination of time loop and suspense is quite effective."
It only has 15 episodes, and apart from Zhao Liying and Li Xian, the rest of the actors are unknown. The female lead is also a newcomer, and it's uncertain whether she can carry the show.
I estimate your production cost to be around 2000 million, right?
Han Ziming was impressed that the other party had guessed the cost so quickly. After all, they were a platform company that frequently produced videos, and they really had some skills.
"Brother Jie, you have a great eye! You even guessed that. Although our female lead is a newcomer, I'm sure the viewership will be good. How much are you planning to offer?"
"How about 3000 million?"
"This price is not low. Although you have something to talk about, this is your first work after all. It would be good if you could make money."
In Han Zhijie's view, since Mozi Films' works have not yet been tested by the market, 3000 million is already quite a substantial amount.
There are plenty of companies in this industry that lose money.
Moreover, he heard from his subordinates that someone had told him not to buy it, but Teng Xun didn't care about such things.
However, Han Ziming felt that the price had not yet met his expectations.
"Brother Jie, do you guys have any dramas airing in December?"
Han Zhijie said directly:
"The big-budget film 'Candle in the Tomb' is about to be released."
When Han Ziming heard about this play, he knew that his own work, "The Beginning," would probably only be ranked in the next tier.
Even if there is a subsequent outbreak, resources will not be available.
He thought it wouldn't be too late to go to the kiwi fruit plant to see what was going on before making a decision.