Chapter 547 TT Spark Tiger Fang

With the meeting agenda clarified, the three presidents felt somewhat relieved.

"Let's begin in the order of President Qin, President Jin, and President Yu," Zhang Yong said, presiding over the meeting.

Qin Kaining, President of TT Voice, took the lead and began his report: "Chairman Song, General Manager Zhang, General Manager Wang, I will now report to you on TT Voice's business performance in the first half of the year..."

Qin Kaining had clearly made thorough preparations, readily citing various operational data, from user activity and market share to revenue growth and cost control, analyzing them in a clear and organized manner.

"...In addition to the above basic operational achievements, the voice platform has also made a series of innovative explorations in membership value-added services."

For example, developing exclusive skins, personalized sound effects, and differentiated identity privileges has yielded very positive user feedback and conversion rates…

Song Ci listened very attentively, occasionally jotting down a few key points in his notebook.

By cross-referencing the content of subordinates' reports with the financial statements and market analysis data in their memory, they can determine the authenticity and depth of the reports.

After Qin Kaining finished his report, Jin Xiu and Yu Xin also gave detailed reports, respectively explaining the achievements of their platforms in the fields of live entertainment and live gaming.

After a detailed presentation that lasted nearly two hours, the meeting room fell into a moment of silence.

All eyes were on the chairman, awaiting his final judgment and guidance.

Song Ci put down her pen, leaned back slightly, looked up at Qin Kaining, and spoke calmly:

"After TT Voice spun off its live streaming business, the remaining core voice tools and social platforms need a more precise strategic positioning."

After listening to the report, I felt that the thinking was still constrained by past successful experiences and was too limited, merely regarding TT as an auxiliary tool for playing games together.

TT, backed by a gaming platform, is the only voice tool officially recommended and deeply integrated by Tenda.

Over a thousand popular games have integrated with and use TT Voice by default, a unique ecosystem advantage that must be effectively utilized.

Qin Kaining's expression tightened, and he quickly nodded in acknowledgment: "You are right. It is true that our development strategy is outdated and we have failed to fully open up the overall picture."

Song Dynasty poetry did not dwell on criticism, but went straight to constructive guidance, with an unquestionable tone:

“I’ll provide a few ideas for future development. Take notes, think about them when you get back, and incorporate them into your future plans.”

Upon hearing this, the people present immediately sat up straight, picked up their pens, and prepared to take notes.

"First, we need to build a robust social ecosystem. We can't just be satisfied with gaming scenarios; we need to develop diverse social scenarios based on voice."

For example, setting up a karaoke room, an emotional support channel, a matchmaking service, and a radio program can create a complete closed loop that extends from game-based social interaction to pan-entertainment audio-based social interaction.

Secondly, we need to continuously optimize voice technology. You've been working on this, and your previous reports on developing personalized sound effects such as voice changing and euphonium are on the right track.

However, efforts need to be focused on three key aspects: reducing latency, improving sound quality, and enhancing interference resistance.

"Third, and most importantly," Song Ci said, her expression becoming more serious, "we should strongly encourage and support users to create short audio content for the voice live streaming and community sections."

Examples include original stand-up comedy, audio dramas, radio dramas, and music clip covers.

We have invested resources to cultivate a group of broadcasters and content creators who are skilled at using their voices and possess excellent content creation abilities.

After listening, Qin Kaining felt enlightened and quickly wrote down in his notebook: "Understood, Chairman Song!"

After this meeting, I will refine the plan and begin working on creating a healthy and vibrant audio content ecosystem. I will give you a special report on this at the conference.

Song Ci nodded slightly and then turned his gaze to the two heads of the live streaming platform.

"The name TT Live is easily confused with TT Voice, which is not conducive to brand differentiation. Let's change the name to Spark Live."

CEO Jin Xiu was taken aback for a moment, then readily agreed: "Yes, Chairman Song."

For her, changing her name was not a bad thing; it was a good opportunity to completely differentiate herself from voice tools and establish an independent brand image.

After a moment's thought, Song Ci summarized his thoughts: "Huohua Live and Huya Live have different business models and core missions, so we need to clarify the division of labor and form strategic synergy."

He looked at Jinxiu: "Huohua Live should focus on developing the live streaming platform, paying attention to the commercial value of the tipping ecosystem and virtual gifts, and cultivating users' willingness to pay."

At the same time, more effort needs to be invested in the construction and management of the streamer guild system.

“Okay, Spark Live will definitely cultivate the live streaming ecosystem.” Jin Xiu responded quickly.

"Huya Live should focus on the gaming sector." Song Ci finally turned her gaze to Yu Xin, who was ranked last, "Its core mission is to consolidate the ecosystem barriers of Tenda's gaming business."

Cultivate and sign a group of game streamers to ensure that Tengda's game content has the initiative in the distribution channels.

In the future, the group will allocate some resources to Huya, including the exclusive or priority broadcasting rights for major esports events under Tenda.

Therefore, we must work hard on low-latency, high-concurrency live streaming technology.

To ensure a smooth, stable, and high-definition viewing experience even when millions of people are watching major sporting events online simultaneously.

Yu Xin was deeply moved and was about to express his opinion when there was a gentle knock on the conference room door.

Jian Ning pushed open the door and entered, holding a laptop in her hands, the screen of which was lit up.

He quickly walked to Song Ci's side and whispered:

"Chairman Song, the Xiaomi new product launch event that you asked us to keep an eye on is now at the stage of product announcement and pricing."

Song Ci raised his hand and said to the people present, "Let's all take a look."

Jian Ning placed the laptop in the center of the conference table as instructed, with the screen facing Song Ci, and turned up the volume.

Instantly, Lei Jun's passionate voice filled the conference room.

Wang Jing turned her head to stare at the screen and said in surprise, "Xiaomi is holding another press conference? The Mi 3 was only released half a month ago, and the hype hasn't died down yet."

Two weeks ago, the Xiaomi 3, equipped with Tenda Technology's intelligent voice assistant and fingerprint recognition technology, was launched.

With its outstanding cost-performance ratio and cutting-edge technology experience, it has caused a huge stir in the mobile phone industry.

The online discussion about the powerful alliance between Xiaomi and Tenda remains heated.

Zhang Yong adjusted his glasses, clearly knowing more about the situation, and responded in a low voice:

"This should be Xiaomi's low-end, high-volume model equipped with the group's TenOS system."

He knew perfectly well that Tengda was using its cutting-edge technology to help Xiaomi gain a foothold in the mid-range market as part of an exchange of benefits and ecosystem development.

Xiaomi's development of this lower-end model, aimed at disrupting the market, and its full pre-installation of Tenda's TenOS system, is a tacit understanding between the two parties.

Song Ci gazed at Lei Jun, who was speaking eloquently on the screen, her words carrying a predictable calm:

"Just watch, on the last day of the first half of 2013, Mr. Lei is going to put a lot of pressure on the entire mobile phone industry."

Qin Kaining, Jin Xiu, and Yu Xin exchanged a glance without making a sound, their hearts churning with unspoken emotions.

Although they were heads of the group's business lines, they were quite surprised that Tenda had quietly developed the mobile operating system TenOS and had already reached such a deep cooperation with Xiaomi.

"The Redmi phone is equipped with a MTK quad-core processor and a 4.7-inch 720P high-definition screen."

It features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a massive 2000mAh battery! More importantly!

Lei Jun's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, "It runs the TenOS system, which was jointly and deeply optimized by Xiaomi and Tenda Technology!"

“Redmi!” Wang Jing murmured the name, smiling slightly. “President Lei really has a special fondness for the character ‘mi’ (rice).

Quad-core processor, 720P large screen, 2000mAh battery, plus optimized TenOS—this configuration is considered luxurious in the low-end phone market.

On the screen, Lei Jun vividly and engagingly recounted the various specifications and advantages of the Redmi phone.

Then, the tone shifted, becoming exceptionally solemn and persuasive:

As Mr. Song Ci once said, "Technology should not be something aloof and unapproachable; it should serve everyone."

This sentence deeply touched me!

Therefore, Xiaomi's goal is to relentlessly create high-quality technology products that everyone can afford and use effectively!

Upon hearing this, everyone in the conference room simultaneously turned their gaze to Song Ci, who was seated at the head of the table.

But their chairman remained calm and composed, his deep eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever, as if Lei Jun had simply quoted an ordinary phrase.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat, I know what everyone's most concerned about!" Lei Jun waved his hand, and the huge electronic screen behind him changed accordingly.

A striking figure appeared prominently in the central government's announcement: "799!" At the same time, he declared emphatically: "799 yuan!"

"How much?!" Kim Soo couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, then realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but the shock on his face was hard to hide.

The others, including Zhang Yong and Wang Jing who were already mentally prepared, also had their pupils shrink slightly the moment they saw the price.

Zhang Yong originally estimated, based on cost and configuration, that this low-end model equipped with TenOS would be priced between 1299 and 1499 yuan, in order to sweep the sub-1000 yuan phone market.

Unexpectedly, Lei Jun was so ruthless that he broke through the 800 yuan mark and reached a price that can only be described as "terrifying".

The live stream camera also occasionally panned across the area where representatives from various partner companies were invited to attend, capturing a variety of fascinating faces.

Some stared in disbelief, their faces contorted in astonishment; others were pale and their eyes blazed with suppressed rage; still others wore expressions of terror, as if witnessing the end of the world.

These expressions silently convey the nuclear-level impact of Redmi's 799 yuan price tag.

Zhang Yong took a deep breath, recovering from his shock, and said in a solemn tone: "Chairman Song, this price is not just disruptive, it's massacre."

It will sweep across all branded low-end phones, as well as the massive market for counterfeit phones.

"That's right. From this moment on, counterfeit phones have lost their last foundation for survival and have officially entered the countdown to extinction."

Redmi's impact on counterfeit phones will be the most direct, thorough, and revolutionary.

It uses the quality and supply chain of a legitimate company to offer prices even more aggressive than counterfeit phones—this is a classic case of disrupting the market.

Wang Jing quickly recovered from the industry repercussions; as COO, she was more concerned about the implications for Tenda. She added with a light laugh:

"However, the better Redmi sells, the greater the benefit for our group. Every Redmi sold represents another entry point for users to access our ecosystem."

The three tech giants are well aware that because these Redmi phones are equipped with the TenOS system, applications such as WeChat, Weibo, and Toutiao Video will become root services that cannot be uninstalled from the phones.

This is tantamount to planting more and more flags bearing the "Tenda" name at the bottom-level entry point of the mobile internet, greatly strengthening Tenda's layout in the hardware ecosystem.

"By the way, Chairman Song," Wang Jing suddenly remembered something and reported, "In the past few days, many mobile phone brands have contacted the group through various channels, hoping to obtain authorization for the two technologies of intelligent voice and fingerprint recognition."

Especially Smartisan Technology and Meizu Mobile, they were extremely persistent; the founders even called personally, hoping to meet with you in person.

"We will politely decline all offers." Song Ci waved his hand without any hesitation. "Except for Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung, with whom we are currently negotiating details, we will not pay attention to any other brands."

If every phone on the market has intelligent voice control and fingerprint recognition, then our technology will be worthless.

"I understand." Wang Jingxin understood and said no more.

Xiaomi and Huawei are core members of the group's "ecosystem alliance," while Samsung is involved in more complex global patent cross-licensing and high-end market cooperation. Other brands do not yet have the leverage to make Tenda take notice.

"That's enough, let's continue the meeting." Song Ci instructed Jian Ning to take the notebook away.

The storm that Redmi phones are about to create in the market is Lei Jun's main battleground, and it's not his concern for the time being.

Right now, he needs to first straighten out the direction of these business lines within the group.

Everyone composed themselves and refocused their attention on the conference room.

A look of anticipation ignited in the eyes of Yu Xin, president of Huya Live.

He had previously submitted multiple reports hoping to obtain funding from the group to sign top game streamers.

However, the higher-ups have always been cautious about this.

Unexpectedly, things seemed to be turning around today, with the chairman personally inquiring and providing strategic guidance, which gave him a glimmer of hope.

He was eager to get started and make a big splash once he received funding, but Song Ci's next sentence was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the fire in his heart.

"In terms of funding, the group will not make large-scale investments in Huya Live; instead, it will focus more on providing technological support."

Yu Xin's heart sank suddenly, and a strong sense of unwillingness and loss welled up in his heart.

He really wanted to ask, "Why?"

Without real money, how can he compete with rivals like Douyu and Panda, who are waving their checkbooks?

But in the end, he didn't dare to ask. Song Ci held absolute authority within Tengda Technology, always making arbitrary decisions on major strategic directions and having the final say.

Yu Xin knew that his performance on Toutiao Video was not outstanding, and being transferred to Huya was already an opportunity.

If one were to question the chairman's decision at this point, it's likely that the president's position would be truly over.

He could only swallow his doubts and grievances, his face turning somewhat pale.

After a moment's consideration, Wang Jing, out of consideration for her subordinate, offered a word of support, after all, Yu Xin came from the entertainment industry:

"Chairman Song, there are indeed signs of burning money to grab streamers and users in the game live streaming industry."

If Huya cannot receive any financial support, it will likely be at a disadvantage from the very beginning, making its development extremely difficult.

Song Ci nodded and explained his plan to Yu Xin, and to everyone present: "My current requirement for Huya is not to blindly pursue scale or become the industry leader."

Instead, it leverages Tenda's technology and ecosystem advantages to ensure it doesn't fall behind in the live streaming industry and can continuously produce high-quality game content.

Huya shouldn't act like a nouveau riche, 'fishing' for fish at exorbitant prices on the open market.

His gaze sharpened, and his tone became more serious: "Huya's core mission is to leverage Tenda's massive gaming, social, and data ecosystem to 'raise fish' for itself!"

Yu Xin, your focus should not be on figuring out how to spend money!

Instead, we aim to build a unique channel for the incubation and advancement of livestreamers that cannot be easily replicated by other platforms with money.

If all you're doing is poaching people with money, what's the point of having you as CEO? Just hire an accountant who can only sign checks.

Of the people present, only Zhang Yong roughly understood the deeper meaning of Song Dynasty poetry.

Whether it's the Spark Live show ecosystem or Huya game live streaming, both could become another strategic business in Songci's grand blueprint, serving as "nutrients" and testing grounds for short videos.

Everything the two major live streaming platforms are doing at this stage, including accumulating technology, cultivating user habits, and discovering content creators, is laying the groundwork for a future explosion.

Therefore, it was pointless to invest all resources in the "livestreamer arms race," which at the time seemed to have a very low cost-effectiveness ratio.

So Zhang Yong took over the conversation and gave Song Ci more specific advice: "Yu Xin, you should think about the problem from the perspective of technology empowerment."

Leveraging the Group's powerful cloud computing and big data capabilities, we provide all broadcasters with stable, convenient, and efficient 'Tengda Cloud Broadcasting' services.

It enables one-click live streaming, the lowest live streaming latency across the entire network, and intelligent adaptation for optimal picture quality.

This is a highly attractive core competitive advantage for gamers and viewers who value real-time gameplay and viewing experience.

"I...I understand a little now." Yu Xin suddenly realized, feeling as if a new window had been opened. "Thank you, Chairman Song and General Manager Zhang, for your guidance!"

Song Ci didn't care whether Yu Xin fully understood it, and continued to issue instructions: "There is one more important point."

Actively seek out and discover small and medium-sized live streamers who have a good sense of the camera, are good at expressing themselves, and have the potential to create short videos.

Sign long-term, exclusive agency contracts with them that cover all platforms, and the contracts must clearly include their rights to create and distribute short video content.

Within the platform, a dedicated section should be established and supported with increased traffic.

These livestreamers are encouraged and guided to edit the most exciting and interesting moments from their broadcasts into short videos of 15 to 60 seconds for posting.

After a moment's thought, Song Ci suggested, "We could set a brand slogan like 'Record every shining moment.'"

Zhang Yong added, "Chairman Song has already pointed out the future development direction and the strategy for differentiated competition for you."

Upon returning, I will organize a team to conduct in-depth discussions and refine the plan into an actionable three-year plan. I need to see the detailed plan at the mid-year meeting.

"Yes! Chairman Song! President Zhang!" the three presidents replied in unison.

Seeing that the chairman did not intend to speak again, Qin Kaining respectfully asked, "Chairman Song, if there are no other instructions, we will go back and make preparations."

"Okay, go ahead."

The office door was gently closed, isolating the outside world.

Zhang Yong leaned forward slightly, looked at Song Ci, and asked, "Chairman Song, it seems you have a very high opinion of the short video business."

Song Ci nodded emphatically, his eyes sparkling with confidence and planning for the future:

"Everything that Huohua and Huya are doing now—empowering with technology, identifying creators, cultivating user habits, and training the operations team—is laying the groundwork for the future of short videos."

This is precisely the meaning of 'I am today, so I can nurture myself tomorrow'.

When Douyin truly grows and soars to new heights, Huohua and Huya will have successfully completed their historical mission and can gracefully retire.

"Douyin!" Zhang Yong and Wang Jing silently recited the name of the project, which had been personally given to them by the chairman, and memorized it.

The fact that the chairman is willing to dedicate two important business units to supporting and incubating Douyin demonstrates the level of importance he attaches to it.

Song Ci's tone grew increasingly solemn as he revealed the truth to his most trusted right-hand men: "I'll also give you the real information."

In my plan, Douyin will be another national-level, and even world-class, super application that the group will devote its full efforts to creating, following WeChat.

The current investment and strategic deployment in Spark Live and Huya Live can, in a sense, be considered a strategic feint to mislead competitors.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong's expression hardened, and he solemnly replied, "Understood!"

I will personally take the lead in optimizing the allocation of internal resources and coordinating related business strategies.

"Ensure the Douyin project can seamlessly integrate and achieve immediate success."

Song Ci checked the time and ended the meeting. "That's all for today. All departmental hearings will be suspended for half a day tomorrow."

I'm going to the Great Hall of the People to attend a press conference and sign a 4G joint innovation strategic cooperation agreement with China Mobile and Huawei.

There's a dinner party at the mobile company tonight, Yong-ge, Jing-jie, you should both join us.

(End of this chapter)