After dinner, Fang Yang and Zhou Haijun went to the study. Looking at the thick stack of scripts, Zhou Haijun didn't immediately start looking at them. Instead, he asked Fang Yang about his plans for the new year, "We're moving to the new headquarters building in the middle of the year, right? What are your plans for the new year?"

Fang Yang wasn't wary of Zhou Haijun. "In the first half of the year, there are several movies and TV series to shoot. Besides 'Operation Red Sea,' the last installment of the Condor Trilogy, 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,' will be on the schedule, as will a sitcom. In the second half of the year, there will be two more movies on the schedule, and we should also organize a variety show. After all, we can't waste such a high-standard facility as our headquarters cinema, right?"

Fang Yang smiled and explained the general arrangements. The construction of the park requires a large amount of funding, and all tasks need to be accelerated. It should be no problem for each team to produce two works a year.

"You only have three director teams on your end right now, right? Aren't you overwhelmed with so many resources?"

Zhou Haijun was a little worried. One film a year would be easy, two films a year would be a bit stressful, and three films a year would be a real struggle. Not only the directing team, but also the film and television department, promotion department, special effects department, and editing department would be extremely busy.

"We have four teams now, and if all goes well after the New Year, we can add another variety show directing team. For now, that's enough."

Zhou Haijun nodded in agreement, "That's about right. If you need any help, just let me know. By the way, if you're doing a variety show next year, do you have any TV stations you'd like to collaborate with?"

Fang Yang felt that this sentence sounded familiar. Who had said it before? "For variety shows, we want to separate production and broadcasting. I'm afraid many TV stations will not accept this. So for the time being, we have not considered the TV station issue. In the early stages, we will showcase it through live broadcasts. As for the guests, we will need your company's support at that time."

Zhou Haijun understood, “Many TV stations really can’t accept the separation of production and broadcasting. It’s related to the broadcasting rights for next year. They spend a lot of money on promotion this year, but next year they can be poached by someone else with a lot of money. In the end, they will lose everything. It’s natural for them to hesitate.”

Fang Yang laughed and said, "That's what I considered when I designed Seven Star Cinema. I put a lot of effort into creating a variety show, but after it was successful, the TV station made things difficult for me. It would have been better to be independent from the beginning and have my own live streaming website, so as to avoid being held hostage by anyone. If the TV station wants to cooperate, as long as they are sincere enough, everything is negotiable."

Zhou Haijun laughed and said, "You're not afraid because you have money in your pocket. What you said is true. Nowadays, TV stations are greedy. Even if you have brilliant ideas, once they're in their pockets, they'll eventually become theirs. The separation of production and broadcasting will inevitably take hold everywhere. Just look at the increasingly developed online TV and live broadcasts. You can tell that TV stations are gradually losing the support of the people. The era of a hundred flowers blooming has arrived."

"Director Zhang of Yangcheng TV once told me about this. TV stations are having a tough time now. Online TV is taking up too many resources, and TV stations don't have their own flagship programs or ratings. It's normal for them to decline."

"In terms of coverage, TV stations still have an absolute advantage, so it's best not to offend them if you can avoid it. As long as you can cooperate, you can deepen the cooperation. As long as you stick to your bottom line, TV stations are not that difficult to deal with. As long as you have good programs, they will rush over immediately. Just like your TV series, didn't it sell for a sky-high price?"

Fang Yang was surprised by this. Previously, Hunan TV had been hostile, but suddenly, like a spring breeze, it showed great goodwill.

"I think that the separation of production and broadcasting will become the norm in the future. TV stations still make the most money from advertising, while our websites earn money from clicks. In fact, it's the same. Traffic is king. TV stations will also be the same. When they find it increasingly difficult to produce variety shows, they will tear off their last fig leaf and go abroad to buy broadcasting rights, just like they are now buying copyrights from abroad. In fact, it's not much different from the separation of production and broadcasting."

Zhou Haijun had originally intended to advise Fang Yang, but when he heard about the TV station importing foreign copyrights, he suddenly realized that this was actually a trick by the TV station to change the concept. It was called importing copyrights, but it was actually just a one-year contract, not much different from the separation of production and broadcasting. At most, it was just a little more freedom in terms of ownership.

“You’re right. Actually, I also feel that our company’s TV dramas earn more on your website than when they are sold to TV stations. But I can’t be sure if it’s because of the added fame after they are broadcast on TV. After all, will anyone know about a TV drama that has no fame at all if it’s broadcast on a website?”

"That's easy. After the New Year, our company will have a new director filming a sitcom. This time, we plan to only broadcast it on the website. We'll see how many views it gets then."

Zhou Haijun hadn't expected Fang Yang to have such boldness, daring to experiment with investments of millions or tens of millions. "What if it fails? Wouldn't we lose everything?"

"It's alright. It was just an experiment for the new employees. Everyone has to do it once. Besides, our website has enough traffic. We won't lose money no matter what. Website owners generally don't rely on short-term profits. Long-term income is the biggest guarantee."

Zhou Haijun only had a vague understanding of the website, but seeing Fang Yang's overconfidence, he stopped arguing. "Let's see how it goes. If it's successful, our company will make a sitcom to see. To be honest, it takes three to five years to train a director and you won't see any results. If you really succeed, I'd like to give it a try. A few million is a price I can accept for trial and error."

The two were drinking tea when Ni Sufeng and Zhou Xin came up shortly afterward. Seeing the two chatting happily, they both smiled and asked, "Xiao Fang, the old man called today saying he wants to stay at West Lake for a while. What's going on?"

Fang Yang was taken aback. They found out about it so quickly?

"It's nothing. I just invited Grandma to stay at West Lake for a while during the sandstorm. I've lived in Beijing for quite some time, and I always try to avoid sandstorms. So, for Grandma's health, I thought we could stay at West Lake for a while. I'm building a large hilltop manor by the sea there. The safety and medical conditions are quite good. I didn't expect that the two old men would also want to go after hearing about it. I can't possibly agree to that."

Ni Sufeng chuckled and said, "Is it because you have fishing over there? The two old men haven't gone fishing for years, and they're itching to go."

Fang Yang hadn't expected there to be such a reason. "No wonder the two old men were initially looking like they were going to interrogate me, but as soon as they heard that I could fish for shad and knife fish, they immediately changed their minds and acted like they wouldn't agree unless I did. It gave me quite a fright."

"Alright, alright, don't worry about it. We'll handle it when the time comes. Maybe it's because he hasn't been out for a while. He's just throwing a tantrum."

Ni Sufen shook her head with amusement. So that's what happened. Her father called with a very self-righteous tone. But it's a good thing to go out and avoid the sandstorm. If you're always cooped up in the small courtyard, you're bound to get irritable after a while.