The Asia Television headquarters building was brightly lit.
In the general manager's office on the top floor, Lin Huowang sat on a large sofa, listening to Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong's reports.
Liu Rumeng pointed to the several documents spread out and said with a slight frown, "Awang, although we have temporarily surpassed TVB and taken the top spot in ratings thanks to the in-depth reports of 'Focus Interview,' the nationwide participation of 'The Voice of Asia,' the fun of 'Supermarket Battle,' and the ratings boom of 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,' TVB's counterattack is very fierce."
She turned the page and continued, "First, they reacted extremely quickly. Uncle Shao immediately pulled out Adam Cheng, who became a sensation last year with 'The Book and the Sword,' and urgently put him on the set for 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,' casting him as Zhang Wuji. They filmed and broadcast it simultaneously, and within just two days of its premiere, they had already won back many of our viewers! Adam Cheng's period costume appearance and popularity are truly impressive."
Lui Shui-yung, standing next to her, immediately added, "Secondly, TVB has a very strong foundation. They have Shaw Brothers' massive film library as their backing. Recently, in order to grab all-day viewership, they've even been airing many classic Shaw Brothers movies for free during regular time slots and even late at night!"
That was a brilliant move! It instantly boosted their overall viewership. I heard that showing old movies at 1 or 2 AM can get over 20% viewership!
Liu Rumeng closed the file, her face also showing worry, and said, "After saying so much, I feel more and more that if ATV wants to remain invincible in the long run, we can't rely on just the TV station as a leg to walk."
We must have our own film company! We need to build our own production team and cultivate our own movie stars. Otherwise, with Shaw Brothers providing a constant influx of funding, we're too passive, relying solely on buying films and producing our own dramas.
Lin Huowang listened intently, tapping his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest.
After Liu Rumeng finished speaking, he nodded slightly and said:
"You're right, Mengmeng. Your judgment is very accurate."
The film industry is poised for rapid growth, with Hong Kong Island possessing enormous box office potential. More importantly, it can radiate throughout Southeast Asia and even further afield.
Movies are the fastest way to create stars. Without their own film companies to support them and without the ability to create stars, television stations are like water without a source or a tree without roots. In the long run, they will inevitably be left behind by giants like TVB, which have a complete industry chain.
Setting up a film company is imperative! I completely agree! Go ahead and do it; funding and resources are not a problem.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong both showed joy on their faces.
After all, the strategy of setting up a film company was the result of repeated research and discussions between the two over the past few days, and it was also a move that brought together their business acumen.
The affirmation and recognition from Lin Huowang can be said to have played a positive and encouraging role in the two's business planning and strategy.
However, knowing the importance of setting up a film company is one thing, but how exactly do you execute it?
Should we build our own team from scratch? Or should we acquire one or more of the dozens of successful film companies on the market to form a foundation for our development?
In this respect, both Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong can be described as complete laymen.
Therefore, they had to seek advice from Lin Huowang. Only after Lin Huowang provided the general direction would they feel more confident in carrying it out.
In fact, it's not just Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong who are like this; even Gao Qiaohao, who has been by Lin Huowang's side the longest, has now developed this dependence on Lin Huowang.
If Lin Huowang approves of a direction, then it must be correct; but if Lin Huowang rejects a plan, then it must be resolutely abandoned and avoided.
"Actually, whether we buy a film company or build one ourselves, what we lack most right now is movie stars who can lead the company."
Lui Shui-yung has loved watching movies since she was a child. Compared to Lau Yu-meng, who has only been in Hong Kong for less than a year, she knows all the movie and television stars in Hong Kong like the back of her hand.
These days at Asia Television, she has been working overtime almost every day, except for a few days when she had to accompany Lin Huowang. A large part of her energy has been devoted to integrating and getting to know the various resources of Asia Television, especially the celebrities and artists she can control.
The result was quite disheartening to discover that more than 80% of the stars in Hong Kong were actually made famous by TVB or Shaw Brothers, and most of them had contracts with TVB.
Even those artists who are relatively free mostly started their careers at TVB, and only switched to other companies after breaching their contracts or when their contracts expired.
As for Asia Television, since its previous CTV had only been developing for a short period of three years, how much could it have accumulated?
The company only has a handful of main artists. Most of the artists they hire for their TV dramas are stars from Taiwan or artists signed with other film companies in Hong Kong.
This is a significant disadvantage compared to TVB.
Firstly, it greatly increases the cost of filming TV series and movies. Using other people's stars and artists means paying them "sky-high" salaries, unlike TVB, which uses its own cultivated stars and artists to the extreme, and most of them are paid a fixed salary.
Secondly, without binding these stars and artists, even if the TV series and movies produced become hits, Asia Television doesn't reap much benefit. Instead, the stars and artists who are made famous see their value skyrocket. When Asia Television asks them to act again, their fees will increase significantly. It's like they're just doing the work for someone else.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
