Chapter 254 253. It must be that little bitch again!

"Hahahaha. It turns out the program previews are all real. I only watched it for half an hour and I couldn't stop laughing."

"No, no, no, the trailer doesn't show even one tenth of what The Voice is about. Keep watching, bro. There's a surprise at the end."

"Great! I must declare that The Voice is definitely the best music variety show I have ever seen. It combines all the fresh elements. Here you can find super-big-name stars, professional contestants who can bring surprises, and this novel way of selecting contestants. This is the variety show format of the new era!"

"Hahaha, I love the four of them joking around. On other programs, those talk shows, you can only see one person telling jokes at most, but here you can see four people interacting and telling jokes. It's so funny!"

"Brothers, I have a feeling that The Voice of China will create a trend. Its team rules and contestant counter-selection rules are truly a major innovation, bringing a kind of happiness that no other music variety show can give."

"I think you can't just focus on the humorous elements. Although I was also amused, don't you think the contestants' level is very high?"

"I agree! I heard that in order to compete with American Idol, The Voice has specially innovated a completely different way of selecting contestants. The program does not use open auditions, but the producers invite contestants from all over the country. Therefore, the fact that a contestant can be shortlisted already represents a certain level of strength."

"I like Pericles, he is really handsome and he sings beautifully."

“Bruno Mars is the best!”

"Bruno Mars is too short. I admit his performance was great, but he's still too short!"

"Wait, am I the only one who likes the host? James Corden has added a lot of color to The Voice. It turns out that he is not only an actor, but also a great host!"

"Do you think the people from Fox and the American Idol production team have also bought Lionheart memberships? Are they watching the show as well?"

"Raise your hands! I'm an employee of the American Idol production team. This show is fucking awesome. We're doomed to fail!"

"Brother, are you serious? Was Justin Timberlake's scene cut? Can you tell me? If that idiot is still there, I won't watch it."

"I'm sorry, I can't reveal this. Anyway, you'll know when it airs tonight. The purpose of our show is to fool as many people as possible. I can't take it anymore. I have to watch the next episode quickly."

"+1 for the next episode!"

"+2 for the next episode!"

"+3 for the next episode!"

Lionheart launched the video comment function when it went online. This allows the website to collect audience evaluations, which is beneficial for website improvements.

Looking at the comments from the audience under "The Voice of China", Carol couldn't help but smile. Almost all of them were positive comments, praising the program for being so outstanding and saying that the membership money was not wasted.

"Boss, look at the audience's reaction. Even if it's just The Voice, it's enough for them to pay willingly. What's more, we have other attractions."

Eric nodded and was very satisfied with this, but he was not used to reading the comments. In his previous life, he was used to browsing A B and reading the barrage. Unless there were resources in the comment section, he generally would not read the comments on the video.

He actually thought about whether he could implement the barrage function on YouTube and Lionheart.net, but after considering it, he gave up. He couldn't let his little hobby affect the overall situation.

English is not Chinese characters, and sometimes a sentence is quite long, which is not suitable for barrage.

In the future, both websites will go global, but the world is not limited to English, which is also a problem.

Moreover, barrage culture is still relatively speaking a subculture, and it has not entered the mainstream cultural circle even after more than a decade, let alone now.

Most importantly, many people think that barrage affects the viewing experience, especially dense barrage, which blocks the screen. What can I watch? For example, before the time travel, the official YouTube never provided the barrage function. If you want to use it, you can only use a third-party plug-in. It is natural that the world's first website has not adopted this function for so many years.

In 2004, the United States didn’t even have subtitles for movies, let alone the even more fancy barrage of comments.

"Robert, please make some statistics. I want to know how many people choose to finish watching new dramas like The Voice and House of Cards on the first day of their release. Also, calculate the completion rate of the first episode and then announce it to the public."

"Okay, boss!"

Robert Mirren also watched Eric's interview a few days ago. He proposed the concept of binge watching. As long as the data is good enough, he will use it to slap those guys in the face.

Eric and Carol stayed until the evening before leaving by car.

He has obtained the data from Lionheart Online’s 10-hour launch, and the results are encouraging. The market’s acceptance and tolerance for new things are still very high.

In 10 hours, the platform attracted 9 million members, with almost 1 million new members joining every hour.

Among them, there are about 800,000 freeloaders, but as long as they experience this novel convenience, most of them will become paying users next month. Even if they only charge $6.99, becoming a low-level member will also bring in income.

Low-level members account for about 2 million, and the percentage has increased, but as long as it does not reach half, it is within an acceptable range.

Standard members are still the main force, with 5.2 million people choosing to recharge at $9.99.

Is it expensive? Actually, it is just the price of two hamburgers and a cup of Coke, but it can allow you to enjoy visual and spiritual services for a month.

Both Eric and Robert believe that some of these people will be converted to premium members next month to enjoy more privileges.

There are 1 million senior members. There is nothing much to say. Just keep them stable.

The data of 9 million is absolutely terrifying. You have to know that Lionheart Network is not Facebook or YouTube, it is a paid platform.

Charging and free are two completely different concepts, and there are natural barriers to entry.

Carol took a pen and wrote some numbers in a notebook: "Boss, I calculated that Lionheart.com earned us $80 million in membership fees in 10 hours."

Eric nodded. "Well, it's a little low, but it doesn't matter. We are the only one in the market and have no competitors. My goal is to attract at least 60% of the households in the United States."

"This will be a long process, and it will get harder as time goes on. It may take one or two years or even longer. But if it can be achieved, based on one member for a family of four, it will be equivalent to at least 42 million members."

Carol wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper and calculated, "Boss, based on this data, we can earn about $300 million in membership fees per month."

"According to the current market conditions, it is enough to support the simultaneous filming of 20 to 30 TV series with normal investment amounts."

"But for a variety show like The Voice, which has a high production cost, or a high-quality drama like The Walking Dead, which has an investment of 30 to 40 million US dollars, this is obviously not enough."

"As for advertising, I think businesses will carefully consider the proportion of low-level users before placing ads. If the current proportion is still around 20%, it will also be greatly affected."

As she spoke, she poked the tip of her pen hard, her voice a little distressed: "We hope there will be no low-level members, but low-level members can bring in more advertising revenue. These two data are inherently contradictory."

Eric smiled and said, "It's okay. The income from this aspect can be earned back by excellent variety shows."

"Hmm? Boss, you mean through product placement? But I didn't see any product placement in The Voice."

"Not now, but soon enough."

Eric naturally understood what Carol was thinking about.

The production cost of "The Voice" exceeded 70 million US dollars, which is still a high standard even ten years later.

Among them, Michael Dunk even reduced his own salary, and Janet Jackson also reduced her salary for her brother's sake.

But even so, the money spent on the four people in the first season exceeded 40 million US dollars, and this money will definitely increase in the second season.

In order to promote Lionheart Network, MGM and Media Arts made a big investment. If they do the same in every variety show, it would be courting death.

For high-quality variety shows like this, Lionheart Network could only produce two or three a year in the early days, and the same goes for high-quality dramas.

In Lionheart's plan, most variety shows, such as the currently produced "Going with Paris Hilton", are very cheap.

The cost of one episode does not exceed 1.5 million US dollars, and is usually controlled between 1 million and 1.2 million. There are 10 episodes in the first season, which cost more than 10 million.

The main reason is that there are no big stars involved. Although Paris Hilton is a socialite, she cannot bring high pay in the film and television industry.

She hadn't even filmed the most popular "House of Wax" yet, so her pay was very low. If Eric was willing to sacrifice himself and have sex with her a few times, he might be able to bargain further.

There are also "Sword Forging Competition", "Living Alone in the Wild", "Ninja Challenge", "Take Me Out", etc., which do not need to invite big-name stars to participate, one host can do it, and even "Living Alone in the Wild" does not even have a host.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

These variety shows do not require large investments, yet can bring in super high rates of return, because variety shows have a feature that film and television dramas do not have, which is advertising sponsorship and placement.

Standard and premium members are indeed completely free of advertisements, but these advertisements refer to the stages before, during, and after watching a movie, and do not include sponsorship and product placement.

As long as you don't make it too obvious, and make everything from the food, clothing, and on-site decorations of the stars and contestants be implanted, as disgusting as "Ace vs. Ace", the representative work of Wu Tong, a well-known stitching master in the industry before time travel, then the audience will not care too much about these details.

The cell phone screen suddenly lit up and a text message came in from Liu Yifei, asking if he was available right now.

I looked down at the time and it was not yet 9 o'clock.

Eric couldn't help but think to himself, "What does it mean to call at this time? Is he worried that I'm under too much pressure recently, so he wants to devote himself to me to relax?"

The night always makes evil thoughts germinate faster. He shook his head and dialed the number, which was connected in seconds.

"What's wrong, Crystal?"

"Eric, are you okay? I know you must be busy lately."

“Following the news?”

"Of course they will pay attention to you. My mother and aunt also care about you."

Eric had a sneer on his face. Liu Xiaoli was concerned about him simply because she was worried that she would not be able to gain a foothold in Hollywood if her backer fell. Zhou Wenqiong must be worried that there would be more trouble at the theater.

"Then thank them for me. What do you want?"

"It's in China. Supernatural has started promoting it and they want me to go back."

"Then go ahead. This is MGM's first TV series in mainland China, so you really need to increase its popularity. That's your home turf, and you're much more famous than the two male leads."

Liu Yifei chuckled a few times: "Well, my part in The Hunger Games has just been wrapped, so it's okay to leave for a while."

At this point, Eric suddenly understood that this girl was testing him and wanted to find out if there were any new plays. He was probably instigated by Liu Xiaoli.

Seeing that Eric didn't say anything, Liu Yifei continued, "By the way, Eric, do you remember the play I mentioned some time ago? A company in mainland China wants to invite me to play the leading female role."

"It's the TV series adapted from that game, right?"

"Yes, you have a great memory. I have actually rejected it, but they haven't given up yet and said they can wait for my schedule. Now they have invited me again. What do you think I should do? Should I accept it? Will it affect my development in Hollywood?"

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy" is the white moonlight of countless people's childhood and the drama that truly established Liu Yifei's status.

If she had only starred in "The Story of a Noble Family", "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", her health bar would definitely not be so exaggeratedly thick.

Her development in the middle and late stages can be described as a disaster. Countless TV series and movies have failed, and her acting skills have not improved much in more than ten years. However, she still has countless loyal fans, all thanks to "The Chinese Paladin".

In a few years, when the Chinese market explodes, MGM will definitely want a piece of the pie, and by then Liu Yifei will be a trump card in his hand.

The more popularity she accumulates now, the more beneficial it will be for the future development of the company and herself. So since Tangren is so sincere, it is a good choice to take the role.

"Krystal, what do you think? I want to hear your thoughts."

"My thoughts? I... I don't have any thoughts. My mother chose the roles I played in before, and she asked me to ask for your opinion."

"What conditions did the company offer?"

"The conditions are pretty good, especially after I came to Hollywood to develop my career, Tangren has increased my salary a lot."

"This drama was originally going to have two female leads, but they promised to give me more roles. Anyway, I am definitely the female lead."

"What about the time? How long do you expect the shoot to take?"

"In one and a half months, my scenes will be filmed first."

"Then take it. It will help consolidate your popularity in China and prepare for the future."

"Okay, if you say pick up, I'll pick up. I'll listen to you."

After hanging up the phone, Eric suddenly laughed out loud. Under the butterfly effect, I wonder how many roles Lin Yueru will have left. Maybe she will share the second female role like Anu.

Carol peeked in the rearview mirror; she had rarely seen Eric speak so softly.

"Hehe! It must be that little bitch again!"

Cursing inwardly, Carol couldn't help but look down at her big breasts. They were still so beautiful, but Eric had been staring at them less recently.

"Am I dressed too conservatively? It just so happens that the weather is getting warmer, so there's reason to relax a little."

(End of this chapter)