Chapter 507 The Walking Dead is a huge hit: Chinese dramas can also be very cool
"The Walking Dead" has officially been launched worldwide. As the audience finished watching the first two episodes, the subscription data of "The Walking Dead" began to rise.
The free plot of the first two episodes is enough for the audience to see the quality of this drama. Those who like it will naturally stay, and those who don’t like it may leave before finishing an episode.
Paid on-demand data began to rise, and both domestic platforms and Netflix were paying close attention to the paid on-demand data of this drama.
The internet age is more communicative than the television age, and Netflix now boasts a staggering user base worldwide, with over 200 million members alone.
Moreover, this data is still growing, and China's streaming media platforms are also showing impressive data.
At Qingyao Media, Zhang Ke arrived early the next day. His primary concern at the moment was the 24-hour global performance of "The Walking Dead." It had officially launched at 8:00 AM yesterday, and it had been exactly 24 hours.
Twenty-four-hour data should be available. The price of The Walking Dead in China is not cheap either, with the entire series costing 49.9 RMB, or 50 yuan.
However, it's still cheaper than overseas prices, with online pricing being higher. In North America, it's $20, while in Europe it's €20. In other countries like Japan and South Korea, prices are also quite high. The total package price is a whopping 140 RMB, significantly more expensive than the Chinese price.
Of course, this is also due to the varying economic conditions of different countries. Netflix also has some cheaper markets. For example, in Thailand, a relatively underdeveloped country, prices are still quite low. However, these series are subtitled locally, and Netflix is also heavily region-locked, so it's not easy to take advantage of cross-region deals.
"Hello, Mr. Tang..."
In the conference room, Zhang Ke looked at Tang Qing and said with a smile. Seeing Zhang Ke's expression, Tang Qing laughed. Zhang Ke was not well-known before, but after joining Qingyao Media, being able to get this drama was really a great opportunity for Zhang Ke.
"Good morning, everyone, please take a seat! I won't keep you all in suspense. The global 24-hour subscription data for The Walking Dead has been released. Let me briefly explain it to you. In mainland China, the 24-hour paid on-demand data reached 22.32 million people. Netflix's data shows that outside of mainland China, the 24-hour paid subscription data for Netflix reached 24.46 million people. The total paid subscription data is a whopping 46.78 million."
When Tang Qing announced this data, all the crew members of "The Walking Dead", including Zhang Ke, were extremely excited.
The number of paid subscriptions in 24 hours reached 46.78 million. This figure is too terrifying. According to this data, it should not be difficult for the final paid subscription number to exceed 50 million.
The global subscription-based figures of 50 million viewers are quite impressive. It's worth noting that The Walking Dead was priced very high. The domestic price was as high as 50 yuan. Based on current subscription data, the domestic box office is expected to reach approximately 1.11 billion yuan.
On Netflix, even if the average price is $20, the total box office is around $490 million. This is a terrifying profit.
Based on the dividends shared with streaming platforms, even at current performance, the series could generate 7.77 billion RMB in pre-tax dividends for Qingyao Media in the domestic market. On Netflix, it would also generate $294 million, or 1.9 billion RMB in RMB.
By this calculation, the pre-tax dividends of the first season of "The Walking Dead" in just one night were as high as 2.677 billion yuan.
This is a very high box office, and after deducting the 1.2 billion RMB cost, the remaining pre-tax profit is as high as 1.477 billion RMB.
And this is just the subscription data for the first 24 hours. As the reputation of this drama spreads, the subscription will continue to increase. Such dramas have a very long lifespan.
Even if we take the guaranteed minimum income, based on the 1.5 billion RMB earned in the first season, it's still a money-making machine. A TV series that can earn 1.5 billion RMB per season is a profit that would make many listed companies in China jealous.
Not to mention the physical manufacturing industry. Many domestic physical giants have a market value of hundreds of billions, but when they release their financial reports, their annual net profit is less than 1 billion yuan.
A satisfactory answer is a huge profit for a TV series.
Obviously, The Walking Dead was an instant hit.
"Director Zhang, thank you for your hard work. I'll give you bonuses this month. I'll also give you two weeks off. Take your team and find some fun somewhere. All expenses will be reimbursed by the company. When you return, you'll start production on Season 2."
Tang Qing said with a smile. "Now that the first season has achieved such great results, production on the second season is naturally about to begin." For web series on streaming platforms like this, there's no need to stick to the one-season-a-year principle. Finish the first season, then take a break before continuing with the second season.
After filming is complete, the show will be released, and then we will take a break and continue filming the third season.
The scripts are already up to season ten, so there's no shortage of scripts in the short term. The team is also becoming increasingly proficient at working together, and the preliminary preparations are already complete. Filming will accelerate, and the second season could be completed in perhaps three or four months.
At this pace, the company can produce about two seasons of The Walking Dead every year. Even if we calculate it conservatively based on the current performance, two seasons a year can bring in 3 billion RMB in pre-tax profits. Isn't this a cash cow?
"The Walking Dead" performed very well, and the entire crew received a large red envelope. Zhang Ke, as the director, was no exception, and the amount of the red envelope reached eight figures, which made Zhang Ke swallow his saliva. Everyone knows that Qingyao Media treats its employees well, but Zhang Ke only just realized how good it is.
“What should I invest in?”
After everyone left, Tang Qing began to think.
With the increase in profitability, Qingyao Media now has more and more cash on hand. It is not short of money for the construction of its headquarters. Not only that, Qingyao Media has already started to repay the headquarters' debt to the bank in advance.
Even so, Qingyao Media's cash pile was accumulating. Currently, Qingyao Media's various projects were well-funded, with a significant amount still sitting in their accounts. Leaving money in a bank account was a foolish move. Therefore, Tang Qing had been pondering whether Qingyao Media should invest in something else to better utilize these funds and maximize profits.
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