At the negotiating table, the atmosphere was tense. Ling Yichen and Jun Moran sat upright to one side, opposite representatives of the international film and television platform. Their expressions were cold, and their eyes revealed an undeniable toughness. The negotiations had been going on for a full day, and the two sides remained deadlocked.
The chief representative of the international film and television platform, a middle-aged man named Jack, crossed his arms and spoke coldly: "Our demands are very clear. The plot must be revised. Your story is too Eastern and Western audiences cannot understand it. Moreover, the price must be reduced by 20%. This is our bottom line."
Ling Yichen frowned slightly, his tone firm yet polite: "Mr. Jack, we understand market demand, but the core value of this drama lies in its unique cultural connotations. Significantly altering the plot would cause the work to lose its soul. As for the price, we have already given a very reasonable offer. Any further reduction would be unacceptable to our production team."
Jun Mo Ran added, "We have put countless efforts into creating this work, hoping to present it to a global audience in its original form. We can make some adjustments to the details to enhance the understanding of overseas audiences, but we must never compromise the integrity of the work."
Jack sneered, "You don't understand the international market. If you don't follow our requirements, this show will have a hard time succeeding overseas."
Ling Yichen and Jun Mozhan exchanged a glance. They knew that the other party was exploiting their desire to open up overseas markets, attempting to drive down the price and control the adaptation rights to their work. But they also understood that once they compromised, all their previous efforts might be in vain.
The negotiations had reached a stalemate; both sides remained silent, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner. Just then, Ling Yichen's phone vibrated. He glanced at it discreetly; it was a message from a senior film critic in China. The critic, after watching the new drama, had given it extremely high praise, stating that its unique cultural elements were precisely its charm and shouldn't be easily altered to cater to the overseas market. A thought struck Ling Yichen; he realized this might be a bargaining chip to break the deadlock.
Ling Yichen cleared his throat, breaking the silence: "Mr. Jack, I'd like to show you some reviews of this show from domestic audiences and professionals." He handed over his phone, which was filled with screenshots of positive reviews and in-depth analysis articles.
Jack took the phone, his expression shifting slightly. He quickly scanned the content, gaining a new understanding of the show's value. But he remained firm: "These reviews only indicate its popularity domestically; in the international market, the situation is entirely different."
Jun Mo Ran had a sudden inspiration and said, "Mr. Jack, we can conduct a trial broadcast on a small scale first, and then decide whether to make changes based on the real feedback from overseas viewers. This way, we can ensure the authenticity of the work while also meeting your market considerations."
Jack fell into deep thought; clearly, the proposal was somewhat tempting. But he still put forward new conditions: "A trial broadcast is possible, but the copyright price must be reduced by 10%, and you will bear the publicity costs during the trial broadcast."
Ling Yichen and Jun Moran felt a pang of anxiety. A 10% price reduction, while a slight improvement over their previous demands, was still a considerable burden. Furthermore, covering the costs of pilot episode promotions further exacerbated the production team's financial situation. However, they also understood that this might be their only chance for a turnaround.
Ling Yichen took a deep breath and said, "Regarding the price, we can only reduce it by a maximum of 5%, that's our limit. As for the advertising costs, we can cover part of them, but not all of them."
Jack frowned and whispered a few words to his team members. Then he spoke again: "7%, this is our final concession. We'll each pay half of the advertising costs."
Ling Yichen and Jun Mozhan exchanged a glance, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes. The 7% price reduction still exceeded their expectations, but the other party had also made some concessions, and the suggestion of a trial broadcast gave them the opportunity to preserve the integrity of their work.
Just as they were about to respond, there was a sudden knock on the conference room door. A staff member rushed in and whispered a few words in Jack's ear. Jack's face instantly turned grim. He glanced apologetically at Ling Yichen and Jun Moran and said, "I'm very sorry, I need to deal with some urgent matters. Today's negotiations will end here."
Ling Yichen and Jun Moran were filled with doubt, unsure of what had happened. However, they also understood that this sudden turn of events might alter the course of the negotiations once again.
After leaving the meeting room, Ling Yichen and Jun Mozhan immediately began discussing their strategy. On one hand, they had to consider how to cover the costs of the trial broadcast promotion within a limited budget; on the other hand, they also had to worry about how the urgent matter Jack mentioned would affect the negotiations.
Back on set, Ling Yichen gathered the core members and explained the details of the negotiations. Everyone listened and fell into deep thought. At that moment, a young publicist stood up and said, "We can leverage social media and the power of fans for promotion. This will save on advertising costs and increase its effectiveness."
The suggestion was unanimously approved. The production team quickly sprang into action, mobilizing actors and staff to actively promote the new drama's pilot episode on social media, interacting with fans and inviting them to help promote it. News of the pilot episode spread rapidly online, attracting widespread attention.
However, just as they were preparing for the pilot episode, another piece of bad news arrived. Another international streaming platform learned of their negotiations with Jack's platform and unexpectedly extended a competitive offer, attempting to snatch the overseas distribution rights for the new series. This undoubtedly made the already complex situation even more unpredictable.
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