On January 8, 2015, "The Disguiser" premiered on PPTV and Shanghai TV.
The average viewership rating for the first broadcast reached 1.3, with a market share of nearly 4%, ranking first in the same period.
The online broadcast volume exceeded 50 million on the first day, and Hualuo was ranked first in the entire network, easily winning the daily championship.
Since then, "The Disguiser" has never left this position on the list.
As a spy war drama with a main theme, the performance of "The Disguiser" is really unexpected. Some media even called it "the second "The Disguiser"".
It is hard to say whether "The Disguiser" can be compared with "The Disguiser" which triggered a nationwide wave of drama watching, but it is indeed the most talked-about spy drama in recent years.
Even last year's "All Quiet in Peking", which was also produced by Noon Sunshine and featured many big names, is inferior to this.
This can also be seen from the various data performances and influence of "The Disguiser".
Not only did it top the TV platform list for many consecutive days, its market share once approached 9%. It broke a lot of records, and the final average ratings are expected to exceed 2.
This result can be said to be top-notch in today's television market. If it is put on a smaller TV station, it has a good chance of becoming the best drama of the year.
As for PPTV, as the popularity and word-of-mouth spread and the number of episodes increased, the average daily online broadcast volume of "The Disguiser" currently exceeds 100 million, and on some days exceeds 200 million.
According to estimates, by the end of the TV series, 3 billion views should be no problem, and 3.5 billion is also possible.
Perhaps this data cannot be compared with super hits such as "The Journey of Flower" and "The Empress of China".
But don’t forget that this is a mainstream subject matter, and it still has some disadvantages in terms of online broadcasting.
Even in its previous life, "The Disguiser" relied more on its staying power after being rebroadcast a lot and gaining popularity through word of mouth. It was very popular during its serialization, but it was still a long way from being a phenomenon.
The Disguiser in this time and space has strong support from PPTV, and its performance is not much worse than that of the original time and space.
Although it is inferior to dramas such as "The Journey of Flower" and "Swords of Legends", it has also set the best online broadcast data for the main theme of anti-Japanese spy wars in recent years.
In addition, the popularity of online topics sparked by "The Disguiser" is beyond the reach of other TV series and movies broadcast at the same time.
As of mid-January, the topic with the same name as the TV series, "The Disguiser," has been read by over hundreds of millions of people on Weibo.
There are more than 30 derivative topics or hot searches directly related to the plot and characters, such as [Hu Ge the Disguiser], [There is a Big Brother Called Ming Lou], [Best Assist Ming Cheng], etc.
The core topics and their derivative topics together contributed an astonishing number of readings of over 1 billion people.
The leading actors Hu Ge, Song Tie, Liu Yijun, Jin Dong, and Wang Kai have all gained extremely high popularity, and even the supporting actors Wang Ou, Liu Mintao, Yue Yang and others have benefited greatly, with their fans' Weibo and personal popularity taking off.
Throughout the year, there are actually quite a few dramas that can make people famous, but it is not something that ordinary works can achieve if all the supporting characters in the entire drama can be made famous.
Not only does the TV series have to be a huge success, it also has to be of high quality, the actors perform well, and it leaves a deep impression on the audience.
Even though dramas like "The Journey of Flower" and "The Empress of China" are quite popular, they are more centered around the protagonists and important supporting roles. When it comes to promoting a group of people, "The Disguiser" is still the best.
In addition to the actors, the production company Noon Sunshine also became famous.
Noon Sunshine itself is quite famous in the industry and has produced many excellent works. Its fame this time is more due to the success of its business transformation.
In the past, Noon Sunshine only had popular dramas with sky-high ratings but average topic value. But now it has become an all-round hit, with all kinds of exposure and popularity, achieving great success in terms of word-of-mouth and popularity. Coupled with its past accumulation, it has become a new star in the film and television industry.
It was at this time that many people noticed that one of the major shareholders of Noon Sunshine was traced back to the company under the name of Boss Wei.
Some people think that Wei Yang has a unique vision and he made a decisive move to buy it before the midday sun shines brightly.
More people think that the successful transformation of Noon Sunshine is essentially due to the manipulation of Boss Wei, which is another masterpiece of Wei Yang in business.
But no matter what, both Noon Sunshine and Wei Yang benefited, and it was a true win-win situation.
PPTV also won!
Compared with previous years, this year's opening drama is not as fierce as previous years, but there are also strong competitors.
That is "The Artilleryman" starring Sun Honglei and Hai Qing. These two may not be as popular as some of the top stars, but their national popularity and influence are not to be underestimated. They are definitely first-line artists.
In the past two years, Sun Honglei's salary in the TV drama market was second only to Wei Yang. Hai Qing is known as a guarantee of ratings and is the most sought-after heroine in small and medium-cost family dramas.
The two collaborated, and the director is Kang Honglei of "Soldier Assault". The drama "The Gunner" can be said to be the biggest hit at the beginning of the year.
The other one is "Old Farmers", starring Chen Baoguo, Feng Yuanzheng, Jiang Xin and others, with an even stronger lineup than "The Artilleryman".
I have to explain here that Chen Baoguo is already a well-known figure in the industry and the ceiling of male actors in mainland China.
In this time and space, thanks to the highlight role of Emperor Qing in "Joy of Life", Chen Baoguo not only has a classic representative work in the past two years, but his popularity has also skyrocketed.
In addition, most of those with similar qualifications and reputation as him are now heading into the film industry, so Lao Chen seems to be the leader in the field of TV dramas.
Starring him and a group of well-known and powerful actors, the strength of "Old Farmers" should not be underestimated.
In addition, Si Yatou’s "The Legend of Yun Xi" was also broadcast on time at the end of last year.
The reason why it was released at the end of last year was that since January 1, 2015, a certain bureau issued a regulation to implement the "one drama, two stars" policy, which means that a TV series can be broadcast on two satellite TV stations at the same time.
At the beginning, this policy not only optimized screen channels and enriched television resources, but also stimulated the market, forced film and television dramas to be of high quality, and suppressed the high pay of actors, etc.
The original intention of this policy is still good, but it is inevitable that it will deviate in implementation.
The biggest problem is that previously four TV stations could purchase a drama together, but now only two can. The cost of purchasing TV dramas has increased significantly. First-tier TV stations can afford it, but second- and third-tier TV stations are under great pressure.
At the same time, there are only so many good projects in the entire market. Previously, there were four companies to buy from, but now there are only one or two. The increased competitiveness will also drive up prices.
So the ultimate damage is that first-tier TV stations almost monopolize high-quality projects, and second- and third-tier TV stations can only choose dramas that are low-priced but have poor market performance. The gap in ratings and various resources between the two sides is widening.
As a result, many TV stations are not making money, have less funds on hand, and are more conservative in purchasing dramas, which leads to the shrinkage of the TV drama market.
After 2015, although the entire industry was booming and seemed to have become an entertainment heyday, the ones who made money were the big companies and celebrities.
In places that many people cannot see, a large number of middle and lower-level film and television companies and small artists, if they do not find a way out in time, will go bankrupt and become obscurity.
Even the first-tier TV stations, film and television companies and celebrities who profit from this are not the biggest winners.
The major video website platforms are the ones that really made a fortune from "One Drama, Two Stars".
There are not many high-quality projects on TV stations, but a large number of mediocre works, which has caused TV viewers to turn to video websites.
Video websites not only have high-quality projects from those TV stations, but also a large number of high-quality online dramas and variety shows, and the viewing mechanism is also more free and advanced.
The competition between TV stations and video websites was already at a disadvantage, and now if someone comes along who has what I don’t and is better than me, this battle will be completely hopeless.
Some people on video websites have money, and they start buying a lot, forcing TV stations to follow suit. The situation gets worse and worse, and finally most young people stop watching TV, and TV stations can only barely survive by relying on middle-aged and elderly audiences.
At the same time, a large number of film and television companies that rely on TV stations for their livelihood have either gone bankrupt and changed their business, or turned to video websites, and celebrities and big companies also have to look at the faces of the platforms.
It is absolutely an exaggeration to say that "One Drama, Two Stars" is the main culprit for the decline of TV stations.
But it is definitely worthy of the title of important catalyst, so when various companies are cheering and cursing for it, Wei Yang has been watching coldly.
This policy is not without negative impact on Blue Whale and related companies, but in general, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
Let’s talk about the opening season of the new year. Also because of the “one drama, two stars” policy, many of this year’s opening dramas are based on the works that were broadcast at the end of last year.
"The Legend of Yun Xi" is one of the best, with a very good cast. The leading artists under Dead Girl, Chen Yao and Yang Rong, participated in the show, and Lu Yi and Yang Tianbao were also brought in.
It’s a pity that in his previous life, Yang Tianbao’s popularity soared because of “Running Man”, which made this drama reap a lot of benefits.
But now the dividends have been snatched away by Dilraba Dilmurat. Although Yang Tianbao's career has made some progress with the support of Brother Xiao Ming, it is far inferior to that in his previous life.
He even had a conflict with Yang Rong's fans because of this drama.
Yang Rong in this time and space is also very different from that in his previous life.
If Yang Tianbao was greatly weakened, then Yang Rong was super enhanced. The TV series "The Best of Us" laid a very solid foundation for her popularity.
And the most important thing is that Yang Rong and Wei Yang have a good relationship. When the two were promoting their couple, Fan Xiaopang, Liu Shishi, and Zhao Liying were not even around yet.
What is his current fame and status, and what is Yang Rong’s situation?
Maybe Yang Rong herself doesn’t care much about these things, but her fans can’t stand it.
In the original time and space, many people stood up for Yang Rong. For a female star, being a "professional second female role" is not an honor. To put it bluntly, she can only cooperate with others and is considered "inferior".
Although Yang Rong’s fans were not convinced in her previous life, it is true that Yang Rong’s performance when she played the female lead was not impressive.
But now Yang Rong has "The Best of Us", which is known as the "best domestic campus drama".
Wei Yang was able to make the role famous, but Si Yatou has now become a professional second female lead. Or maybe Si Yatou is incompetent and is bullying honest people.
If Yang Rong had come to help the dead girl out of classmate loyalty, but instead joined Wei Yang, she might be more famous than Liu Shishi now, and might even be the boss lady of Blue Whale.
Read the original text at Liu#9@书/吧!
This speculation is somewhat hindsight, but you can't expect fans to give you a rational discussion.
When Yuan Shanshan got promoted before, the girls had made a fuss, but at least they were still competing within the same company, with the seniors helping the juniors, and the former also played the second female lead for Yang Rong.
But Yang Tianbao, an outsider, also "stepped on" Yang Rong. This damn girl is really a piece of shit.
When the filming of "The Legend of Yun Xi" was launched, there was a big quarrel, and the target was originally directed at the dead girl.
The silly girl was used to it. She had long been calm and composed, just lying down and letting people laugh at her. But she couldn't stand being confronted by a "very smart guy".
As we all know, Big Baby is used to making shocking remarks, the most classic of which is the Grand Slam. His comment “I am the nightclub” is also shocking enough.
After she got to the top, she kept trying to get rid of her husband's influence, which brought her bad consequences, needless to say, she ended up getting herself into trouble.
It’s not like actresses of the same level haven’t done stupid things before, but it’s extremely rare to find one with as many flaws as she has.
So, in another interview, when faced with a reporter's question about the controversial casting, she responded with a smile.
"...The director and producer may have chosen me because they thought I was better than the others..."
Now, all the fury of the fluff balls turned from the dead girl to Yang Tianbao, even Yang Rong himself was angry.
She is a Buddhist, but she is not without temper. If she doesn't express her feelings when being criticized in public, how can she survive in the circle in the future?
Rumor has it that the two Yangs had a very bad relationship because of this. They didn't talk to each other for a long time during the filming and even had two conflicts in the middle, forcing the girl to work hard to suppress the matter.
In such an atmosphere, the second female lead is terrible and the female lead can't act, so you can imagine the quality of the film.
However, the cast is here, the fame of Dead Girl is well-deserved, the script is also adapted from a well-known novel, plus it is broadcasted by four channels and two stations, and there are conflicts and scandals between the female lead and the second female lead.
It may not be a rival to "The Artilleryman" and "Old Farmers" in terms of TV stations and word of mouth, but its online popularity and data are still number one at the beginning of the year.
It wasn't until The Pretender was aired and became a huge hit on the internet that the other party was suppressed.
And with its extremely high reputation, it greatly highlighted the low quality of "The Legend of Yun Xi", causing the latter to completely out of control of public opinion and be labeled as a bad drama.
I don’t know how many times Boss Wei has beaten this girl to death!
That’s right, although "The Disguiser" was produced by Noon Sunshine, it had investment from Blue Whale, Wei Yang is still a major shareholder of Noon Sunshine, and the drama was still broadcast on PPTV, so it naturally bore the imprint of Boss Wei.
Although it was a bit forced, everyone was eager to kill the girl, so the case was confirmed.
I won't talk about how the dead girl was so sweet. The victory of "The Disguiser" over "The Legend of Yun Xi" also means that PPTV, which is behind it, has won a victory in the film and television industry at the beginning of the year, and also tricked Youku and Penguin for cooperating with the dead girl this time.
When websites clash, victory or defeat is not just about the gain or loss of data and reputation, but also about clear interests.
PPTV has surpassed other stations at the beginning of the year, and brands and advertisers have also begun to take sides.
When brands and advertisers place ads, they focus on the platform's traffic and popularity. The more popular the website is, the more business it will get and the higher the price.
PPTV’s advertising revenue could almost be described as “meager” a year ago. Apart from sports, there were only a handful of advertisements in other areas.
It was not until Wei Yang took over that the website underwent large-scale reforms, and PPTV's advertising business began to improve.
After all, Boss Wei hasn't been around for nothing over the years. He knows a lot of advertisers and brands, and many people come to support him.
But at that time, most people were just giving face to Wei Yang, so they just did small things. It was understandable, because businessmen would not make big investments until they saw the rabbit. Without sufficient benefits, how could they make big investments?
The real explosion of PPTV's advertising business was the great success of its summer strategy. The World Cup and several hit projects made PPTV huge profits.
In the third and fourth quarters of 2014, PPTV's advertising revenue ranked second and third among major video websites respectively.
The total advertising revenue for the whole year was close to 2 billion yuan, ranking after iQiyi, Youku, Sohu and LeTV, and slightly higher than Penguin.
Moreover, this ranking is not necessarily accurate, because the calculation methods of each company and whether the published data is inflated are questionable.
But no matter what, PPTV's ability to achieve 2 billion in advertising revenue is enough to shock the industry. You know, PPTV is also at the forefront in terms of paid user revenue.
Before Wei Yang took over, PPTV's revenue in 2012 was only over 800 million yuan, which exceeded 1 billion yuan in 2013, and more than doubled last year.
The website's valuation has continued to soar, which is also closely related to PPTV's impressive revenue.
Currently, the industry believes that iQiyi and PPTV are the only two video websites on the entire network that can achieve profitability in the short term.
Wei Yang remained noncommittal about this. PPTV made a lot of money, but spent even more, spending billions in total. Although the revenue looked impressive, the actual losses on the books were huge.
Fortunately, a considerable part of the "losses" returned to the hands of Blue Whale and other companies, otherwise Wei Yang would have had a hard time laughing.
However, compared with last year, PPTV's film library has been initially improved this year, and the actual speed of burning money will be reduced somewhat.
In addition, it has just had a good start, with a surge in advertising and membership revenue, and with the main control of "Happy Comedian", PPTV's first quarter financial statements will look very good.
Once it is announced, it will be beneficial whether it is to attract financing in the future or to pave the way for listing.
Boss Wei has no intention of continuing to burn money into it. As long as he can ensure control over the website, financing and listing are both in his plan.
If all goes well, he will consider attracting capital financing this year, on the one hand to increase funds, and on the other hand to further reduce Suning's voice.
The investors that Wei Yang recruited were naturally those he was closest to, so they were simply his own people, which further enhanced his strength on the board of directors.
In this way, you can achieve your own goals and also give some friends and allies the opportunity to make a fortune and gain wider support.
Wei Yang even considered letting Blue Whale take a stake, and then using various operations to use these shares in the name of Blue Whale to reward senior executives and artists.
As I have said before, Blue Whale does not have to go public, but it cannot fail to give its executives opportunities to make money.
Hualuo.com, PPTV, Bingyang, Mixing, and even other projects that Wei Yang is optimistic about and are expected to go public can all carry out similar operations.
Financing will be completed in 1 to 2 years!
It will be put into operation and listed in about 3 years!
This is Wei Yang’s next goal after he has established a firm foothold and achieved certain development in PPTV.
As for making PPTV a giant in the industry or even the leader, this is Wei Yang’s long-term goal. The two will not interfere with each other and they may even complement each other.
Boss Wei is still looking forward to this. He has been in business for so many years, but he has never experienced the experience of ringing the bell for a listing...
(End of this chapter)