I really don't want to be the top streamer anymore

Chapter 147 Sky-high Copyright Fees, No Comparison, No Harm

Qin Xian had subconsciously thought that this copyright fee negotiation would be a fierce tug-of-war.

His previous two offers were just simple attempts.

After all, if it is really possible to get Xu Kong's "Legend of Sword and Fairy" at a price of five or six million per episode, most platforms would probably be very happy to agree.

And the platforms with this funding budget are estimated to account for more than 80% of the visitors this time.

For example, if Beijing TV, which seems to have no competitiveness, were to compete with Mango TV and others, its chances of winning would be very low. However, if the budget for copyright fees is five or six million, it is definitely not something that needs to be considered or worried about too much.

From this perspective, although what Qin Xian said is correct, such copyright fees are indeed not low.

But under this circumstance, unless Feng Ge was stupid, he never thought that Yan Rui would agree to buy the copyright of "Legend of Sword and Fairy".

But what he couldn't understand was why they suddenly stopped talking about it.

Is it really because of Xu Kong’s departure just now?

When it comes to the most important copyright cooperation, how could Feng Ge need to consider the expressions of a director and actor?

This question is destined to have no answer.

When Yan Rui left, he was still very polite. He didn't even refuse directly, but said he needed to think about it.

But both of them knew that if such words were spoken, it would mean that the cooperation would no longer be possible.

"I will not consider Kiwi in my future dramas."

As soon as Qin Xian walked out of the meeting room door, he quickly saw Yan Rui, who looked for Xu Kong the first thing he did as soon as he came out.

Xu Kong pretended to have just noticed Qin Xian, and closed his mouth and stopped talking.

But he wanted Qin Xian to hear it on purpose.

Although it is impossible to directly tear each other apart, there are still many ways to make the other party uncomfortable.

Sure enough, when Qin Xian heard Xu Kong's intention, which was not expressed in words but had already been conveyed, his face became completely gloomy.

But he didn't say much. After all, he was still in Feng Ge's territory, and it was impossible for him to get angry or something.

It wasn't until Qin Xian walked into the elevator of the film and television department building alone that he completely exploded.

"damn it!"

Qin Xian kicked the elevator door in front of him hard and cursed to himself:
"You really take yourself as a character!"

"Do you think we, the Kiwifruit, can't survive without you, Xu Kong?"

"Director Xu, this is actually not necessary."

Yan Rui certainly knew what Xu Kong was thinking. In addition to embarrassing Qin Xian, he undoubtedly directly offended the other party and the entire Kiwi Fruit.

No matter what industry you are in, the principle of having more friends and more paths will never be wrong.

Not to mention the entertainment industry which requires even more interpersonal relationships.

"it's not a big deal."

"I don't have to worry about not being able to sell the copyright for my drama."

Xu Kong spread his hands indifferently.

I don't take it seriously at all.

Seeing Xu Kong's confident performance, Yan Rui originally wanted to say a few words to him as a guest.

But in the end it stopped.

It's all his own choice. If he were Xu Kong, who became famous at a young age and had talents rarely seen among his peers and even in the entire industry, he might be even more arrogant.

However, in this copyright cooperation of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", the lack of a kiwi did not cause as big an impact as imagined.

Because Penguin Video, as the second negotiating party, caught Yan Rui off guard right from the start.

Zeng Xi sat down as soon as he walked in, and without even waiting for him to open his mouth, he directly quoted a horrifying copyright fee of 10 million per episode.

Even Yan Rui himself had never thought that the copyright fee for Xu Kong's drama could exceed 10 million per episode.

How come this doesn't follow the routine at all?

Shouldn't it be a little bit of a delay for a couple of rounds and then slowly raising the price or something?

With such high copyright fees, does Penguin Video really not consider charging a higher price at all?
But soon, Zeng Xi took the initiative to explain:

"Director Xu, Manager Yan, this is already our bottom price on Penguin Video. I believe both of you can see that."

"The reason why I didn't bother about the copyright fee is that I wanted Director Xu to see our sincerity."

It seemed that he was talking to two people, but Zeng Xi's words were completely meant for Xu Kong to hear.

Even Yan Rui could tell that this was the reason why Zeng Xi quoted such a high copyright fee right away.

Aside from the fact that this may be the psychological price that Penguin Video itself can bear, the most important reason is that Zeng Xi has a strong desire to establish a good relationship with Xu Kong.

It can be seen that Zeng Xi is not doing this just for this drama, but is betting on the future growth and upper limit of the young man Xu Kong.

This is a bet on Xu Kong.

"Zeng Li, you are much more straightforward than when we first met."

Xu Kong naturally heard it as well.

He took the initiative to speak with a smile.

Let’s not talk about other things for now, but at least compared with Kiwi and Qin Xian before, Zeng Xi’s sincerity is indeed full.

Xu Kong is not a masochist. He never thought about Kiwi's attitude towards him, and he took the initiative to approach him to seek cooperation.

"Happy cooperation!"

Xu Kong no longer had the idea of ​​discussing copyright fees. Moreover, after hearing what the other party had just said from the bottom of his heart, it would seem unnecessary to continue dwelling on it.

So Xu Kong did not hesitate too much and finally decided to cooperate with Penguin Video.

When Zeng Xi heard Xu Kong's decisive agreement, he was slightly relieved as he obviously achieved his goal.

He was really afraid that Xu Kong didn't know the market conditions and would continue to raise the price or something.

This time the copyright fee price is indeed the bottom price of Penguin Video.

If it is higher, Zeng Xi himself will no longer have the right to decide.

However, after shaking hands with Xu Kong, Zeng Xi realized that Feng Ge’s manager Yan Rui seemed to be still sitting here.

"If you have ever been in charge, then it will be a pleasure to cooperate with you."

However, what relieved him was that Yan Rui did not seem to stop Xu Kong's decision.

And he also said it with a smile.

Yan Rui also felt a little helpless. It seemed that this cooperation between Xu Kong and Penguin Video had nothing to do with him.

The key point is that there seems to be no reason to object to the price offered by Penguin Video.

It even far exceeded his original expectations.

According to Yan Rui's previous prediction, the exclusive online broadcasting rights would cost about eight million per episode.

This price is acceptable to Fengge, and video platforms like Penguin and Kiwi think it is in a reasonable range.

Who would have known that the copyright fee would actually exceed 10 million per episode.

Although Xu Kong’s previous work “Want to See You” would definitely be higher if we simply calculate the rate of return.

But after all, it was a profit-sharing model at the time, and although the quality of the drama was indeed excellent, it has to be said that there had never been a similar case before, so there was definitely an element of luck involved.

This second drama, with huge investment and legitimate copyright sales, was able to fetch such a price, and Xu Kong's worth as a director was revealed.

A director who can earn over 10 million per episode is definitely a treatment exclusive to top TV drama directors, even in China.

You have to know that this will only be the second drama in Xu Kong's career, and the starting point is really too high.

As for awards, Xu Kong's "Want to See You" didn't win any awards after all. If we only look at the commercial value, Yan Rui finally feels that the sky-high contract transfer fee was worth it. Although it has been finalized with Penguin, some of the platforms still need to meet.

It was purely out of courtesy, and Yan Rui also intended to let Xu Kong contact the copyright managers of these platforms.

After all, it is a simple truth that you cannot put all your eggs in one basket.

Feng Ge has always done this.

We have had collaborations with various platforms, big and small, and will never cooperate with just one platform.

The best option is to let your project wait for a price.

As Yan Rui had expected at the beginning, the copyright fee offered by Tudou Video reached 8 million per episode. If the negotiation continued, the 9 million should not be a big problem.

The remaining two or three small platforms also offered prices ranging from five to six million per episode.

All in all, Penguin Video still has the highest copyright price.

The follow-up is cooperation with various local TV stations.

The release of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" has gone smoothly and is still going through the final stages, but it will definitely be released in April.

However, on the TV station side, it can be seen that the quotations from various TV stations are similar.

Yan Rui talked for a long time, and finally the price was almost stuck at around 8.5 million.

By the afternoon, after talking with the heads of all TV stations, we still hadn't decided on the final cooperation option.

"Director Xu, personally, I prefer mango."

"Their publicity and promotion channels and resources are of great help to our drama."

Yan Rui expressed his thoughts.

This is not an industry secret. Mango has always had some advantages in publicity and promotion.

Although the copyright of the drama has been sold, it will be difficult to generate any sustained income in the future.

But it does not mean that Xu Kong has nothing to do with this drama.

No matter whether it is the subsequent publicity or promotion, we must take the initiative to help.

After all, if the drama becomes a hit, it will be of great help to Xu Kong, the director and the leading actor.

Although the copyright fees of the three local TV stations are the same, according to the unspoken rules in the industry, Mango TV's 8.5 million per episode is not on the same level as some other TV stations.

"I'm going to make a phone call."

Xu Kong did not make a decision immediately, but spoke.

Of course, he prefers Mango TV.

But at the same time, as this period of time passed, he naturally heard some rumors about mangoes.

Wu Youxue had been on leave for nearly half a year, and Xu Kong had known about this for a long time.

Later, I contacted Wu Youxue specifically and heard some different meanings.

Otherwise, given his previous relationship with Mango, he would definitely choose Mango without hesitation.

"Hey."

The phone rang twice, and Wu Youxue's voice came.

"Director Wu, I'm Xu Kong"

They first exchanged a few simple greetings, and then Xu Kong gradually began to get to the point.

Xu Kong did not point it out directly, but simply explained his current situation.

Then he pretended not to understand and asked Wu Youxue for his opinion.

Wu Youxue was obviously a little surprised. He was not surprised that Xu Kong would take the initiative to call him about this matter, but the meaning of Xu Kong's words just now was also very clear. How could he not hear it?

What surprised him was that although Xu Kong was the director of the drama produced by Fengge, he actually had such a great decision-making power.

After all, which platform to cooperate with is basically decided by the production company. Although the director can make suggestions, in most cases he cannot influence the decision of the producer.

What's more, Xu Kong only joined Fengge at the end of last year.

It can be seen how much Feng Ge values ​​Xu Kong.

"my thoughts."

In fact, Wu Youxue knew very well that if he asked Xu Kong not to choose to cooperate with Mango, Xu Kong would definitely agree.

But it also means that you have accepted the favor from the other party.

Without much hesitation, Wu Youxue was silent for a few seconds before speaking:
"From a business perspective, mangoes are really the best choice."

"But from my personal perspective, if possible, I hope that your drama this time, Xiao Xu, can cooperate with another TV station."

Wu Youxue didn't explain it very clearly, and didn't even give the specific reasons, so Xu Kong didn't ask.

But after these words were spoken, both of them knew what was going on.

"I see."

Xu Kong spoke directly.

Wu Youxue was also feeling a little complicated at the moment.

Xu Kong did not hide from him the other party's offer for the copyright of the new drama, but this was not something that could be kept secret forever.

But he knew very well how much potential there was for a drama that could make a shrewd guy like Li Xun pay more than 8 million per episode.

At the beginning, Wu Youxue just had high hopes for Xu Kong, a newcomer, and thought that he should try his best to establish a good relationship with him.

But even he didn't expect that less than a year had passed and Xu Kong would be able to really help him, and even make him owe him a favor.

Of course, Wu Youxue was very willing to owe such a favor.

This is his creed in the entertainment industry. He is not afraid to ask others for help and thus owe them favors.

As long as they are worth making friends with, you can find an opportunity to return the favor next time. In this way, the relationship between the two parties will naturally become closer and closer.

"Tomato TV, Manager Yan, could you please help contact the deputy director Kang who is visiting Tomato TV this time?"

After a few minutes, Xu Kong came back after finishing his phone call and started speaking.

Yan Rui had basically guessed who Xu Kong had called just now.

The fact that Xu Kong and Wu Youxue knew each other was no secret.

And from the previous show "Our Song", it can be seen that the relationship between Xu Kong and Wu Youxue is quite good.

It seems that the two sides have communicated with each other, which is why Xu Kong gave up Mango's huge promotional channels and resources.

But Yan Rui couldn't help but remind him: "Director Xu, although you may not like what I'm going to say next."

"But as a senior, I still want to give you a few words of advice."

"In the entertainment industry, you should leave yourself some room for retreat, especially in a situation like the one currently happening with Mango TV. If it's not necessary, don't rush to express your views or take sides."

Having said this, Yan Rui did not say anything more.

Xu Kong was not a person who could not distinguish between good and evil, and he knew that Yan Rui's words were a relatively sincere suggestion.

"Thank you, Manager Yan. I'll remember that."

However, Xu Kong still did not intend to change his mind.

It’s not because he is more optimistic about Wu Youxue or something, but Xu Kong is not interested in some internal struggles within Mango.

He is simply the type of person who can remember grudges while also remembering the kindness of others.

All the help Wu Youxue had given him in the past was enough for him to make his current choice without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)