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

In the week before the broadcast of "Squidward Gamble", the mood of all parties was different.

Even though Kiwifruit seems to be the one that benefits, everyone in the company has their own little thoughts.

For Qin Xian, this drama really carries the expectations for his future career.

Not to mention that if the drama fails to become a hit as he wishes, he will most likely have to step down and let others take over.

In addition, after this real cooperation, Qin Xian finally understood why other platforms would rather pay such a huge price to cooperate with Feng Ge and Xu Kong.

At least if this cooperation goes smoothly, Kiwifruit will not be disqualified from participating in the copyright competition for Fengge's new dramas in the future.

……

"There's really nothing we can do. It's a pity that this drama didn't make it to satellite TV. As for the exclusive video broadcasting rights alone, we really can't compete with the three major platforms."

At this time, Wu Youxue couldn't help but say with some emotion.

In fact, he himself attaches great importance to this new drama about Feng Ge.

After all, the two hit dramas "The Beginning" and "The Bad Kids" did give Mango TV a lot of advantages.

Even though he attached so much importance to it, he still did not go to the scene in person.

"Master, why don't you go and talk to Xu Kong in person?"

"Given the relationship between the two of you, if you are really willing to ask, I think Xu Kong might very well agree."

After hearing the words of the Mango Video person in charge who came over this time, Wu Youxue just gave the other party a look and let him understand it himself, without explaining anything.

If he really goes there in person, there is a high probability that Xu Kong will give him this favor.

But that is totally not worth the effort.

Even if two people have a really good personal relationship, it is impossible for them to ask for benefits from each other every time. These are all favors!

Do you really think you don’t have to repay favors?

In fact, most people who have reached the stage of Wu Youxue and Xu Kong are more concerned about the platform status among each other.

Even if you don't calculate the accounts so clearly, it's impossible that you are the only one who gets the advantage every time and then get nothing in return, right?
If things continue like that, within two years, their relationship will most likely no longer be what it is now.

So he didn't even go there in person, just to avoid making Xu Kong feel embarrassed.

Mango Video can offer corresponding conditions and is fully capable of paying the copyright fees.

However, in terms of user numbers and platform resources, the gap between Mango Video and the other three major video sites is not small.

Investors who are truly ambitious will never allow the drama to be broadcast on Mango TV or other small platforms.

Some of the online copyrights that Mango TV had previously obtained were either for low-budget dramas, or were sold as a package based on TV copyrights.

……

"Okay, don't count on Fengge's drama."

"If I had this much time, I might as well try to find some copyrights with greater potential."

Wu Youxue spoke calmly, which was considered a warning to the person in charge.

However, it is indeed normal for the other party to have such thoughts.

It is no secret now how popular the drama starring Feng Ge and Xu Kong is and how many audiences it can attract.

It can be said that if one of Xu Kong's dramas is really broadcast on their Mango Video, the number of monthly active users it brings will be able to more than double the platform's existing data.

This is not an exaggerated statistic, it is indeed the case.

But the reality is, let alone the dramas directed or starred by Xu Kong himself, even the dramas he is just a screenwriter and producer, like this "Squid Game", are being scrambled for by the three major platforms.

When some of the platform's hard conditions are ignored, Mango Video does not have the corresponding financial strength and resources to compete with others.

That's why Wu Youxue asked the person in charge to give up this idea.

He definitely wouldn't really help and put Xu Kong in a difficult position.

Although the development of online platforms is also very important now, Wu Youxue is clear that the TV station is the basic foundation and he cannot develop Mango Video at the expense of the basics.

……

At this time in Hong Kong, the filming of "Infernal Affairs" was still going on.

Although Xu Kong was paying attention to various news about "Squid Game", he was not too worried.

The main reason is that he had already watched the entire drama in advance, and overall, he was still very confident.

Especially after spending some time to understand some overseas markets represented by kimchi, I feel more confident.

If "Squid Game" was popular in the previous life, it was due to various factors.

The current situation is that most of these factors are not lacking, but are even more favorable.

Mainly the dramas currently available in Korea, such as "Squid Game". Although they are not completely innovative, they are definitely a niche genre.

Most of them are still traditional idol romance dramas.

After the subsequent broadcast of "Squid Game", it is highly likely that it will bring about a different market trend.

……

"Director Xu, I saw the trailer for your company's new drama. It's very interesting!"

“I feel like I can be popular!”

As the big boss of Fengxiang Pictures, an investment company, Cao Bentao should have stopped showing up once the filming got on track.

But perhaps because of the special nature of "Infernal Affairs", the frequency of his visits to the crew is quite high.

Not to say that he comes every day, but Xu Kong can see him most of the time.

At this time, he took the initiative to talk to Xu Kong about the news of the new drama "Squid Game", with a slightly excited expression.

Because this time, most of the parts of "Squid Game", including Kimchi, are cooperating with Feishi platform.

Due to the particularity of the market in Hong Kong, although the three major video websites also have a large number of users, Feishi, a large European and American company, also has a considerable market share.

Of course, Fei Shi’s attitude was relatively arrogant and indifferent.

There is no way. As the streaming media platform with the most users in the world, Fengge, a company whose business is almost entirely in China, certainly cannot have too much active voice.

Including the relevant profit sharing ratios and copyright fees, they are not excessive.

Under Xu Kong's instruction, Lin Hong signed a gambling agreement with the other party.

In other words, the final overseas revenue of "Squid Game" depends on the specific data performance of the show's broadcast.

……

"By the way, Mr. Cao, if we want to broadcast some of our company's previous dramas on the TV station in Hong Kong, is that a bother?"

Xu Kong asked.

No one really understands this kind of thing better than Cao Bentao, a local big shot in the circle in Hong Kong.

"It's not that difficult."

"But the current TV stations in Hong Kong probably won't be interested."

"It's mainly a matter of style and genre, and the audience of Hongcheng TV is mostly middle-aged and elderly people."

"Most of the younger people choose to watch online. In fact, in the mainland, platforms like Penguin and Kiwi also have regular users."

What Cao Bentao said is not difficult to understand.

This probably refers to the TV stations in Hong Kong. The style of the TV dramas they broadcast has long been fixed.

The audiences are also people who are not willing to try new things. As for some TV dramas and programs in the mainland, the interested audiences in Hong Kong will actually take the initiative to watch them.

If they are not interested, even if you promote it specifically, the effect will be just that.

This is indeed caused by special circumstances in various aspects.

……

Xu Kong hesitated for a moment and didn't continue speaking.

The main reason is that there are indeed too few markets in Hong Kong cities, and it is not cost-effective to specialize in these trivial things.

He originally wanted to give it a little push. After all, with the help of Fengxiang Pictures, it should be easier.

But after listening to Cao Bentao's introduction, Xu Feng decided to give up and let nature take its course.

Anyway, by then, no matter whether they are audiences who are already watching mainland TV dramas, or audiences who like to watch local works in Hong Kong, or some people who are used to using overseas platforms such as Feishi, he plans to infiltrate them.

It's just a matter of time.

……

Not long after chatting with Cao Bentao, before the break was over, Xiang Tianlei took the initiative to come over.

"Hey, you haven't left yet?"

Xu Kong asked subconsciously.

Xiang Tianlei's role was originally very small, which was equivalent to a simple cameo. He came the day before yesterday, and all the related shots were filmed throughout the day yesterday.

He originally thought that the other party had left.

Who knew that Xiang Tianlei would be seen again on the crew at this time.

Xiang Tianlei seemed a little embarrassed facing Xu Kong at this time.

But I still mustered up the courage to speak:
"Director Xu, I want to stay in the crew and learn from you."

"Don't worry, I will take care of all the travel expenses and meals myself, and I will definitely not cause any trouble to the crew."

……

Xu Kong was indeed a little surprised to hear such an answer.

Based on his limited understanding of Xiang Tianlei, he wondered why the other party suddenly seemed to become more diligent.

"That's not the case."

"Go find Guo Zihao and ask him to arrange a job as a field manager or assistant for you."

"As for food and accommodation, just follow the normal crew schedule."

Although I'm not sure whether Xiang Tianlei acted like this on purpose to win my favor.

But no matter what, at least compared to before, it does look a little better.

Overall, Xu Kong is quite optimistic about this new actor who is professionally trained and has good talent.

So even if it was performed deliberately for him to see, as long as it could meet his requirements, he didn't mind giving it a chance.

Anyway, when auditioning and casting, Xu Kong never considers relationships or anything like that.

Moreover, he had done similar things in his previous life when he wanted to transform himself.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. The purpose is not important. What is important is not just superficial work. It is nonsense to say that your business ability is not up to standard.

……

Xiang Tianlei didn't expect that Xu Kong would agree so decisively.

He had done a lot of psychological preparation.

I even prepared to speak yesterday, but in the end I just couldn't muster up the courage.

But from this aspect, it can be seen that many of his previous ideas were obviously redundant.

For Xu Kong, there was actually no such thing as any special attention paid to him.

The reason why he was chosen to play this role with few lines is simply because he is somewhat similar to Shi Rui when he was young.

As for his proposal to stay in the crew to study, it was a trivial matter to Xu Kong.

What he had always been thinking about was how to learn better how to deal with interpersonal relationships after entering the entertainment industry.

So after graduation, he spent a long time studying these.

But Liu Yue's success proves that as an actor, acting skills, the most important professional ability, is the key.

At least in the current Fengge, according to Xu Kong's standard, actors are selected according to the roles, and their acting skills are still considered.

There is no such thing as a relationship.

Many people believe that Liu Yue was given the leading role in "Ghost Blows Out the Light" because Xu Kong took a fancy to him.

But as someone who was auditioning with the other party, he saw all the efforts and changes Liu Yue made for the role.

On the contrary, he, who used to love talking about inside information or relationships, now has a completely different opinion on this matter from many of his colleagues in the company.

……

"Infernal Affairs" was filmed for about a week, and Xu Kong gave the entire crew a short one-day holiday.

According to the current progress, there is actually no burden of taking a holiday, and the original shooting plan can still be completed about half a month in advance.

This is the case when Xu Kong did not deliberately pursue speed.

After this period of adjustment, he has gained a basic understanding of the actors and crew members in Hong Kong City.

It is indeed mainly focused on efficiency.

In this regard, even the crew team that has been with him for a long time cannot compare to him.

Actors from Hong Kong, led by Shi Rui and Ji Bang, who have both won Best Actor awards, also focus on being useful.

There are almost no troubles. Even Xu Kong admires his professionalism.

At least it is something that some of the spoiled new generation actors in China cannot compare to.

After a day of non-stop filming, I can still arrive on set on time or even early the next morning.

Although these habits were forced out in the first place, being late will result in a fine and you may even be warned.

There were indeed many dark things happening in the Hong Kong film and television circles of that era, but it was not completely without benefits.

……

Of course, this one-day rest was actually mainly because Xu Kong received news from Su Zhi.

The other party came to Hong Kong City at an unknown time.

He said that he was traveling everywhere because it was the holiday season.

But he didn't choose any other place, but chose this place after Xu Kong came to Hong Kong to film.

Xu Kong and Su Zhi both knew each other tacitly as to what the specific idea was.

Before, Xu Kong thought that not many people in Gangcheng knew him, so he walked out on the streets in a swaggering manner, but he was surrounded by onlookers.

This time, of course, he disguised himself seriously before going to the place where he had agreed to meet Su Zhi.

As for Su Zhi, although she also pretended to dress up, she did not have Xu Kong's makeup skills. With her short hair and unique cold temperament, she easily attracted the attention of passers-by.

...(End of chapter)