Hou Hongliang: The seasonal broadcast of TV dramas or the mainstream in the future will form a brand and expand commercial interests

In 2016, my country's total annual output of TV dramas was more than 400, a decrease of 100 compared with the previous year, but the number of episodes per drama was 4.7 more episodes than the previous year. In Hou Hongliang's eyes, TV dramas cannot only accumulate in quantity. At present, many homogeneous domestic dramas are just spinning around in old-fashioned ways and cannot bring fresh experiences and impressions to the audience.

Original title: Hou Hongliang just wanted the audience to try it (my year)

and met TV producer Hou Hongliang on a bright and clear morning. When he came to his studio, Dongyang Zhengwu Sunshine Film and Television Co., Ltd., he was working attentively. Hou Hongliang specially separated a place in the office to receive guests, setting up sandalwood tables and chairs, equipped with vermilion pottery pots and white porcelain teacups, like the wing where Mei Changsu received guests in "The Bang of Fire"."I am just a TV series maker. People can do what they like and rely on it to earn money to support their families. What reason is there to be unhappy?!"

The Internet has begun to seize TV series users, and themes for young people have become more marketable

. Regarding the past Bingshen Year of the Monkey, whether it was the achievement of the company's market indicators or the branding of the plays, Hou Hongliang was very satisfied: "The Year of the Monkey is the year I have determined the company's development direction. From the official departure of Shandong Film and Television Production Co., Ltd. in November 2014 to the launch of "Ode to Joy" in April 2016, in more than a year, the original three to five year plan for the company was achieved."

"Ode to Joy", which describes the lives and emotional stories of five urban women with different personalities, and the online drama "If Snails Have Love", are new works that Hou Hongliang handed over to the TV drama market in 2016. Due to the continuation of the usual style of noon sunshine: thoughtful stories, meticulous shooting, full characters, and well-produced, the work has received good ratings and good reputation inside and outside the industry.

In Hou Hongliang's view, the core change in the China TV drama market in the Year of the Monkey is that the Internet has begun to seize users and form a user base through payment, thus forming a profit model other than patch advertising."The selling price of TV dramas on the Internet will soar, and the Internet will have a greater and greater voice. It is inevitable that traditional platforms such as TV stations will weaken."

The Internet's subversion of the TV drama industry has also become increasingly apparent this year. Data shows that in 2015, video websites accounted for only 5%, and in the first half of 2016, the proportion was 12%. At the same time, paid members have also become the choice of website users. Take Tencent Video as an example. There were 4 paid dramas in 2015, and there were 20 in the first half of 2016, with a growth rate of 400%. Tencent's survey of tens of thousands of users shows that 53% are willing to pay for TV dramas, and the online payment mechanism for TV dramas is gradually maturing.

The online audience is mainly young people, so themes for young audiences have greater market space. Modern urban dramas such as "Ode to Joy" were popular at the beginning of the Year of the Monkey, and spy dramas became popular again in the second half of the year. Among the top 30 viewers, more than half are TV series with modern urban emotional themes. "These are all themes that young people like, fashionable, exciting and interesting. In the past, the audience's impression of most domestic dramas covering family trivia and mother-in-law should have changed a lot in the Year of the Rooster. Those aunty-style works are now being filmed less and less." Hou Hongliang said.

TV dramas cannot only accumulate in quantity, but also bring fresh experiences and impressions to the audience

. According to the "Global TV Drama Industry Development Report (2016)", my country's total annual output of TV dramas in 2016 was more than 400, a decrease of 100 compared with the previous year. However, the number of episodes per episode is 4.7 more episodes than the previous year. In Hou Hongliang's eyes, TV dramas cannot only accumulate in quantity. At present, many homogeneous domestic dramas are just spinning around in old-fashioned ways and cannot bring fresh experiences and impressions to the audience. "Freshness is my primary goal in making a TV series. In" Ode to Joy ", the five characters and stories are parallel," Nirvana in Fire "creates the image of Mei Changsu, a commoner, and" Breaking into the East "is the first time to understand the great migration and immigration of China people from a folk perspective. These ideas were innovative at the time."

In terms of the development of the entire industry chain of TV drama IP, domestic dramas are still relatively backward. In the first half of 2016, Hou Hongliang took his company team to Hollywood in the United States for inspection and found that in addition to copyright sales, the development of other derivative products of American TV dramas was also very popular."What we have benefited most is the improvement of their business processes, and we are currently more Land stay in the workshop-style production stage. For example, in addition to videos, the popular American drama "Game of Thrones", all products that can be licensed around the world, such as original music, and actor images, can be copyrighted worldwide. I also experienced its themed game console once. Through the screen, I can see various characters and props in the TV series, making people immersive."

According to reports, the shooting speed of the TV series of "Game of Thrones" has currently exceeded the publishing speed of the original book, realizing the reverse influence of the play on literature. Hou Hongliang hopes that one day, domestic dramas can also develop a more scientific and complete authorization and sales model, rather than simply filming and selling them to the platform: "We are currently still a one-time package sales model, and no one will care about it after selling it. In terms of copyright extension development, there is a really big gap with foreign countries."

Season broadcasting or the mainstream direction in the future, the formation of a brand and the expansion of commercial interests

visited the United States greatly touched Hou Hongliang and provided reference for the company's future development. Many young viewers in China have become accustomed to the broadcast mode of American and British dramas. Hou Hongliang believes that shooting and producing TV dramas at the pace of seasonal broadcasts will be the mainstream direction in the future. "The original plan for" Ode to Joy "was to broadcast seasonally, not to be filmed in one go. The ratings base for the first season is good, and we are full of confidence in the upcoming second season."

According to Hou Hongliang's observation, generally speaking, the first season of American dramas basically does not make money, but they must rely on excellent production to form a good impression among audiences and advertisers and lay a foundation for word-of-mouth. If the standard can be maintained in the second and third quarters, it will attract more capital attention. Once a brand is formed, the derivatives market can open up. "To be able to shoot American dramas in the eight and nine seasons, there must be huge profits. For example, in the sixth season of "Game of Thrones", the single episode cost can reach US$20 million, but the commercial benefits it brings are even more astonishing. "Ode to Joy" just wants to try this model, and now it's the right path."

In 2015,"Please close your eyes when he comes" produced by Hou Hongliang's team became the first TV series in China linked by Internet and TV. Hou Hongliang believes that TV series producers should not give up on traditional platforms (TV stations) and new media (Internet). "TV dramas must meet the needs of different people. Young viewers watch online, but there are still many middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 40 who do not use the Internet. They still rely on TV. TV culture itself is a reflection of family culture. Although the Internet is now very developed, it is still common for a family to sit in the living room and watch TV. TV is like the glue between family members, and its functions will continue to exist. We cannot give up taking care of the TV audience."

In October 2016,"If Snail Has Love" produced by Hou Hongliang's team was broadcast simultaneously on Dragon TV and Tencent Video, continuing the online and platform linkage model. This is also Hou Hongliang's basic judgment on the broadcast form of future TV series. "Competition in new media has been fierce in the past two years, and some platforms have even invested at a loss in order to snatch good content. For example, the production cost of each episode of "Please Close Your Eyes When He Comes" reached 1.4 million yuan. At the time, I thought it was already very high, but "If Snails Have Love" actually doubled. Video websites also need TV stations to share some of the costs."

Hou Hongliang also considered the extension of the TV drama industry chain. "" Nirvana in Fire 2 "will be broadcast soon. If the results are good, I hope I can take a step forward in the entire business process, not only to make money. Exploring the multiple possibilities of the industry is what I am most willing to work hard for." Perhaps in the near future, fans of "Langya List" will be able to see the big movie "Langya List" in theaters, buy dolls of Mei Changsu and King Jing, and even go to the "Langya Theme Park" to experience the scenes in the play for themselves. In Hou Hongliang's future layout, all of this is possible.

Editor: yvette