Gu Yongqiang: VR content is easier to monetize than video

Gu Yongqiang said frankly that user payment will become the main model for the commercialization of VR content. Compared with traditional videos, VR content has more value-added points that users are willing to pay.

Original title: Gu Yongqiang, Chairman and CEO of Heyi Group: VR content is easier to monetize than video

. The unprofitable online video industry has just seen the dawn of rising non-advertising revenue. The industry as a whole has been re-promoted by VR(Virtual Reality). Recently, Heyi Group (formerly Youku Tudou), which spoke late than its peers, has released a package of VR strategies including content, platform and monetization. Gu Yongqiang, Chairman and CEO of Heyi Group, admitted that user payment will become the main model for the commercialization of VR content. VR content has more value-added points that users are willing to pay than traditional videos.

The content is short board.

"After returning from the Sun Valley Summit two years ago, Gu Yongqiang talked to us about VR as if he was possessed. He said that VR must be the future direction and that VR must be done if we start a business again. At that time, VR was not yet in the industry." Li Jie, senior vice president of Heyi Group, said this when recalling Gu Yongqiang at the time, but at that time, Heyi did not have a clear direction on how to enter VR.

"When doing things, you must start from your own core competitiveness." Gu Yongqiang thinks so and does so. Fortunately, VR's shortcomings in content are the advantage of unity. He told the Beijing Business Daily reporter that there are two directions for VR content in one,"one is co-production and self-production, and the other is copyright introduction." Gu Yongqiang further introduced,"There are not many people doing VR content in China right now. We will co-produce it with some of the only partners. However, some of the top content is still overseas at present, such as science fiction and space themes, which we will introduce. Come in."

According to reports, in terms of VR content, including live and live broadcasts, animation, games and film and television, Heyi has produced live VR content including "Mars Intelligence Agency","Extreme Challenge", Shang Wenjie's latest MV, TFBOYS MV, Yu Minhong's Journey of Brother Hong, The "Challenge Impossible" Climbing Mount Everest and other live VR content, and it is expected that more than 10 high-quality VR documentaries will be produced this year. Currently, Youku has signed contracts with 80% of the top domestic VR content production teams, has more than 50 overseas strategic partners, and is expected to produce 1000 overseas home-made cooperative content annually. Specific to the details of content cooperation, Gu Yongqiang bluntly said,"In the content, the shooting equipment, playback equipment, and viewing equipment are mainly based on cooperation, and in terms of the applications and products made by the content itself, we are prepared to do it ourselves for the realization and investment."

The reason why Gu Yongqiang chose to disclose the detailed VR strategy later than his peers was not because he entered the game late, but because he was preparing for content. In fact, when he proposed the concept of full-screen or no screen last year, integrated VR had been in place for some time. There are dozens of companies that he personally talked about cooperating with.

It is still too early to realize

it. Although judging from the VR content and partner list, integration is already making great strides. However, Gu Yongqiang bluntly said,"VR content is still in its infancy. Now is only the era of VR micro-video. It is entirely possible to do 10-minute or 20-minute interactive experiences, but shooting VR blockbusters is not very reliable."

Also in the early stages is the monetization of VR content. Gu Yongqiang admitted to the Beijing Business Daily reporter,"It is indeed a bit early to talk about monetization, but we can see the potential in this regard. At the beginning, we experienced some leading VR content, and I would pay for it myself, just like the relationship between traditional content and games. The relationship, these content is that users sink into it themselves and participate in it from a first perspective. For such content, the possibility of users paying is very high."

Different from when Youku was a member ten years ago, when it was difficult to pay for general content due to piracy and mobile payment problems. However, Gu Yongqiang believes that the situation is very different now, and users will be more and more willing to pay for high-quality and differentiated content.

In addition, Gu Yongqiang also agreed with Zhang Cunna, vice president of Heyi Group, on VR monetization. The latter said,"Because VR can make an ordinary 10-minute video produce different possibilities and results, 10 minutes of content may It will become a 100-minute content, and users will have another experience if they are immersed in that environment. The value-added point here is where users are willing to pay."

The threshold is not high

. As a new outlet for the Internet, this year has been defined by the industry as the first year of VR. Like the first year of mobile Internet and group buying at that time, a large number of entrepreneurs have heard of the news, and this is very relevant to technology and entertainment. The concept of high is full of mystery in terms of expression and applicability. After studying VR for many years, Gu Yongqiang concluded this direction,"In terms of VR hardware, there are two directions: all-in-one machines and mobile VR. The threshold for all-in-one machines is relatively high, but mobile VR is not high. Maybe many companies will do this."

He further said that the popularization of VR should start with mobile VR. All users with smartphones now have low equipment thresholds and investment in building a mobile VR. They can even be achieved with a carton, and the unit price is very low. The integrated VR content is suitable for all mainstream mobile terminals, which means that whether it is cardboard or plastic, it can be used to view our content. Gu Yongqiang believes: "The most important thing about VR is the screen itself, applications and content. When you combine it to make good products and content, people will naturally come to see it. The threshold is not as high as you think."

Editor: vian