CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 277: IPARTMENT IS POPULAR, THE NEW ALBUM SETS SAIL_2

So these past few days, I slacked off a bit, following Xu Qingqiu around everywhere. Not only did I accidentally miss such an important matter, but I also got caught red-handed by my own deputy. It’s truly embarrassing.

Listening to his feeble excuses, Hou Yichuan’s face was full of disbelief. We’ve all been working together for ages. Of course, I know what my boss is like. I’m just relieved he’s showing some engagement. Expecting Chu Tian to be glued to his work every day? Dream on. Therefore, Hou Yichuan wasn’t particularly bothered by his boss’s reaction.

"President Chu, I understand, I understand..."

It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. The moment he spoke, I couldn’t help but detect a sarcastic undertone.

"Ahem, so, it’s not just this matter you wanted to talk to me about, is it?"

"Nonsense, of course not."

Hou Yichuan silently rolled his eyes, then glanced outside before lowering his voice and said, "Bubble and Elephant are already on their way here. Plus, Berries and Lemon also called me. Remember how the online streaming deal didn’t work out last time? You said there was no rush, but now I feel like it’s about time. Should we talk or not?"

After hearing Hou Yichuan’s words, Chu Tian immediately realized it was about the rights issue.

In fact, Hou Yichuan could have made the decision himself. However, they had negotiated once before, and the other party wasn’t too enthusiastic, considering it was a low-budget TV series with a total investment not even exceeding six million.

In the eyes of those platforms, what major production wasn’t budgeted at fifty million or more?

Six million? Those major platforms wouldn’t even bother taking a look; they might not even want it if offered for free. It wasn’t that these platforms looked down on Unlimited Entertainment specifically, but rather they generally disregarded low-budget productions. This isn’t to say that low-budget projects can’t occasionally produce gems, but the probability is just too slim.

What era are we in? That’s how the world works. Whenever a "blue ocean"—an untapped market—emerges, the initial period is always the best for development. After all, it’s like a new world, completely undeveloped territory where one can freely express their ideas and expand as much as they’d like. But once the market matures, relying on creativity or ideas alone isn’t enough; it eventually comes down to capital.

This principle applies to the internet, television dramas, and literary creations alike. The creative ideas you conceive might have already been used by your predecessors. What you believe to be a unique idea may well have been explored by others long ago. Ultimately, the competition comes down to tangible assets like the cast, special effects, costumes, makeup, props, and other such concrete strengths.

Why have the TV productions of recent years all followed the same old patterns, clearly suffering from homogenization? Isn’t it due to a lack of creativity?

This is just like novels. Once the Immortal World genre appeared, a variety of quality works bloomed. Then, a swarm of authors began to pour in, resulting in a multitude of spin-offs. But years later, as the Immortal World cake becomes smaller, the audience has seen more, and nearly all creative ideas have been exhausted. With time, the whole genre inevitably starts to decline, unless a new genre emerges, or a genius appears to pioneer a new school of thought.

The internet operates similarly, and TV series follow the same logic. In the current mature market, large platforms, in their efforts to more precisely identify good productions, often have to narrow their focus. Compared to the significant effort required to sift through numerous low-budget projects for a potential gem, they find it more efficient to invest in large productions. While masterpieces aren’t guaranteed every time, these large productions at least meet a baseline level of quality; even at their worst, they don’t fall too far short.

So, when Unlimited Entertainment initially contacted them, the platforms merely glanced at the proposal, expressed disinterest, and offered a token price just to dismiss them. Their attitude was: take it or leave it; one project more or less made no difference to them.

Of course, I wasn’t going to agree. A few tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, per episode? Were they treating me like a beggar?

Exclusive online broadcasting rights for only three hundred thousand yuan? That was less than what the television station offered!

Everyone knew this was the internet era, and online rights were far more valuable than television rights. Offering such a paltry sum? I’m not a fool. He had immediately rejected it.

He was confident the show would succeed. Even if it didn’t, selling the rights later wouldn’t result in a significant loss. Therefore, he halted the negotiations, deciding to wait and see how the show performed on television first. Chu Tian’s initial strategy was to hold out for a better price, and Hou Yichuan had executed this well.

Unexpectedly, there was a surprising turn of events.

Now, with the explosive popularity of "iPartment," even the most oblivious video platforms knew what to do. Consequently, as soon as the viewership data was released, these platforms immediately came knocking.

Hou Yichuan also felt the time was ripe to sell for a good price. However, since Chu Tian had personally initiated this project, he still needed to call and get his boss’s opinion. But circumstances had changed; naturally, the price couldn’t remain what was originally offered.

Chu Tian quickly grasped the situation. His eyes flickered as a plan began to form in his mind.

"I understand what you mean. Here’s the plan: let’s not rush. We can start negotiating, but let’s not agree to anything yet."

"Tonight is the first airing of the ninth and tenth episodes, right?"

Hou Yichuan quickly agreed, and Chu Tian then said, "The tenth episode marks the halfway point of the show. I expect the ratings to be strong with this current wave of popularity, and there might still be untapped potential. However, delaying any further will be too late."

After all, it takes at least two to three days to finalize a deal and get the show online. If we wait too long, until after the television broadcast ends, the show’s popularity will inevitably decline, and its value will be significantly diminished.