Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 613 Reaching Cooperation
Zhang Chen's reaction greatly exceeded the expectations of everyone at Zhejiang TV. According to the TV station's operating procedures, this cooperation matter would definitely be discussed in a meeting. Whether or not to cooperate, it must be a reflection of the collective will, and it cannot be a one-man show.

State-owned enterprises are different from private enterprises; they have their own operating logic.

The discussion process can be long or short; a week is considered fast.

But Zhang Chen made no attempt to hide his feelings and told everyone that they could discuss it, but after the discussion, the show might not be theirs anymore.

Zhejiang TV isn't the only potential partner; Dragon TV and Jiangsu TV are also interested.
This is fucking ridiculous~
Deputy Director Zhou has never seen anything like this before. When did it become the program producers' turn to pick and choose the TV station?
The problem is that the person on the other side is Zhang Chen.

If it were anyone else, they could put on airs like a TV station, but against Zhang Chen, it was completely useless.

Zhejiang TV has never managed to snag a single TV series produced by Star Entertainment; they've always partnered with Beijing TV and Hunan TV.

This time, they took the initiative to approach us for cooperation, which is a rare opportunity.

The station director attached great importance to it. If it weren't for a last-minute meeting on optoelectronics that he had to attend, he would definitely have personally received them.

He glanced at Chen An and discovered that Chen An was also glancing at him secretly.

The moment their eyes met, they immediately understood the meaning behind each other's gazes. This show is going to be interesting...

No, we absolutely cannot let Zhang Chen leave like this. Deputy Director Zhou had a premonition that if Zhang Chen really got away, the program would have to say goodbye to Zhejiang TV.

Thinking of this, Deputy Director Zhou immediately put on a smile: "Director Zhang, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Deputy Director Zhou, we really have no choice. To be honest, Xingchen Entertainment's goal for the second half of this year is to make a name for itself in the variety show field. We're in a hurry."

The show is already in production. Set construction, mentor team setup, music composition, contestant registration, and a series of advertising campaigns have all begun. Once these things start, they can't be stopped. We must determine the broadcasting platform as soon as possible..."

Zhang Chen looked like he was complaining.

Deputy Director Zhou frowned: "Even if it's urgent, it can't be done in a short while. Here's what we're saying, Director Zhang, don't rush off. You've come all this way, and you're already in Zhejiang, so we should at least show you the proper hospitality. I'll call Director Lu right now and have him come back as soon as possible..."

"This~"

"It's settled then. I'll go make the call now. Director Zhang and Manager Dong, please have a moment."

After saying that, Deputy Director Zhou and Chen An left in a hurry.

Watching the two figures leave, Zhang Chen and Dong Jianqiang inside the house both smiled.

"This time it's highly likely to succeed."

"As long as they're not stupid, they won't let such an opportunity slip by."

The terms offered by Star Entertainment are truly generous; if Zhejiang TV is determined to become the leading entity, it's impossible for them to miss out.

In Deputy Director Zhou's office, Zhou Yuqiang didn't make a phone call immediately, but first confirmed with Chen An: "What do you think of their program?"

Deputy Director Zhou himself thought it was good, but Chen An had more experience in this area, so he needed to listen to Chen An's opinion.

“I think the chances are very high. Star Entertainment is really capable. They've made a lot of innovations to the show, and I think it surpasses Super Girl in terms of watchability. Moreover, the terms they've offered are really generous. We have almost nothing to lose. Although their demands are a bit high, all of this is negotiable…”

"Yeah, I think so too."

With Chen An's affirmation, Deputy Director Zhou became even more confident. "There's another issue: we should agree on a plan beforehand. What if the director wants to do it himself?"

Plagiarism in variety shows is far too common in China.

Infringement?

nonexistent.

Just change the format a little and it'll be fine.

Since the two of them had seen the proposal for "The Voice of China", Director Lu would definitely ask this question.

But Deputy Director Zhou didn't want to do that, not because of any moral bottom line, but because of Zhang Chen's influence.

This guy is a big mouth; he's been criticizing everything and everyone since his debut.

If Zhejiang TV really did plagiarize their idea, Zhang Chen will definitely criticize them.

Indeed, Zhejiang TV holds a special position. Even if Zhang Chen criticizes, he may not be able to do anything to Zhejiang TV, but he himself is definitely finished.

Even if it's to distance himself from the situation, he'll definitely be pushed out as a sacrifice, which is why this question was asked.

Chen An clearly understood the key point as well. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's too late. Starry Sky Entertainment has already started production. No matter what we do, we can't possibly outpace them. Besides, they said it will premiere no later than October. Even if we wanted to, it would be too late..."

A plausible excuse can completely eliminate any possibility.

The two quickly reached an agreement, and this time Deputy Director Zhou finally dialed Director Lu's number: "Director, this is Lao Zhou. I'm with Lao Chen. We have something to report to you..."

Zhou Yuqiang gave a general overview of "The Voice of China," and then emphasized the two other competitors and the betting agreement proposed by Zhang Chen.

"Why do these filmmakers always like to gamble?"

Director Lu made a sarcastic remark, then pondered for a moment: "Is it really that good?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Zhou glanced at Chen An beside him and said, "Yes, Chen An and I both agree that the program's planning is excellent and has the potential to surpass 'Super Girl'."

The phone was in amplifier mode, which means I didn't use any tricks.

Deputy Director Zhou's attitude was very clear: he wanted to bring Chen An into the picture, sharing both the credit and the blame.

Chen An had no objection to this.

"You've seen the program concept, but I'd like to ask, is it possible for us to produce it ourselves?"

As expected, Director Lu asked the question.

Deputy Director Zhou gestured for Chen An to answer, and Chen An repeated his previous statement.

Upon hearing this, Director Lu abandoned his plan to plagiarize.

"Alright, hold them off. I'll head back now. If the show is really good, we absolutely have to win it!"

A moment later, the two returned to the conference room: "Director Zhang, Manager Dong, Director Lu said we absolutely must keep you two here. He's on his way back right now. Zhejiang TV certainly won't miss out on a good program..."

"Director Lu, you're too kind~"

Zhang Chen and Dong Jianqiang exchanged a glance; it seemed like things were settled.

Deputy Director Zhou glanced at his watch and said, "It's about time. Let's have a simple lunch first, and when the director arrives in the evening, we'll let you two experience the hospitality of the people of Zhejiang..."

What Deputy Director Zhou called "simple" was anything but simple; it just meant no alcohol was consumed, and he even brought two pretty female hosts to keep him company and liven up the atmosphere.

During this time, the common topic was complaining about Hunan TV.

Hunan TV is truly the target of all satellite TV stations, especially those ranked higher, who are constantly scheming to replace it.

Zhang Chen's proposal for "The Voice of China" gave them hope.

In the afternoon, Zhang Chen finally met with Director Lu.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, I'm really sorry. It was a last-minute notice from the optoelectronics company, and we couldn't possibly refuse to go." Director Lu apologized repeatedly as soon as they met.

"Director Lu, please don't be so polite. Work is definitely more important." Zhang Chen quickly said that it was no problem.

"Luckily, I made it back in time, which allowed me to meet Director Zhang. Director Zhang, you must do me the honor of being a good host tonight!"

Zhang Chen hurriedly said, "Director Lu, you're too kind."

He glanced at his watch; it was only 5:30. "We still have some time. How about we go over the plan first? We can eat anytime, early or late, it doesn't matter."

"Okay, okay, work is important~"

Director Lu thought to himself that this private company was really efficient, not wasting a single moment.

If this happened at their TV station, they would definitely put everything off until tomorrow and just enjoy themselves today.

It was the same people as this morning, but this time Director Lu was also there.

Zhang Chen explained the plan for "The Voice of China" again.

After the explanation, Director Lu led the applause.

He finally understood why Deputy Director Zhou and Chen An were so satisfied with the program's proposal.

Absolutely brilliant!

The program format is a typical singing competition, but many of the details are ingeniously designed.

Moreover, the proposal offered by Star Entertainment was simply too tempting. Zhejiang TV could launch a program that could compete with Hunan TV with almost no cost.

This is essentially a guaranteed minimum; the TV station is guaranteed to make a profit.

If the program fails, the TV station breaks even; if the program succeeds, the TV station also makes a profit.

Where else can you find such a good deal?
That's why they were the first to contact them; if it were one of the other two satellite TV stations, Zhejiang TV would definitely not have been the first to be contacted.

"The Voice of China" gave Director Lu a lot of confidence. He didn't actually expect "The Voice of China" to defeat "Super Girl". He would be satisfied as long as it could tie with "Super Girl".

As for Zhang Chen's appetite, it is indeed quite large.

He had read the performance-based agreement and could only say that Star Entertainment was truly audacious and had a huge appetite.

According to the terms of the performance-based agreement, if the program fails, Star Entertainment will bear all the costs, making the TV station virtually invincible.

However, if the show is successful, the TV station becomes an employee of Star Entertainment. The revenue sharing ratio between the two increases with the ratings, reaching a maximum of 1:9, with the TV station receiving 1% and Star Entertainment receiving 9%.

Isn't this just working for Star Entertainment?
But if you ask him to open his mouth and suggest changing the profit-sharing ratio, he won't say it.

After all, Star Entertainment has taken on all the risks. If you don't want to suffer any losses and only think about taking advantage, this is not a sustainable way.

Both sides, accompanied by their respective lawyers, discussed the matter point by point, meticulously weighing every detail when their interests were at stake.

The broadcaster has the permanent right to broadcast this program, but the copyright belongs to the production company.

That's somewhat understandable.

However, Chen An strongly disagreed with the next clause, which stipulated that the production company was responsible for the program's production and that no interference with the program's production was allowed in any form.

"Director Zhang, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Sometimes, for the sake of the show's effect, we do need to intervene."

Chen An used a consultative tone, but Zhang Chen replied very seriously: "Director Lu and all the leaders of Zhejiang TV, this is my oversight. I didn't make it clear before."

Now I want to formally emphasize that "The Voice of China" is an absolutely fair game and rejects any form of behind-the-scenes manipulation.

As the production company, I can guarantee that there was no underhanded dealings during the production process.

All participants must be amateurs, and during the competition, they are not allowed to sign contracts or even express an intention to sign contracts.

We will not sign anyone ourselves, to ensure the greatest possible fairness.

This will be stated in the contract, and all enrolled students must abide by it; otherwise, they will face hefty penalties for breach of contract.

The same principle applies to judges. If your students win the championship, it must be because of their ability, not because of the mentor's status or any other reason. This point will also be included in the contract.

Sponsors, advertisers, and broadcasting platforms all operate on the same principle.

This is the foundation of cooperation. If you cannot agree on this point, then cooperation is probably impossible.

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is this guy an idealist?
We reject any form of underhanded dealings.
Chen An can confidently guarantee that no competition program in China can achieve this.

But looking at Zhang Chen's expression, he realized he was extremely serious; he was really going to do it.
The people at Zhejiang TV looked at each other, and finally, Director Lu made the decision: "Alright, since Director Zhang has such ambition, Zhejiang TV is willing to give it a try and see if 'The Voice of China' can truly achieve fairness."

"Alright, let's wait and see!"

The biggest disagreement was resolved, and Zhang Chen and Director Lu signed their names on behalf of their respective parties on the contract.

Wishing us a successful collaboration!

The scene of the two shaking hands was captured in a photograph.

The hospitality of the host naturally turned into a celebration that evening, with both sides drinking until they were completely drunk.

On the plane the next day, Dong Jianqiang still felt nauseous.

Even when he felt nauseous, he still had a smile on his face.

"We did it! We actually did it!"

He also didn't expect the negotiation for the broadcasting platform of "The Voice of China" to go so smoothly.

I had just landed in Jiangsu when I received a call from Jiangsu TV: "Director Zhang, I heard that you just collaborated with Zhejiang TV on a variety show. Didn't we agree to meet and discuss it? How come you secretly sold it to Zhejiang TV?"

We're all in the same circle, there are no secrets.

In Zhejiang, immediately after officially signing with Zhang Chen, they couldn't wait to start hyping it up online, promoting their collaboration with Star Entertainment on a variety show.

When Jiangsu TV saw the news, they naturally assumed that the rights had been stolen, which is why they called to question them.

The caller was Jing Zhigang, the deputy director and general manager of Jiangsu Satellite TV. He sounded quite indignant.

"Director Jing, you've got it wrong. We did collaborate with Zhejiang TV on a program, but that's a different program, and it's completely different from what we're going to discuss next."

"Ok?"

Jing Zhigang was speechless for a moment. When he saw the news, he subconsciously thought that the program that Xingchen Entertainment and Zhejiang TV had collaborated on was the one he had mentioned.

There are far too many instances of people robbing others in this industry.

"We're collaborating with Zhejiang TV on a singing competition variety show, but we'd like to collaborate with Jiangsu TV on a brand new dating show."

(End of this chapter)