2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 17: Looking for a Horse
In 2001, CCTV was still the absolute ratings champion.

Being able to premiere on CCTV itself indicates that the series has reached a certain standard in terms of production, story, and theme.

Therefore, not all TV dramas can be broadcast on CCTV.

Chu An played a clever trick, using the space agency to his advantage, and got "You Are My Glory" onto the CCTV stage.

Of course, this guy wasn't after honor; Chu An didn't care about that. He only cared about what he lacked most right now. And what he lacked most was undoubtedly money.

Coincidentally, during this period, CCTV's prices for acquiring programming were the highest in the country, roughly twice that of local stations.

In other words, as long as the quality is up to standard, the first broadcast can sell for twice the price.

Moreover, if they can get a prime-time slot on CCTV-1, their earnings could be even higher.

Zhang Yulan was thinking to herself:

CCTV's average purchase price for a first-run episode is between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan. A prime-time slot on CCTV-1 can fetch over 200,000 yuan. For a 30-episode drama, a first-run episode on CCTV-1's 8 PM slot can sell for 6 million yuan.

Of course, this is still a regular TV series; big-budget productions would cost even more.

Last year, a period drama set in the Republican era cost 2400 million yuan to produce, and it sold for a record-breaking 45 yuan per episode on CCTV.

If "You Are My Glory" can reach that level, based on the script's 32 episodes, it would be worth over 1400 million!
Half of the investment was recouped from just the first broadcast.

It can only be said that Chu An's use of leverage was incredibly skillful. He secured a position at CCTV, a place that others would fight tooth and nail to get into, with just a few words.

At this moment, Lu Mingze was also doing the math.

He's practically a money-grubber now, all eyes are on money.

His mouth was bulging like the serrations of an AK47, almost bursting out of control.

Over 1400 million! If CCTV could prepay that, I wouldn't have to worry about money at all! I could film "The Best of Us" however I wanted, even lying down or upside down.

The female lead is used twice: one for acting and one for sleeping!

The sight of over 1400 million figures flashing before my eyes almost drove me mad.

However, as if sent by heaven to torment him, Chu An suddenly said, "With the leader's words, we will definitely do our best to make the film a success!"

"Moreover, given the trust the leadership has placed in us and their support for the aerospace industry, we, as soldiers under the broadcasting and television bureau, must also show our attitude!"

Suddenly turning to Lu Mingze, she exclaimed, "Director Lu, don't you agree?!"

“Ahh!?”

Lu Mingze was completely bewildered. How did he end up here? Seeing a room full of old men staring at him, what could he possibly say? "Yes, yes, yes! We have to show some attitude!"

Chu An said, "Then let's do as Director Lu says. Once the film is finished, if CCTV is willing to broadcast it, we're willing to lower our premiere price. Firstly, it's to live up to the trust of our elders. Secondly, it's our entire cast and crew's tribute to the aerospace workers who are fighting on the front lines!"

Every word he said was polite and formal, but somehow it felt so comforting to hear.

The leaders of the broadcasting bureau were initially somewhat resentful of this young comrade, Xiao Chu, for being so tactless, using the space agency's personnel to put the broadcasting bureau in a difficult position!

Although Chu An gained some benefits, he also left a bad impression.

As a result, he took the initiative to lower the price, and kept saying that he was a soldier under the State Administration of Radio and Television and had to keep in line with the "leader".

Then there's no problem. This kid has potential!

It's just a pity for Lu Mingze, whose 1400 million yuan that he was supposed to have has been reduced.

An hour later, Chu An, Lu Mingze, and their group walked out of the broadcasting building.

Lu Mingze was about to explode, "Damn it, this guy treats money like it's nothing!"

But before he could even speak, Chu An's words silenced him.

"What you promised has nothing to do with me!"

Lu Mingze was so angry he almost vomited blood. Did I agree to that?

Seems to be……

Yes, I did agree to it!
"But didn't you put me there like that?"

"We need to have a serious talk about this!"

Chu An was too lazy to pay him any attention.

The right person for Director Lu is someone who's given a script and allowed to immerse himself in creative madness.

As for other social interactions and everyday matters, they are none of his concern.

It's best to stay far away, don't even touch it.

But it's not good enough yet!

Chu An can't accomplish anything on his own right now; he has to bring Lu Mingze on his side.

Bathed in the sunlight of Shengjing, he let out a long breath. The most crucial step had been taken; the rest was simple.

……

Actually, the reason why things went so smoothly today was not primarily due to flattery and persuasive rhetoric; there was another reason that truly secured the approval of the state-owned unit.

In the original version of "You Are My Glory", the male lead Yu Tu was a member of the lunar exploration project, which is obviously inconsistent with the development process of China's aerospace industry in 2001.

Therefore, Chu An changed the male protagonist to an engineer in the manned space program.

Although this timeline lacks the Shenzhou spacecraft and Tiangong space station, it still shares a similar historical trajectory—the "Star-Picking Project."

In 2001, the Zhaixing-2 spacecraft had already been launched into space.

What the public is unaware of is that, according to the space agency's internal timeline, Zhaixing-3 and Zhaixing-4 are scheduled to launch next year.

The planned Zhaixing-5 spacecraft will send the first Chinese astronaut into space in early 2003.

It was exactly as Chu An described, before the release of "You Are My Glory".

Therefore, Chu An's suggestion of presenting a gift to aerospace workers was not an exaggeration at all, but rather perfectly appropriate.

It was only when Chu An announced that "You Are My Glory" would be released in 2003 that those veterans from the space agency agreed to cooperate with the filming without hesitation.

They also wanted to take advantage of the situation to show the Chinese people that China's aerospace industry is no worse than anyone else's!

"Sigh!" Chu An sighed inwardly, "I'm feeling a bit of pressure. This film has to be a success!"

With a tearing sound, the script was ripped in two.

Lu Mingze jumped in surprise, "What are you doing? Don't get agitated!!"

He thought the kid had gotten angry and was going to quit!
Director Lu thought to himself, "I can't do that!" He was now relying entirely on Chu An.

In fact, if Chu An were to quit, Director Lu wouldn't know which way to turn.

Yes, even though "You Are My Glory" has been approved and received national-level support, it's still a project.

But what about "The Best of Us"? How are we going to fill that bottomless pit that Tiandu dug?

To be honest, even now, Lu Mingze is still completely bewildered.

He didn't know why they left the film crew in Ningyuan and came here to work on a new project. He had no idea what to do next.

"Little Chu!" Chu Shikuai didn't dare to call him that anymore, as it would seem disrespectful.

"I was just venting, I'm not really angry with you."

Chu An looked at him with disdain, "I know, why are you so nervous?"

"then you……"

"What's wrong with me?" Chu An asked, puzzled. "Are all of you in the arts this imaginative?"

Throw the torn-up script into the trash can.

"Reprint several copies, and add text to the cover."

Lu Mingze, "Add what?"

Chu An, "a key film and television project of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, a major CCTV production of 2003, and co-produced by the China National Space Administration."

With a wave of his hand, he said, "You wanted money, didn't you? I'll take you to make some!"

……

So far, Chu An has discovered that the biggest difference between the two worlds is that the internet and gaming industries in this timeline are more developed than in the original timeline.

In this timeline, the internet began to become popular among the general public in the mid-1990s, and the internet cafe industry also emerged in 1997, about two or three years earlier than in the original timeline.

The resulting butterfly effect is the booming development of the gaming industry in this time and space.

Shengjing e-Road Network Culture Co., Ltd. is a company that specializes in distributing popular foreign online games.

Chu An abandoned his previous smooth and gentle demeanor, and led Lu Mingze straight inside. Five minutes later, he sat down at the desk of the CEO of eRoad.

Without any preamble: "I'm the screenwriter, he's the director, and this is the script."

The owner of E-Road was dumbfounded. He looked at the youthful Chu An and then at the famous director Lu Mingze. Although he was a little unhappy, there was nothing he could do because Director Lu was too famous.

I had no choice but to obediently pick up the script and take a look. Wow! I was almost scared; the name was quite impressive.

With the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the National Space Administration, and CCTV, who wouldn't be overwhelmed by these three prestigious names?

When I opened the script, I was even more surprised. It was supposed to be a mainstream story, but it contained so many game-related plot points!
He's a smart person; he understands everything.

Looking up at Lu Mingze, I asked, "Director Lu, are you looking for sponsorship?"

Director Lu, with a stern face, silently pointed at Chu An.

Before he came in, Chu An had already instructed him to just act aloof and leave the rest to him.

CEO of eRoad: Okay, big directors all have a strong presence.

Turning to Chu An, he said, "I have a question. The game in your script is more of a competitive game, right? We're distributing an MMORPG, so it doesn't seem like a good match, does it?"

Chu An smiled slightly, "It can also be an MMORPG!"

understood!

The CEO of E-Road understood everything. He was a screenwriter, so he could write whatever he wanted.
Without any preamble, "One million! Change the game in the script to our game!"

Chu An, “Sign a letter of intent.”

It's that simple and crude.

The CEO of eRoad felt a jolt of alarm; oh no! They'd given too much.

But the words have already been spoken, and besides, a million isn't a loss.

The CEO of E-Road couldn't help but smile at the thought of being able to insert an advertisement into such a great drama series. He'd hit the jackpot!
……

As Lu Mingze walked out of E Road with the letter of intent in hand, he felt like he was in a dream. It seemed as if Chu Anla's sponsorship had been reached as a joke.

"A million, just like that, I got it?"

Chu An glanced at the contract with disdain. "One million? He thinks he can sponsor the game with just one million?"

Lu Mingze: "One million is not a small amount!"

These days, product placement is about this price.

Unexpectedly, Chu An retorted, "Let him dream on!"

They took Director Lu to the office building next door, where a game development company was located.

Interestingly, in this timeline, there is no Blizzard, and therefore no classic Warcraft.

However, this domestic company called Green Field is developing a real-time strategy game that is highly similar to Warcraft from another timeline.

Its benchmark competitor is Star Overlord, which is similar to another timeline.

He still barged in headfirst and met Xiang Lintao, the owner of Green Field.

“I am the screenwriter, he is the director, this is the script, and this is E-Road’s letter of intent for sponsorship.”

Xiang Lintao was also caught off guard. As the saying goes, a national-level project, a famous director, a premiere on CCTV, and still related to games—anyone would be terrified.

……

.

I really can't release any more new books during the new book release period.

Writing nearly 8000 words a day is already pretty impressive, right?

However, to maintain continuity, the next chapter will still be released right after midnight.

If you think it's alright, please give me some votes.

(End of this chapter)