Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 88 A Rapidly Advancing Career

At 10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2005, a unique press conference was being held at the Beiping Hotel.

Inside the magnificent venue, the resplendent gold decorations shone brightly, creating an unparalleled atmosphere of luxury and solemnity.

Every detail of the venue revealed the organizer's meticulous preparation and pursuit of excellence for this reception, and the reporters present could feel the grand and solemn atmosphere.

In early April, after careful preparation, Zhang Yong traveled to New York, USA, to discuss cooperation with the NBA on behalf of Tengda Group.

After three weeks of difficult negotiations, the two parties finally reached an agreement, with Tenda Group acquiring the exclusive online broadcasting rights and related merchandise operation rights for NBA games in Greater China for seven years at a price of US$7 million.

On stage, Zhang Yong was in high spirits and full of enthusiasm, switching freely between Chinese and English as he answered questions from Chinese and foreign reporters alongside NBA Vice President of International Affairs, Michael McSally.

Dressed in a suit and tie, Zhang Yong exuded elegance and composure. As the CEO of Tengda Group, he was the star of the reception. He faced a variety of tricky questions from reporters with composure and confidence, handling them with ease.

Song Ci, sitting in the audience, was also deeply moved. Zhang Yong had indeed contributed greatly to Tengda Group's strategic cooperation with the NBA, so it was only right that he should give Zhang Yong this opportunity to make a name for himself.

Tengda Group has successfully secured the broadcasting rights for NBA games. If it can also partner with any of the top five European football leagues, Toutiao.com will have no rivals in the domestic sports channel market, and the website's overall user base will be significantly boosted.

"Today is May Fourth Youth Day. There is a commemorative event at Peking University this afternoon. Mr. Zhang will be hosting the press conference here. I will go back to the university first."

As the press conference drew to a close, Song Ci, along with Wang Jing and several other company executives, said goodbye and prepared to leave.

His homeroom teacher, Qin Chaoyang, repeatedly asked him to participate in today's May Fourth Youth Day activities, saying that he wanted to introduce him to the school leaders.

Song Ci couldn't refuse any longer, and thinking it was also an opportunity to build connections, since everything was going smoothly at the venue, he decided to head back to school.

After speaking, he stood up, straightened his slightly wrinkled suit, and prepared to leave early.

Seeing this, Wang Jing quickly followed him, saying, "Let me see you off!"

Song Ci nodded slightly, not refusing Wang Jing's kindness, and the two walked out of the venue together.

As they were leaving the venue, Wang Jing suddenly remembered the schedule of several NBA representatives and asked Song Ci for instructions:
"There's a welcome reception tonight, attended by leaders from the sports department and the Beiping government. Mr. Song, would you like to attend?"

After thinking it over, Song Ci nodded to Wang Jing. Although he didn't like socializing, he decided to attend the welcome reception. In China, people value personal relationships, and as the host, it wouldn't hurt to meet with government leaders and NBA players.

The two walked side by side, and Song Ci immediately asked, "What time does the party start?"

Wang Jing replied, "7 p.m., the location is the banquet hall next to the press conference."

Song Ci breathed a sigh of relief. The Peking University event would end at 5 p.m., so there would be plenty of time. "That's fine. I'll come over after the school event is over."

The collaboration between Tenda Group and the NBA has far-reaching implications and has caused a huge shock to the entire domestic internet industry.

An investment of forty million US dollars is a significant sum in the history of China's internet industry. Before various internet companies and countless netizens could even process and react to this, Tenda Group made another move.

In mid-May, two Korean online games, Audition Online and Yulgang Online, distributed by Tenda Group, and its self-developed card game, Onliane, were launched for open beta on the TD gaming platform.

After nearly a year of preparation and preparation, Tengda Group has finally begun its full-scale entry into the online gaming industry, having completed the construction of its online distribution and offline point card recharge channels.

"The domestic internet industry is about to undergo a major transformation!" This is what a NetEase executive said in an interview.

Tengda Group's Toutiao.com and TD Games platform have highly overlapping businesses with the three established portal websites NetEase, Sohu, and Sina. These three companies were the first to face pressure from Tengda Group.

However, the three major established portal websites have a large user base and are large-scale operations, so the impact is not immediately apparent. Compared to the three, the worst hit are the small and medium-sized websites.

Since its launch in 2004, Toutiao.com has consistently focused on producing original content and collaborating with traditional media for mutual benefit, thereby improving the quality and depth of its news and increasing user engagement.

The development strategy of Toutiao.com has proven to be correct. The number of users and website traffic have repeatedly reached new highs, and advertising revenue has continued to climb, showing signs of becoming the number one portal website in China.

The successful rise of Toutiao.com signifies that the entire internet portal website business is about to enter a new stage.

This means that the days when major portal websites would simply reprint some news and fabricate some gossip to gain traffic are gone forever.

Only by continuously creating high-quality content and providing more and richer information can portal websites win the favor of users.

For websites to efficiently and comprehensively acquire high-quality content, it means greater investment. Small and medium-sized portal websites, limited by their scale and funding, will fall behind step by step and can only follow behind large portal websites, picking up scraps. A reshuffling of the entire portal industry is inevitable.

Whether the industry undergoes a reshuffle or not, users don't care. They'll go to whichever website provides the latest and most comprehensive information.

Now that Toutiao.com has acquired the broadcasting rights for NBA games, the effect is immediate. Countless basketball fans are excited and flocking to Toutiao.com, resulting in another explosive increase in website user traffic.

On May 15, TT Video, a subsidiary of Tenda Group, was launched, marking Tenda's entry into the online video platform business.

On the same day, Tengda Group and Hunan TV signed an agreement to acquire the online broadcasting rights and unlimited value-added services of the second season of "Super Girl" for 500 million yuan.

Users can watch highlights of the audition stage of the program on TT Video.

During the national finals, viewers who missed the live television broadcast can watch the online rebroadcast on TT the following day and vote for their favorite contestants on Toutiao.

The talent show "Super Girl" hosted by Hunan TV received a lukewarm reception in its first season. Netizens debated online for a long time but couldn't figure out why Tengda Group spent a lot of money to buy the online rights for the second season. They could only sigh that Tengda was really rich and powerful.

Entering May, Tengda Group has been making a series of major announcements. However, as the end of the month approached, there were no new developments from Tengda for more than ten days. Just when industry peers and netizens thought that Tengda Group had finally quieted down, another shocking piece of news emerged on the last day of May.

Tenda Group acquired the music playback software Qianqian Jingting for 1200 million yuan and established Qianqian Music Network, a Chinese language music interactive community.

Following the acquisition, Tenda Group announced that it would retain the Qianqian Jingting brand and develop online music playback technology, while also strengthening its acquisition of digital music copyrights, gradually guiding Qianqian Jingting onto a legitimate and legal path.

It was only at this moment that people realized that Tengda Group had unknowingly become an emerging internet giant spanning multiple fields such as portals, games, music, and film and television. Those who were interested also began to notice the group's young founder!

After the climax, things eventually return to calm. Tengda Group made a series of significant moves throughout May, demonstrating its vigorous and rapid development. However, this also depleted a large portion of the group's reserves, requiring time to consolidate and digest these gains in order to ensure the group's stable and healthy operation.

June arrives in the blink of an eye, summer comes in a hurry, a small fan brings a slight coolness, and the long summer days are leisurely.

Liu Shishi has been busy rehearsing recently, preparing to participate in the arts performance.

Song Ci has been busy with her studies lately, preparing for her final exams.

On June 5th, CCTV's Arts and Entertainment Center will join hands with graduating students from nine prestigious art institutions, including the Beiping Film Academy, the Beiping Dance Academy, and the Central Conservatory of Music, to present the nation's first large-scale graduation gala for higher art institutions, titled "2005 Graduation Song."

The gala not only invited university presidents and other school leaders, but also specially invited relevant leaders from the education department, cultural department, and State Administration of Optoelectronics, making it a grand and solemn event.

Therefore, the leaders of the Beiping Dance Academy attached great importance to this cultural performance, and the students who were to perform on stage rehearsed day and night, working extremely hard.

Liu Shishi was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in a group dance program. She rehearsed until very late every day, and when she returned to her dormitory, she would fall asleep as soon as she got to bed. She no longer had time to enjoy romantic moments with Song, the school's most handsome boy.

On June 4th, a leisurely and pleasant Saturday, the morning light was warm and poetic. The four students from Songci Dormitory went to the school library together early in the morning.

Liu Shishi needs to rehearse and participate in performances over the weekend, while Song Ci doesn't need to spend time with his girlfriend and has nothing to do at the company for the time being. Taking a break from his busy schedule, he plans to write his new book at the library today.

Just as I was about to step into the library, a clear, melodious voice, tinged with surprise, came from behind me, "Song Ci, it's been a long time!"

A familiar feeling washed over Song Ci, and as he turned around, he saw Shen Sisi slowly walking towards him.

Song Ci nodded to Miss Shen and smiled, "Long time no see, Sisi!"

The two had indeed not seen each other for a long time. Since Shen Sisi's birthday, Song Ci had been busy making decisions on various matters of the group throughout May, and in his spare time he also had to spend time with Liu Shishi.

In addition, Shen Sisi hadn't been actively seeking out Song Dynasty poems as she usually had, and before they knew it, more than a month had passed since they last saw each other.

Today, Shen Sisi dressed simply and stylishly, wearing a white floral chiffon blouse and jeans.

Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, her delicate face was lightly made up, and a touch of elegant pink lipstick graced her lips. A jade bracelet adorned her fair wrist, its luster serene, like a ripple of autumn water.

Holding several books and carrying a pink bag, Ms. Shen exuded a more innocent and well-behaved aura today compared to her previous dignified elegance, radiating a rich scholarly atmosphere from within.

Shen Sisi walked lightly to Song Ci and the others, a happy and gentle smile on her face.

Song Ci could even see his own reflection in the other person's clear, bright eyes.

The two were very close, and Song Ci could smell the delicate fragrance emanating from Miss Shen, which seemed to be the scent of Miaojing perfume.

Perhaps because the weather in June was a bit muggy, Shen Sisi arrived at the library sweating, but the scent of her perfume actually made her feel even fresher.

The five of them crowded at the library entrance, attracting the attention of students coming and going. In particular, Song Ci and Shen Sisi, the campus heartthrob and beauty of Peking University, looked like a golden couple in a painting, which made the students who came to the library early in the morning turn their heads to look.

Seeing that Shen Sisi seemed to have something to say to Song Ci, Lu Yugang thought it wouldn't be good for the group to block the doorway, and besides, it was even more inappropriate for three grown men to be third wheels.

"You guys chat, we'll go in first and save you a seat."

Ever since Lin Hao saw Shen Sisi, his gaze had been darting around, as if afraid that Shen's roommate would play a trick on him. He cleverly flattered her, saying, "Beautiful Shen, would you like us to save you a seat too?"

Shen Sisi nodded in satisfaction and replied sweetly, "Okay, thank you for your help."

Lu Yugang and his two companions strode quickly, leaving Song Ci behind and leaving him alone with Shen Sisi.

Shen Sisi moved closer to Song Ci and strolled alongside him, asking with a charming smile, "Song Ci, is it true that Little Lion said on Tieba that you're going to start a new book? We book fans have been looking forward to it for so long."

Song Ci nodded in response: "Yes, the new book is still a historical novel."

Shen Sisi's eyes sparkled with curiosity: "Which dynasty is this story from?"

When talking about her new book, Song Ci's eyes shone brightly, and she spoke with confidence and composure: "It's the story of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty!"

Unlike his previous works, which involved copying novels from his past life based on his memories, this new book will be his original work.

Over the years, Song Ci has read extensively and, after years of accumulation, his writing skills and style have matured. Coupled with his rich knowledge reserves, he is capable of creating an excellent work.

Shen Sisi exclaimed excitedly, "The new book is about Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Hong, who changed customs, moved the capital to Luoyang, and promoted ethnic integration!"

Song Ci glanced at Shen Sisi with surprise. He hadn't expected that Miss Shen could summarize the life of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei so succinctly in just a few words. Clearly, she had a wealth of historical knowledge, which impressed him.

Seeing the hint of doubt and admiration in Song Ci's gaze, Shen Sisi smiled proudly and said, "I've been interested in history since I was a child."

Therefore, I have read many historical texts from various dynasties, and I am very familiar with the history of the Northern Wei Dynasty. We can exchange ideas more often; perhaps I can provide you with some inspiration.

Song Ci immediately felt admiration for Miss Shen. No wonder she could quote classics and allusions so easily when hosting programs. One could imagine that her daily reading volume must be extremely large.

When the two found the empty seats that Lu Yugang had saved for them, the three of them were already busy with their own things, some reading books, some doing math problems, all focused and absorbed.

Song Ci didn't want to disturb the others, so she quietly opened her laptop to start writing.

When Shen Sisi passed by Lin Hao, she gently patted his shoulder and pointedly asked, "Have you been in contact with your senior sister lately?"

Lin Hao gave a wry smile, at a loss for what to do, and remained silent.

Shen Sisi just wanted to give Lin Hao a warning. Song Ci's roommate was quite flexible in her approach, reporting Song Ci's whereabouts to her on one hand, and tattling to Liu Shishi on the other, trying to please both sides!
(End of this chapter)