Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 284 "Breaking the Formation" sets sail, missing out on Prince Ning
After working overtime all night and discussing various uses of formal wear with Reba, Chen Xiu returned to work at Datang Film Studio as usual the next day.

"The Song of the King of Qin Breaking the Enemy's Formation" is not long; half a month is enough time for it to premiere.

The premiere date almost coincided with the release of "Wolf Warrior 2".

As the film broke box office records, the phenomenal popularity of the work also caused the ratings and online streaming results of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" to rise steadily.

Finally, the first run of the series achieved a peak single-episode viewership rating of 3.55% and an average viewership rating exceeding 2%.
This result is still a step below "In the Name of the People," which achieved a peak viewership rating of over 8% and an average viewership rating of 3.66%, but it is still a very popular drama.

Chen Xiu came to the company today to confirm the price for the second run of "Qin King's Battle Song" and its overseas export price.

"Mango TV's second-round offer for 'The Song of Qin King' is 300 million yuan per episode, totaling 7200 million yuan. For overseas online streaming rights, we are dealing with Netflix, and they offered 4 US dollars per episode, totaling 96 US dollars..."

Wei Feng's tone during the report sounded rather unenthusiastic.

This is normal, after all, the price for a second run is only 25% of the price for the first run, and the total price for overseas online streaming rights is less than the production cost of a single episode of a TV series.

With such a gem in front and Mudu behind, no one can get excited.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it; the export price of domestically produced dramas can't be raised, and the symbolic significance of domestically produced dramas going overseas outweighs their commercial value.

After he finished his report, Chen Xiu asked, "Have you contacted the TV station over there?"

"We contacted them, and they are quite interested in 'The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation,' but the price they offered wasn't high."

"How many?"

"3 US dollars per episode, the same price as 'The Empress of China'."

Chen Xiu pursed her lips, deeply feeling the chill of exporting film and television works, and then felt that the domestic market truly was fertile ground for TV dramas...

"Let's discuss it. If there's no room for negotiation, let's sell it then!"

"Okay, I understand."

Wei Feng nodded thoughtfully. The first run of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" and the online broadcasting rights had already allowed the TV series to recoup its costs and even make a profit. The second run on TV and overseas rights were just dessert.

After discussing the situation of "Qin King's Battle Song", Wei Feng then reported to Chen Xiu on the company's film division.

"The Unknown, Better Days, and Detective Chinatown 2 have all passed censorship. The release date for The Unknown is set for mid-November, Better Days for mid-December, and Detective Chinatown 2 is scheduled for the Spring Festival next year."

"In addition to the three films with confirmed release dates, the company also has two major investments, 'Sheep Without a Shepherd' and 'The Road Home,' as well as the film it co-produced, 'Looking Up,' with a total expenditure of no less than 2 million yuan, plus an additional 2000 million yuan investment in 'The Wandering Earth.'"

After discussing the expenses, Wei Feng then talked about the company's income this year.

"Our after-tax profit from the 'Eternal Love' project was 100 million yuan (according to Jiaxing Media's data). Our investment share in 'Qin King's Battle Song' was 60%, and the price for the first broadcast plus online broadcast was 6.88 million yuan. After deducting production costs and taxes, the profit was approximately 180 million yuan."

"The revenue from 'Wolf Warrior 2' has already been calculated, it's 100 million yuan. However, the box office revenue sharing won't be quick. The remaining revenue from the online series, plus the artist management's share, is about 50 million yuan after tax. Our cash flow is very healthy, but..."

"but?"

Chen Xiu looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering where this came from.

Wei Feng chuckled: "Kiwi and Penguin have both expressed the same sentiment, saying that 'The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy' is too short. If the next book, 'The Xuanwu Gate Incident,' could include more slice-of-life and romance content to lengthen the overall length, it would be more profitable."

"Like those fantasy dramas, will they pad it out to 50 episodes?"

"The show is paid per episode, which is more cost-effective."

"I understand. Forget about my drama. Just let Lu Yang make 'The Longest Day in Chang'an' a bit longer."

Chen Xiu shook her head without room for negotiation.

Wei Feng nodded in understanding. He was just making a suggestion. After all, a long-running hit drama like "Three Lives Three Worlds" is indeed very profitable, but if the boss is unwilling, there's nothing that can be done.

Fortunately, Chen Xiu is not a rigid person. He only cares about the dramas he makes. For "The Longest Day in Chang'an", he has to consider making money.

After discussing the business segments, Chen Xiu asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Yang Ming told me that CCTV wants to conduct a personal interview with you. Should we find an excuse to decline, or accept?"

Chen Xiu frowned and hesitated.

After a long while, he finally looked at Wei Feng and asked, "What specific content did the interview cover?"

"It's mainly about film and television. When 'The Song of Qin King Breaking the Formation' was broadcast, CCTV publicly praised it twice. In interviews, they would also ask about your entrepreneurial experience and personal feelings, which is somewhat similar to Chen Luyu's interviews."

"Should I go over there, or should they come here to conduct the interview?"

"From what Yang Ming said, it seems that even if you are not available, they can still come and record."

Wei Feng shrugged, feeling that the central government was very easy to talk to this time.

However, Chen Xiu is not exactly a typical celebrity, so a little flexibility is reasonable.

"When will the interview take place?"

Having been asked this far, Chen Xiu had basically agreed.

Wei Feng understood his meaning: "It will be in the next few days, depending on your availability. The interview will be about two hours long, just a chat."

"Okay, then please ask them to come the day after tomorrow! I'll make some preparations." Since CCTV said they could come to record, Chen Xiu naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with them.

Wei Feng nodded, noted down the time, and was just about to get up to leave when he heard Chen Xiu's next question.

"How did your talk with Yang Mi go? Hopefully there won't be any further complications."

"The signing date has been set, but there are still some issues in her personal life."

"What do you mean?"

"She wants to divorce her husband from Hong Kong, but he wants a share of her assets, otherwise he won't sign the papers."

Chen Xiu frowned slightly, looking at Wei Feng with a puzzled expression, wondering why he was telling her all this.

Wei Feng sighed helplessly and said, "Yang Mi means, can we step in and help her? Because Zeng Jia has always been the one to help with things in the past."

"She set up her own studio and signed with Datang Pictures. This is a collaboration between companies. As a contracted artist in her own studio, Yang Mi should handle her own life issues. We have no obligation to help her."

"She was worried that this would affect the cooperation..."

“We signed her to make money, not to clean up her messes. Let her handle it herself and not let it affect her work.”

Chen Xiu replied coldly that he really hadn't expected Yang Mi to want Datang Pictures to help her with the divorce; it was truly baffling.

Upon hearing Chen Xiu's meaning, Wei Feng said no more and immediately left his office.

Once the office door was closed, Chen Xiu quickly put Yang Mi's matter out of her mind and began to deal with her own work.

He has offices in both Datang Pictures and Douyin. Apart from the daily affairs of the two companies, Chen Xiu spends the rest of his time focusing on his investment returns and potential companies in the primary market.

Since acquiring a small stake in NIO a few months ago, he has been consciously paying attention to the domestic new energy vehicle market.

In addition to the large-scale purchase of BYD shares long ago, Chen Xiu has also started paying attention to the automotive battery industry.

Among them, the one that he pays the most attention to is undoubtedly CATL!

This company is currently in the late stages of financing and is expected to start its IPO process next year. Now is the last chance for those who want to get on board.

Chen Xiu is already a big name in the internet industry, but he is just a newbie in the new energy field.

If you want to get a piece of CATL's cake, the best way is to find a broker to take you in.

After much deliberation, Chen Xiu contacted Shen Nanpeng, a veteran in the investment field.

"Mr. Shen, I'm sorry, did I disturb you?"

"It's nothing, Mr. Chen. Your recent investments in the film and television industry are truly enviable!"

While others can't stop talking about their profession, Shen Nanpeng starts by discussing investment.

Chen Xiu chuckled lightly, unconvinced: "The film and television industry is just about earning hard-earned money; it doesn't have the same potential for appreciation as investment."

"Nine out of ten investments fail, and the remaining one dies. Mr. Chen, you have a good eye; every investment you make is a success."

"I was just lucky."

Hearing Shen Nanpeng's seemingly endless pleasantries, Chen Xiu quickly explained her purpose after finishing her reply: "Mr. Shen, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Well, you said."

"Your Sequoia Capital has participated in the investment of CATL. I wonder if you could introduce me?"

"You noticed it too."

Shen Nanpeng chuckled, seemingly very pleased with himself, but quickly changed the subject to regret.

"Mr. Chen, to be honest, CATL's angel round of financing was provided by Sequoia Capital, which was used for technology research and development and market expansion. We also participated in their Series A, B and C rounds. This year is the last round of financing, and next year we will be queuing up for IPO."

"so?"

"I can recommend you get to know the boss, but we can't participate in this round of financing, and it would be quite difficult for you to participate if you wanted to."

"I understand, thank you for the pointers, Mr. Shen."

Chen Xiu's tone was also somewhat regretful, but there was nothing she could do.

In recent years, he has been working in the internet industry. This year, he was brought into the new energy field by Shen Nanpeng. He started late, had no connections or qualifications, and had no investment opportunities.

If money could buy you anything, coal mine owners would have already entered the internet industry long ago…

It seems I can only wait until CATL's IPO to buy it on the secondary market.

After ending her chat with Shen Nanpeng, Chen Xiu stopped paying attention to CATL's situation and instead opened the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was not yet open, to focus on the Tesla shares she had already bought.

It's still at a floor price of around $20, which is only double the price when it was acquired for $100 million. Oh well, I'll just consider it a long-term investment.

(End of this chapter)