America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 197, Section 196: Good heavens, you actually want to invite him?

The history of introducing American TV series to China actually began a long time ago.

Due to the influence of the international situation decades ago, cultural exchanges began after the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

In 1980, the first American TV series to enter China appeared. Many people who follow American TV series or are older know or have seen it. It was called "The Man from Atlantis".

The proper translation should actually be "The Man from Atlantis", probably because people at the time didn't know what Atlantis was.

In October of that year, the second American TV series, "The Dirty Dozen," aired, causing a sensation that drew huge crowds, rivaling the popularity of classic TV series such as "Journey to the West" and "Desire."

The show was suddenly taken off the air after 16 episodes, and many people wrote to CCTV to inquire about the reason, which became a major event in CCTV's history.

The reason for the suspension of the broadcast was that the leadership believed that "The Dirty Dozen" was a purely entertaining film with fighting and nonsense, with little artistic value, and had caused a bad social impact.

According to reports, many people practiced throwing knives and lock picking after watching the show, and serious crimes such as serial theft also increased, somewhat like the "Young and Dangerous" series.

In short, the common people liked it, but the leaders and artists didn't. After all, the market hadn't started yet, and the pursuit wasn't profit.

Subsequently, American TV series such as "Uncle Martin from Mars," "Growing Pains," "Hunter," "Beauty and the Beast," "Lace," and "Knight Rider" were launched in China, and even shows like "Wonder Woman" and "Superman" were available, which had a certain impact on the whole country or region.

Back then, American TV series could be broadcast directly during prime time every night, regardless of whether it was on CCTV or other major television stations.

However, in the 90s, policies began to tighten, the import of American dramas gradually stopped, and Korean dramas began to flourish.

However, since Friends started airing on Hong Kong's Pearl Channel in 1995, and since Pearl Channel is almost universally available in Guangdong, Friends naturally entered the hearts of the younger generation.

Later, many pirate DVD dealers discovered a business opportunity. Sitcoms were especially popular among young people and were even used in classrooms as teaching materials for learning English.

As a result, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, shows such as Friends, Will & Grace, and Everyone Loves Raymond began to emerge in the pirated DVD market.

Until the advent of the internet age, when subtitle groups such as Fengruan, Eden, Polanxiong, and Renren emerged, they made selfless contributions.

In addition, the emergence of high-quality American TV series, such as "Prison Break," "Grey's Anatomy," "Rome," "Lost," "The Sopranos," and "24," has led to a revival of American TV series through the internet.

Later, as video websites became more standardized, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's review of online dramas was not strict, or rather, the system was not yet perfect.

Video websites such as Youku, Tudou, and iQiyi have begun to purchase the copyrights of overseas dramas, with shows like "The Walking Dead" and "2 Broke Girls" entering the mainland market.

Until 2014, when the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television introduced new regulations, overseas-purchased online dramas began to be reviewed, and American dramas were removed from streaming platforms on a large scale.

Coupled with various factors such as copyright protection, the disappearance of subtitle groups and resource groups, and the decline in the creativity of American dramas themselves, American dramas have entered a period of comprehensive decline in China.

About two or three years before Eric's time travel, Bilibili began to purchase a large number of overseas dramas, including American, Japanese, and British dramas.

Although they all have to undergo castration to some extent, it is already a rare and precious thing.

It is now the end of 2003. In fact, the policies of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television have been tightened. Currently, TV stations below can no longer broadcast American dramas, but CCTV's overseas drama channel is still broadcasting them.

For example, Spielberg's "Band of Brothers" aired, and it was basically about how I could set fires but you couldn't light lamps.

So Eric wants to bring American TV series back to China. To put it more accurately, he wants to bring them back on a large scale.

Even if we don't want to return to the golden age of the last century, at least we should allow local stations to broadcast it, so that it can recover first and then flourish again.

Upon hearing his request, Zhou Xiaopeng and Han Sanping both looked at Chen Ou. They couldn't make the decision themselves; they had to see how the Optoelectronics Bureau would react.

Chen Ou hesitated for a moment: "There are some policy obstacles to the import of American TV series, but it's not entirely impossible."

"Currently, CCTV-8 is considering importing 'Friends' to air next year, or importing 'Everybody Loves Raymond'."

"But I don't quite understand what you mean by stable import channels. Could you explain it more clearly?"

Eric gave an example: "Director Chen, you can understand it this way: MGM will set up a new company overseas, and we define the nature of this new company as a publisher and intermediary."

"However, it will be the exclusive distributor. I need Optoelectronics to grant exclusive import and distribution rights, which means that all American dramas, variety shows, or other works that want to be imported into China, as long as they are not intended for the big screen, will be exclusively handled by us."

"Director Chen, the 'Friends' you just mentioned belongs to NBC. If this show wants to be sold to mainland China, it must first go through the new company."

"Once you get past our hurdle, then we can do business with the Optoelectronics Bureau, or with a company authorized by the Optoelectronics Bureau, such as Oriental MGM, which is quite good."

Chen Ou nodded: "Your description sounds familiar. Isn't this mechanism similar to China Film Group?"

"Huaying Film holds the import and distribution rights for imported blockbusters, while your new company holds the control over the export of American films to China."

Han Sanping hurriedly said, "That's exactly what I was thinking about. Is your new company focused on small screens or big screens? Is it involved in film?"

Eric waved his hand: "Don't worry, we won't compete with Huaying for business. We don't care about the big screen, but of course, we don't mind if you want to license it to us."

"Are you kidding? I don't even have enough food to eat at home."

Hearing that Eric had no interest in the big screen, Han Sanping felt relieved. TV dramas only made a few bucks and couldn't compare to imported blockbusters.

However, this is actually a good thing. If the optoelectronics license is granted to Oriental MGM or Huaying to connect with Eric's new company, the profits in between will be a considerable source of income.

If all goes well, once the "Meg" project is launched, I will soon be promoted to the top position, and I will also have control of Oriental MGM.

With one hand holding imported blockbusters and the other holding imported American TV series, this dual-engine approach, with both wings flying together, is simply a fantastic opportunity. One can't help but soar to the heavens!

Thinking of this, Han Sanping said, "Old Chen, I think this suggestion is good."

"Look at our current TV drama market. Its development in recent years has become increasingly distorted. When a theme becomes popular, everyone follows suit."

"Just like after 'Princess Pearl' became popular, all sorts of other shows like 'Princess Huaiyu,' 'The Last Princess,' 'Princess New Moon,' 'Thirteenth Princess,' and 'Princess is Getting Married' came out all at once, giving me a headache."

"The popularity of 'Meteor Garden' has led to the emergence of various idol dramas, which have had a significant impact on teenagers and students."

"There are also fictionalized historical dramas, dynasty series, secret history series, spy drama series, and so on. Production costs are rising accordingly, and the fees sold to TV stations are also jumping several levels higher each time."

"However, most of them are poorly made, just trying to ride the wave of popularity and make a quick buck."

"If things continue like this, the market will gradually be distorted. We must find a way to force the market to improve its production standards."

Listening to his complaints, Eric couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He wondered what he would think if he saw anti-Japanese war dramas flooding the market in the future, rubbing the audience's IQ into the ground.

Chen Ou stared intently at him: "Old Han, what are you trying to say?"

"What I want to say is very simple. Why are we doing overseas distribution and setting up joint venture film companies? Making money is part of it and a prerequisite, but the ultimate goal is to export our culture."

"This is a path that must be taken as our country's national strength increases."

"The previous generation in the last century, when our country had not yet joined the WTO, did not usher in a golden period of development like we do now."

"Back then, all they needed to do was keep their own minds in check and not let foreign ideas invade them."

"But we are different. We also need to find ways to put our own ideas into other people's heads. This is one of the two most difficult things in the world, just like taking money out of other people's pockets. But the burden is on our shoulders."

"Are you right?"

Chen Ou nodded: "That's right, you can continue."

"Old Chen, it's not easy to take on this responsibility well. The old methods don't work anymore. We need to be more open-minded and liberate our thinking."

"Times have changed, so we can no longer follow the old path. Policies should be relaxed. I think gradually opening up the market and bringing in foreign dramas is one way to achieve this."

"The prerequisite for exporting culture is that you must first have seen other cultures, so that you can create more targeted works."

"What's that saying again? 'Learn from the barbarians to subdue them.' Of course, I'm not talking about you, Eric, but that's the principle."

"If you walk around the overpass stalls or video stores, you will find a lot of pirated American TV series and movies, especially young people and college students are the main audience."

"There is demand in the social market for this. What they are currently exposed to are all uncut versions, which may contain prohibited content."

"But can you really block them all? Can you catch them all? Plus, considering the internet environment, even our ancestors knew that it's better to guide than to block!"

"We'll do it ourselves, keep this market in our own hands, conduct pre-introduction reviews, and cut out anything that needs to be cut."

"This not only satisfies the needs of the public, but also removes prohibited content, promotes market development, and forces domestic producers to improve their skills."

"If we work on this for five years, I dare say with a grain of salt that the quality of domestic films and television dramas will definitely improve by a significant margin."

"Only with a solid foundation can we easily export our culture. Quality is the true currency, wouldn't you agree?"

Zhou Xiaopeng chimed in, saying, "We live in a market economy now. Even Huaying Film Studio is going to reform in August. The overall environment is indeed different now."

"With the increasing demands of the people, the film and television industry can no longer be as meticulous as it used to be. It's unrealistic to spend three or four years creating a single work; people would starve."

"Therefore, this kind of bandwagon effect is bound to happen, and shoddy production is also inevitable."

"Although period dramas are doing well, they can only survive in Southeast Asia at best; it's impossible for them to go any further."

"If this trend continues, the films and television shows released in the next few years will only get worse."

"Introducing good works from outside to stimulate the domestic market, creating a 'catfish effect' that forces domestic innovation and the production of more high-quality and diverse dramas, is something I think is worth trying."

"Furthermore, the Korean drama market is currently dominated by South Korean stars, so it's not unreasonable to introduce competitors."

Chen Ou pondered for a moment: "What you all say makes sense, but this is not a small matter, and we can't make a decision in just a few words."

"MGM has always been working hard to help us and is a good friend of ours. The Chinese people will never let their friends down."

"Okay, I'll report to the director when I get back, and there will definitely be an internal meeting to discuss it for a while."

"Even if the optoelectronics side agrees, the proposal still needs further review after it's submitted."

"Eric, I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

Eric also knew that procedures had to be followed step by step, and that for something like this involving policy, even half a year of research would be considered fast.

"Director Chen, then I'll leave it to you. Actually, getting this done will benefit everyone."

"In the future, if Optoelectronics wants to import good dramas, it only needs to deal with MGM, saving you the trouble of dealing with NBC, Fox, ABC and other companies."

"Doing business with me guarantees I won't cheat you. My principle has always been mutual benefit."

"Similarly, if local Chinese TV stations want to buy American dramas, they also need to go through optical and electronic channels. Behind us are our respective huge domestic markets, and middlemen make a profit from the price difference and create economic benefits."

Eric's proposal is essentially no different from a monopoly, except that it is a state-sanctioned monopoly.

If the operation is successful, it can accelerate the maturation of the mainland market, which will be very helpful for making huge profits in the future.

The negotiations continued until sunset. Seeing that it was almost time, Old Han stood up and said, "We've been talking for so long, let's not sit here anymore. Come with me, everything's arranged."

The group arrived at the restaurant, and after a hearty meal, everyone except Susan had flushed faces.

"I said no one can leave, there are still programs to come, especially you, Eric, you left in too much of a hurry last time you came."

"Come with me today, and do as I say. You can also see the good stuff here and see if it's any worse than Hollywood."

Seeing this, Susan wisely took her leave, as she was not suited to participate in what followed.

Chen Ou was about to leave, but Lao Han stopped him, saying he really had something to do.

After all, this is the first time I've met Eric, and we don't have any vested interests at the moment, so it's best to be cautious.

As he was leaving, Chen Ou suddenly grabbed Eric's arm.

"Eric, I have another favor to ask of you."

"you say."

"It's almost Chinese New Year, and we Chinese have a tradition of holding a nationwide gala, known as the Spring Festival Gala."

"Recently, the director of CCTV complained to me that he was under a lot of pressure, as he had to both increase viewership and bring out new ideas."

"Now that we've joined the WTO, he wants to try going international and invite big international brands to sing a song. He asked me if I had any connections."

"Seeing you today reminded me of this. I wanted to ask you if you could help me invite Michael Jackson to sing a song on the Spring Festival Gala?"

(End of this chapter)