radicalducati Chapter 45 is right even if it's wrong.
Chapter 45 is right even if it's wrong.
On November 27, Ren Pingsheng packaged the trailer, stills, and other promotional materials and sent them to the contact person at Youku.
The trailer was cleverly edited, with no plot, only a series of exaggerated expressions—Dapeng's rage, Bai Ke's dead fish eyes, and Qiao San's smirk, accompanied by an extremely catchy background music. Finally, amidst the clattering of high heels, the camera freezes on Ni Ni's back as she walks past in a cheongsam.
There wasn't a single line of dialogue, but the tension was palpable.
The title is "I never expected that the former loser would become a boss this time."
Zhang Yibo asked, somewhat puzzled, "Director Ren, didn't we say we wouldn't ride the coattails of the 'loser' trend?"
"Not riding the coattails of the 'Loser' phenomenon doesn't mean not riding the coattails of the 'Loser' movie."
Zhang Yibo was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it for a while, he suddenly realized what was going on.
Youku acted quickly, and the preview was posted on their homepage that afternoon.
The pinned title, after their own reworking, became a more provocative version: "The original cast, who were kicked out of their home by the vixen, are back with a new drama."
When Ren Pingsheng saw this title, he almost spat his tea onto his keyboard.
Youku really knows how to stir up trouble. With these words, it's clear that they're taking the opportunity to disgust Sohu and vent their anger at being the defendant.
However, he has no say in such matters and is too lazy to care. It's common for platforms to stab each other in the back; he only needs to ensure that his content is not affected.
That evening, the trailer garnered over 500,000 views on Youku.
The comments section was filled with returning longtime fans.
"Holy crap! Wang Duoyu's team has gone solo?"
"Sledgehammer! My sledgehammer is back!"
"Wait, why isn't there a baby?"
When the news reached Sohu, Alex turned green with shock and immediately called Zhao Baogang.
"Director Zhao, 'The Loser 2' must be released next week."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Alex, I've only filmed four episodes, and they haven't even been edited yet. How am I supposed to appear on screen?"
"We'll edit one episode first and then broadcast the rest as we film them."
Zhao Baogang almost spilled his lunchbox on the ground while filming.
Filming and broadcasting simultaneously.
Zhao Baogang knew that this was nothing new in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea.
The seasonal format of American TV series is designed to adjust the plot and even cancel characters or episodes based on real-time audience feedback.
Korean dramas are even more outrageous, with screenwriters sometimes writing until just two days before airing before submitting their drafts, and weekly broadcasts are the norm for Japanese dramas.
But this approach doesn't work in the country.
The State Administration of Radio and Television's system of reviewing completed films and television dramas dictates that mainland Chinese television dramas must be filmed and reviewed in their entirety before they can be broadcast.
Although web series are now unregulated, Zhao Baogang is a traditional director who makes TV dramas. In his 30 years in the industry, this is the first time he has been forced to do this kind of work.
"Director Zhao, Ren Pingsheng's new drama will be released on December 4th, we must release it on the same day."
"Who exactly are you arguing with?" Zhao Baogang's tone was clearly impatient.
"You call the shots in the film and television industry. But in the internet world, whoever captures the users first wins."
Suppressing his anger, Zhao Baogang asked, "Does President Deng know?"
"Yes, I just reported that this was an instruction from General Deng."
Another silence followed.
"OK."
Zhao Baogang gritted his teeth and endured it.
After hanging up the phone, Alex stared at the ceiling for a long time.
Actually, this time it wasn't him acting on his own initiative.
Sohu's current strategic intent is very clear—the copyright lawsuit is the spear, and "The Loser 2" is the shield.
By suing YoukuTudou for pirated content, they forced their competitor to spend money to buy copyrights, thus raising the cost of competition.
By using its own viral content to attract users, Sohu proves that it has the ability to produce high-quality content.
With this series of combined moves, Sohu aims to seize the opportunity to leap directly from third place to first in the video industry.
This was the tone personally set by Deng Ye.
The following week, the difference in publicity between the two sides became readily apparent.
The main video website has been updated with a huge poster for "Men's Diary 2". The top banner and right sidebar of the portal website have also been completely changed, and clicking on them leads to trailers and behind-the-scenes footage.
Even more ruthless is that the pre-roll bar for all videos on the Sohu platform has been uniformly replaced with a 30-second trailer for "Men's Diary 2". Users must watch this trailer before watching any video on Sohu.
Even in the game clients of "Swordsman Online 2" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", there are hidden GG entrances in inconspicuous corners.
After a week of building anticipation for the sequel, the positive word-of-mouth from the previous film has raised expectations to an extremely high level.
Zhao Baogang's name is a golden brand in itself. Coupled with the star lineup of Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Han, Zhu Yuchen, Bai Baihe, Jiang Yiyan and other celebrities released in the promotional materials, even traditional media followed up with reports and interviews.
In contrast, the treatment that Youku gives to "Report to the Boss" can be considered as respect, but it is far from being preferential.
The homepage banner alternates with other popular dramas, while the recommended slots are neither good nor bad.
After all, "Report to the Boss" is just one of the pilot projects for Youku's content ecosystem upgrade, not the hope for the whole village.
Even if Gu Yongqiang is optimistic about Ren Pingsheng's business model, he would not bet all the resources of the entire platform on a new IP that has not yet been proven.
By December, before either show had even been released, online discussions had already exploded.
"Zhao Baogang vs. a nobody director, is there even a comparison? It's a complete annihilation!"
"The original team left? That's hilarious. Some people always think their success is because they're amazing. Who do you think you are without a big company platform?"
"The lineup of female celebrities making cameo appearances on Sohu is too impressive. Boss, there's only one who didn't show her face. Who is she? If you can't afford her, don't force it."
Similar discussions are everywhere on Tianya, Weibo, Mop, and Tieba.
There was no need to even buy negative articles; the popularity of "Report to the Boss" had already been completely crushed by "Men's Diary 2".
When Dapeng saw these posts, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Ren Pingsheng, on the other hand, slept very soundly.
Friday, October 4th.
At 10:00 AM, "Report to the Boss" was exclusively launched on Youku.
Two hours later, "Men's Diary 2" followed closely on Sohu Video.
The first-mover advantage was wiped out during the two-hour lunch break.
"Men's Diary 2" has surpassed 800,000 views.
"Report to the Boss" has been viewed 330,000 times.
It wasn't bad, but compared to the other side, it was dismal.
Bai Ke slumped over his computer, his face growing increasingly grim.
"Brother Pingsheng, their numbers are almost three times ours."
A low-pressure atmosphere permeated the entire studio.
Ren Pingsheng sat in his seat without saying a word.
But he didn't look at the backend data of "Report to the Boss".
He was watching the first episode of "Men's Diary 2".
From beginning to end, not a single second was missed.
Zhao Baogang's skill is indeed on point; the composition is meticulous, the rhythm is precise, and each joke is polished to perfection.
Ren Pingsheng watched the entire episode, then rewound the progress bar to the beginning and watched it again.
On the second viewing, his expression changed from serious to relaxed.
On his third viewing, he leaned back in his chair, a slight smile even appearing on his lips.
"What are you laughing at?" Bai Ke leaned closer, looking puzzled.
"Did you guys watch that episode?"
"I've seen it." Bai Ke nodded.
Did you smile?
Bai Ke opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Xiao Ai added quietly from behind, "She laughed, but... I can't quite put my finger on what was wrong."
Ren Pingsheng chuckled lightly, "If you feel something's wrong, then you're right."