America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 254 253. It must be another little bitch!

"Hahahaha. It turns out that the program preview is true. I only watched it for half an hour and I couldn't stop laughing.

"No, no, no, the trailer does not show one tenth of the content of "The Voice". Keep watching, brother, there is a surprise at the end."

"Awesome! I must declare that "The Voice" is definitely the best music variety show I have ever seen. It combines all new elements. Here you can find super big-name stars, and you can see professional and capable people." With surprising contestants and this novel way of selecting people, this is the variety show format of the new era!”

"Hahaha, I really like the four of them making jokes there. On other programs, those talk shows, you can only see one person telling jokes at most, but here you can see four people interacting and telling jokes. So funny!”

"Brothers, I have a hunch that "The Voice" will create a trend. Its team rules and contestant counter-selection rules are really a great innovation and bring happiness that cannot be given by any other music variety show."

"I don't think you can just focus on the humorous elements. Although I was also made to laugh, don't you think the players' level is very high?"

"I agree! I heard that in order to compete with "American Idol", "The Voice" specially innovated a completely different selection format. The program does not use auditions, but is invited by the producers nationwide, so the contestants can be shortlisted. It already represents a certain strength.”

"I like Pylix, he is really handsome and he sings beautifully."

"Bruno Mars is the best!"

"Bruno Mars is too short, but I admit that his performance is wonderful, but he is still too short!"

"Wait, am I the only one who likes the host? James Corden adds a lot to "The Voice". It turns out that not only can he act, but he is also such a great host!"

"Do you think people from Fox and the American Idol production team have also purchased Lionheart memberships? Are they also watching the show?"

"Raise your hands! I'm an employee of the American Idol production team. This show is so damn awesome, we're going to lose!"

"Brother, are you really lying? Has Justin Timberlake's scene been cut? Can you tell me, if that idiot is still there, I won't watch it."

"Sorry, I can't reveal this. Anyway, you will know when it is broadcast tonight. The purpose of our program is to deceive one person after another. I can't stand it anymore. I can't stand it anymore. I have to watch the next episode quickly."

"+1 for next episode!"

"Next episode +2!"

"Next episode +3!"

Lionheart.com has launched a video comment function as soon as it was launched. This can collect comments from viewers, which is beneficial to improving the website.

Carol couldn't help but smile as she looked at the audience comments below "The Voice". Almost all of them were positive, praising the show for being so good and that the membership money was not wasted.

"Boss, depending on the audience's reaction, even if it's just "The Voice", it's enough for them to be willing to pay, not to mention we have other attractions."

Eric nodded and was very satisfied with this, but he was not used to reading comments. In his previous life, he was used to shopping at A.B. He only read the barrage. Unless there were resources in the comment area, he would generally not read the video comments.

He actually thought about whether he could implement the barrage function on YouTube and Lionheart.com, but after thinking about it, he gave up because he couldn't let his little hobby affect the overall situation.

English is not Chinese characters, and sometimes a sentence is quite long, which is not suitable for barrage.

In the future, both websites will go global, and the world is not limited to English, which is also a problem.

Moreover, barrage culture is still relatively subculture, and it still has not entered the mainstream cultural circle more than ten years later, let alone now.

The most important thing is that many people think that barrage affects the viewing experience, especially the dense barrage that blocks the screen. What am I watching?

For example, in the YouTube before time travel, the official did not provide the barrage function. If you want to use it, you can only use third-party plug-ins. There is a certain reason why the world's number one website does not use this function after so many years of development.

In 2004, the United States did not even have movie subtitles, let alone more fancy barrage.

"Robert, please make some statistics. I want to know how many people chose to finish watching new dramas such as "The Voice" and "House of Cards" on the first day they went online. In addition, we also have statistics on the completion rate of the first episode. and then announce it to the public.”

"Okay, boss!"

Robert Mirren also watched Eric's interview a few days ago. He proposed the concept of binge-watching. As long as the data is good enough, he will definitely use it to slap those guys in the face.

Eric and Carol stayed until evening before leaving by car.

He has obtained the 10-hour data of Lionheart.com, and the results are gratifying. The market's acceptance and tolerance of new things is still very high.

A total of 9 million members were attracted in 10 hours, with almost 1 million new members joining in an hour.

Among them, there are about 800,000 free prostitutes, but as long as they experience this novel convenience, most of them will definitely become paying users next month. Even if they top up for $6.99, being a low-level member is still an income.

Low-level members account for about 2 million, and the percentage has increased, but as long as it does not reach half, it is within the acceptable range.

Standard members are still the main force, with 5.2 million people choosing to recharge for $9.99.

Is it expensive? In fact, it is the price of two hamburgers and a cup of Coke, but it allows you to enjoy visual and mental services for a month.

Both Eric and Robert believe that some of this group of people will be converted into premium members next month to enjoy more privileges.

There are 1 million senior members. There is nothing to say. Just keep them stable.

The figure of 9 million is absolutely terrifying. You must know that Lionheart is not Facebook or YouTube. It charges a fee.

Charge and free are two completely different concepts, and naturally have thresholds.

Carol took a pen and wrote calculations in a notebook: "Boss, I did the math. Lionheart earned us US$80 million in membership fees in 10 hours."

Eric nodded: "Well, it's a bit low, but it doesn't matter. We are unique in the market and have no competitors. My goal is to absorb at least 60% of the households in the United States."

"This will be a long-term process, and it will become more difficult as it progresses. It may take a year, two years or more, but if it can be achieved, one member for a family of four will be equivalent to at least 42 million members. "

Carroll wrote down numerical calculations on paper: "Boss, if you use this data, you can earn almost US$300 million in membership fees every month."

"According to the current market conditions, it is enough to support the simultaneous filming of twenty or thirty TV series with normal investment amounts."

"But it's obviously not enough for a variety show like "The Voice," which is expensive to produce, or a high-quality drama like "The Walking Dead," which invests $30 to 40 million."

"As for advertising, I think merchants will carefully consider the proportion of low-level users before placing ads. If the current proportion of about 20% is still used, it will be greatly affected."

As she spoke, she poked the tip of the pen hard, her voice a little distressed: "We hope there will be no low-level members, but low-level members can bring more advertising revenue. These two data are inherently contradictory."

Eric smiled: "It doesn't matter, the income in this area can be earned enough from excellent variety shows."

"Huh? Boss, you mean to rely on implants? But I didn't see any implants in "The Voice"."

"Not now, but soon some."

Eric naturally understands what Carol is considering.

The production cost of "The Voice" exceeded US$70 million, which is still a high standard even ten years later.

Among them, Michael still lowered his salary, and Janet Jackson also lowered her salary for her brother's sake.

But even so, the money spent on the four people in the first season exceeded 40 million US dollars, and this amount will definitely increase in the second season.

In order to play out Lionheart.com's cards, MGM and Art Records have spent a lot of money. Every variety show does this, which is courting death.

For Lionheart Network in the early stage of this kind of high-quality variety shows, trying to produce two or three a year will reach the upper limit. The same is true for high-quality dramas.

In Lionheart's plan, most variety shows such as "Walking with Paris Hilton" currently in production are very cheap.

The cost of one phase is no more than 1.5 million US dollars, and can usually be controlled between 1 million and 1.2 million. The first season has a total of 10 phases and costs more than 10 million.

The main reason is that there are no big stars involved. Although Paris Hilton is a socialite, she is in the film and television industry and a socialite cannot bring high salary.

She hasn't even filmed the most popular movie "Horror House of Wax" yet, so the pay is very low. If Eric is willing to sacrifice and have a few sex with her, he may be able to negotiate for a higher price.

There are also "Knife Forging Competition", "Alone in the Wild", "Ninja Challenge", "Take Me Out", etc., which do not require big-name celebrities to participate. One host can handle it. Even "Alone in the Wild" does not even need a host.

These variety shows do not require large investments, but they can bring super high returns, because variety shows have a feature that film and television dramas do not have, and that is advertising sponsorship and placement.

Standard members and premium members are indeed free of advertising, but this advertising refers to the stages before, during, and after watching the movie, and does not include sponsorship and placement.

As long as you don’t make it too obvious and make celebrities and players implant everything from food, clothing to on-site decorations, like the masterpiece "Ace vs. Ace" by Wu Tong, a well-known suture master in the industry before time travel, to such a disgusting level, then the audience will also Don't pay too much attention to these minutiae.

The phone screen suddenly lit up, and a text message came from Liu Yifei, asking if it was convenient for him now.

I looked down at the time, it was less than 9 o'clock.

Eric couldn't help but think to himself: "What does the call at this time mean? Is it because you are worried that I have been too stressed recently, so you want to dedicate yourself to relaxing for me?"

Night always makes evil thoughts sprout faster. I shook my head and dialed the number, and the call was connected in seconds.

"What's wrong? Crystal?"

"Eric, are you okay? I know you must be very busy recently."

"Following the news?"

"I will definitely pay attention to you. My mother and aunt also care about you very much."

There was a sneer on Eric's lips. Liu Xiaoli was only concerned about herself because she was worried that her backer would be ruined and she would not be able to gain a foothold in Hollywood. Zhou Wenqiong was definitely worried that things in the theater would cause trouble again.

"Then thank them for me. What do you want?"

"It's the Chinese side. "The Power of Evil" has started promoting it, and they hope I can go back."

"Then go for it. This is MGM's first TV series in the Mainland. It really needs to increase its popularity. It's your home field and you are much more famous than the two leading actors."

Liu Yifei chuckled a few times: "Well, it just so happens that my role in "The Hunger Games" has been completed, so it doesn't hurt to leave for a while."

At this point, Eric suddenly understood. It turned out that this little girl was testing him. She wanted to find out if there was any new drama. I am afraid it was Liu Xiaoli who instigated her.

Seeing that Eric didn't speak, Liu Yifei continued: "By the way Eric, do you remember the drama I talked about some time ago? A company in mainland China wants to ask me to play the heroine."

"It's the TV series adapted from the game, right?"

"Yes, your memory is really good. In fact, I have already declined, but the other party hasn't given up yet. They said they can wait for my schedule. Now they invite me again. What do you think I should do? Should I accept it? I'll accept it for a while. It will not affect the development of Hollywood."

"Legend of Sword and Fairy", Bai Yueguang's childhood for countless people, is the drama that truly established Liu Yifei's status.

If she had only starred in "The Golden Family", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", and "Dragon", her health bar would never be so thick as to be exaggerated.

Her mid- to late-stage development was a disaster. She was cast in countless TV series and movies, and her acting skills have not improved much in more than ten years. However, she still has countless die-hard fans because of "Legend of Sword and Fairy".

When the Chinese market explodes in a few years, MGM will definitely take a piece of the big pie, and Liu Yifei will be a trump card in his hand.

The more popularity she accumulates now, the more beneficial it will be to the future development of the company and herself, so since Tang Ren is so sincere, taking over the filming is also a good choice.

"Kristel, what do you think about it? I want to hear your thoughts."

"My thoughts? I...I don't have any ideas. My mother used to choose the films I filmed. She asked me to ask your opinion."

"What conditions did that company give?"

"The conditions are pretty good, especially after I came to Hollywood to develop my career, the Tang people improved my treatment a lot."

"This drama originally had two female protagonists, but they promised to give me an additional role. Anyway, I am the absolute heroine."

"What about the time? How long do you plan to shoot?"

"For one and a half months, I will give priority to filming my scenes."

"Then take it. It will help consolidate your popularity in China and prepare for the future."

"Okay, I'll pick you up if you say so. I'll listen to you."

After hanging up the phone, Eric suddenly laughed out loud. Under the butterfly effect, I don't know how much of Lin Yueru's role will be left. Maybe she will share the second female lead with Anu.

Carol peeked through the rearview mirror. She had rarely seen Eric speak so softly.

"Humph! It must be another little bitch!"

Cursing secretly, Carol couldn't help but look down at her big breasts. They were still so beautiful, but Eric stared at them less recently.

"Am I dressing too conservatively? The weather is getting warmer, so I have reason to be more relaxed."