Text | Entertainment Herald
"When you choose a hijab on the scale, you will get what you want."
Most scholars may have never dreamed that they would be able to see the famous wedding of the unexpected CP Wen Shichu and Shen Meizhuang in their lifetime. As the "unofficial" package sales of "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Tencent Video's recently launched "Renewal of the Legend" has accurately grasped the emotions of fans.
"The Legend of Zhen Huan" has been on the air for twelve years. The plot has been studied countless times by various netizens with magnifying glasses. Everyone has even picked up the details to echo the lines before and after. The emperor had just finished saying: "Sincerity is the most important thing", Niu Hulu Zhen Huan immediately realized, "Sincerity is the most important thing", the long tail effect of the IP of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" can be seen.
However, having said that, a drama that can withstand repeated bombardment by netizens shows that its quality is excellent. After all, the next-door "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" achieved cyber collapse through repeated archaeological processes, but whether the after-sales content of the classic IP can withstand the scrutiny of netizens remains a question mark.
01 "The Legend of Zhen Huan" "The concubine came out of the group", why did the crotch stretch?
For the platform, "The Legend of Zhen Huan" is a commercial bonanza.
After Youku won the exclusive broadcast rights of "The Legend of Zhen Huan", it quickly turned its gold-mining target to the after-sales service of "The Legend of Zhen Huan". The spin-off variety show "The Legend of Zhen Huan", co-produced with director Zheng Xiaolong, is expected to be launched this year.
However, Tencent Video, which does not have the copyright of "The Legend of Zhen Huan", was the first to launch the travel reality show "Renewal of the Legend".
Before it was aired, this variety show had attracted calls from the copyright owner. LeTV publicly pointed out that "this variety show is not authorized by LeTV Huaer Film and Television, the IP partner of "The Legend of Zhen Huan"." Youku Entertainment Marketing even joked and wrote: "Please look for the right palace and don't pay by mistake."
However, the audience does not seem to care much about the issue of copyright ownership. Just as the classic line of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" said, "It doesn't matter whether the legitimate concubine is high or low."
When "The Legend of Huanxin" was launched, relying on the accumulation of fans of "The Legend of Zhen Huan", it ranked fourth in the broadcast rate of feature films on the Beacon Network, with a market share of 8.03. However, perhaps because the content of the main film is not satisfactory to the audience, the market share of "Renewal of the World" has been declining, and it has now dropped to 5.63%.
After two issues of "Huanxin Huanyou Zhuan" were launched, "The Wedding of Imperial Physician Wen and Shen Meizhuang", "Liuzhu and Huanbi embraced each other with tears in their eyes", "An Lingrong still feels that Baojuan is not the queen's person" Waiting for the heart-warming episode. Even the emperor's absence in "The Legend of Huanxin Travels" was interpreted by netizens as the emperor saying: "I will never see the queen again." In terms of fans, "Renewal Travels" has indeed satisfied the fans' emotional projection.
In essence, these TV dramas derived from popular dramas mostly take the content of the drama as the starting point. While taking into account the emotional needs of vertical audiences, they continue to extend the boundaries of the linkage between dramas and variety shows, aiming to radiate. Create new audiences and expand the brand’s commercial space.
However, just like two sides of a coin, "Renewal Travels" also has some content flaws. Although the interaction between the guests was very "returning to the youth", the absence of three important characters, the Emperor, Zhen Huan, and Concubine Hua, also made the program lose its luster, and it cannot be regarded as the original "The Legend of Zhen Huan" Team building, maybe this is also the limitation of the "concubine" Tuan Zong. No matter how hard we try, we can't invite the "right leader" to come out.
Moreover, this variety show is positioned as a travel variety show. Whether it is the travel copy in the feature film, which is like the official website introduction, or the rough scenery video, it is difficult to convey the characteristics and cultural heritage of local culture and tourism. During the show, the guests' interactions with each other were less like a reunion of acquaintances and more like a reunion of unfamiliar high school classmates, and the overall rhythm was awkward. If the "Legend" team-building variety show is launched as scheduled this year, it will inevitably be compared. By then, the audience will make their own conclusions about which one is better.
In addition, although the audience is obsessed with "The Legend of Zhen Huan", it does not mean that they are willing to have the same tolerant attitude towards after-sales content. From the fact that the market share has been declining since the show was broadcast, it can be seen that the emotional card is not a must-have for classic IP-derived variety shows.
Judging from the investment situation, "Renewal Travels" has attracted four advertising companies: Tongcheng Yilong, Yinlu, Zhihu, and WeChat. It is expected that more advertisers are still waiting to see the follow-up performance of this variety show.
02 "Drama Variety" after-sales evolution theory
If you want to trace the origin of "Drama Variety", South Korea's 2016 travel variety show "Youth Over Flowers Africa" can be called the originator. This variety show is a spin-off of the high-scoring classic Korean drama "Reply 1988", with a score of 9.5 on Douban. The success of "Youth Over Flowers Africa" also provides certain reference ideas for domestic drama-variety linkages.
The first domestic platform to enter the drama and variety linkage track is iQiyi. In 2019, after the release of "Hot-Blooded Boy", the spin-off variety show "Help!" "I'm Going to Work" was quickly put on the agenda, aiming to explore the charming characteristics of the guests and thereby attract strong traffic to the series. But it is a pity that the popularity of drama series and variety shows is average, and the effect is not as good as expected.
In the summer of the same year, Tencent Video's "Chen Qing Ling" became a big hit, and the spin-off variety show "Young Learning" incorporated filming behind-the-scenes, the main creator completed corresponding tasks, etc., which was equivalent to providing after-sales benefits to fans and satisfying everyone's sugar cravings. experience.
At this stage, drama-variety linkages have just sprouted, and the content ecology is not yet mature enough. Derived variety shows have not received too much drama dividends. They are only for drama fans to attract their own attention, and it is difficult to extend outwards.
Wait until 2020, the first year of drama-variety linkage, and derivative variety shows of dramas will begin to tailor plot projects around the dramas, striving to expand the circle of audiences interested in related fields. "Meet You on the Stage", a spin-off of "The Sideburns Are Not Begonia Red", showed the charm of Peking Opera culture to the audience, and "Snow Pear Stewed with Rock Sugar·Idol Team", a spin-off of "Snow Pear Stewed with Rock Sugar", popularized iceberg sports , the spin-off variety show "Hou Lang" "Assemble!" "The Waves" is also developed from the traditional culture of traditional Chinese medicine.
When Aiyou Tengmang joined the drama and variety show industry one after another, the gameplay of derivative variety shows also reached a new level.
According to incomplete statistics from Entertainment Xiensheng, in recent years, Aiyu Tengmang has launched more than ten after-sales programs.
For example, iQiyi's "Ning'an Like a Dream" and "Seven Occasions of Auspiciousness" launched the first interactive derivative variety show "1 Million Promises"; Mango TV's "Da Song Youth 2" launched the high-scoring after-sales group variety show " Let’s team build! "Qi Zhai" and "Detective Bureau of the Song Dynasty"; Youku's "The Boy Who Crying Dragon" has also put the drama series "The Dragon is Burning" on the agenda, and is currently working on the development of derivative IPs for "The Legend of Zhen Huan"; Tencent Video is even more The spin-off variety show "Traveling with Phoenix", "Ongoing Business: Traveling with Phoenix Special", has been developed into a paid group variety show. In addition, iQiyi also launched Mist Theater's drama "Pull the Fog" to lead the audience to interpret the hidden details of dramas such as "The Hidden Corner" and "The Returned Daughter".
For the audience, the drama and series linkage can fill the regrets of drama fans. For example, after Yi Nanping CP reaches the ending in the play, he can happily mention the ending in the extra episode; the distressed villain can also be fulfilled through after-sales, and the frequent interactions between guests undoubtedly provide emotional value to users. .
For the industry, in the environment of cost reduction and efficiency improvement, investment promotion of variety shows has frequently been blocked. Linkage between dramas and variety shows can undoubtedly provide a way to break the situation. Driven by the popularity of drama series, brands will favor derivative variety shows more, and popular after-sales variety shows are also expected to drive investment. For example, Chunzhen exclusively titled "One Million Promises" and presented the whole process in various forms such as oral broadcasts and small theaters.
Overall, although after-sales variety shows of popular dramas are not as popular as drama series, they still have a certain fan base compared to new variety shows. However, in addition to emotional cards, after-sales variety shows still need to explore innovative gameplay and deeply explore the derived value of IP.
03 long video platform, collective "roll" fancy after-sales service
A hit drama is often "eaten out of one fish". In addition to dramas and dramas, the long-form video platform’s fancy after-sales service also provides fans with more and more fan benefits.
In 2019, the popularity of "Chen Qing Ling" took the lead in driving the advanced on-demand model. VIP users need to spend 30 yuan to purchase five episodes. In the same year, "Qing Yu Nian" needs to spend 50 yuan to purchase six episodes.Driven by real money, the competition for advanced on-demand viewing on major platforms intensified, but it caused dissatisfaction among users. Two years later, advanced on-demand viewing was forced to stop, but it will be restarted in the form of the finale premiere in 2022. Return.
At that time, dramas such as "Meng Hua Lu", "Brilliant Star", "Agarwood", "Ice and Fire" and other series had their finale premieres online. Compared with advance on-demand, the price of the premiere is lower. The finale movie gift package of "Menghualu" is only 18 yuan, and users are provided with starring services to watch, and there will also be a ceremonial closing live broadcast.
At the same time, after-sales services such as paid easter eggs, extra gifts, concerts, character numbers, extras, derivative peripherals, and building sweeping activities are launched in turn, which really dazzles the fans of the drama. For example, also launched Li Lianhua's AI digital character in "Lotus Tower" to interact with the audience in real time; on the first anniversary of the broadcast of "Canglan Jue", the character numbers of the main characters in the drama were commemorated, and they were known as fairy after-sales services. ; After "Sauvignon Blanc" started broadcasting, I also registered a character account to strive for more interactions with fans.
This year, the after-sales service of the series has also reached a new level. "Mo Yu Yun Jian" has packaged the last four episodes and extras for 24 yuan. After the open ending, it has given the audience a perfect "Fei Chang Xiao Zhang" CP integration benefits. "The Story of Rose" has also launched a "Rose Fragrance Gift Pack" priced at 18 yuan, including finale viewing tickets, exclusive behind-the-scenes specials, power-generating props, etc. to help viewers unlock the CP story behind the scenes of Rose.
However, after-sales is also a double-edged sword. If it is done well, it will naturally be a fan favorite that fans love to see. If it is not done well, it will cut the leeks and make the food look ugly.
Take the spin-off concert of the TV series as an example. The Douban score of the spin-off concert of the hit drama "The Order of Mountains and Rivers", "The Order of Mountains and Rivers" is as high as 9.5 points. The whole concert includes both the main creative members and the ost singers. Professional singers, and reenacted famous scenes such as the wedding of Gu Xiang and Cao Weining, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu basking in the sun, and the collective confrontation with Ye Baiyi, which really made CP fans from all walks of life successful. Although the main creators were collectively out of tune, it did not affect the perception at all.
In comparison, the Douban score of "Liu Li Finale Cloud Song Concert", a derivative concert of the ancient puppet show "Liu Li", only has a score of 2.4 on Douban. Topics such as #华瑞 workplace bully actress# and #成义dropping# have also become hot searches. Almost no interaction between the male and female protagonists in the whole process naturally arouses dissatisfaction among CP fans. Failed after-sales service not only ruins the popularity of passers-by, but may even backfire on the drama. Collect reputation.
Nowadays, platforms are constantly trying to explore the commercial value of hit dramas. Take the "Lotus Tower" concert as an example. The online live broadcast ticket for this concert costs 30 yuan for members and 60 yuan for non-members. The price is quite reasonable.
However, if you want to win offline concert tickets, the platform has set a threshold. Users need to purchase iQiyi Star Diamond membership for 448 yuan or reach v7 level to have the opportunity to draw offline tickets, and there are only 700 offline tickets. For this reason, some people even directly rushed members to 2033 in order to draw more offline tickets. Although the platform has made a lot of money, this move has attracted collective complaints from users. The same is true for
paid extras. Since "Flower a Thousand Bones" became a hit in 2015, spin-off dramas have emerged as a result. The extra "Flower a Thousand Bones 2015" has Sha Qianmo as the protagonist and created a side plot. Subsequently, extra dramas sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain, such as "The Best of Us" extra drama "Goodbye Road Galaxy", "Mr. Good" extra drama "Mr. Good Extra", etc. were launched one after another. However, the directors and screenwriters of the extra dramas at this stage They are not from the original cast, so the content often falls short of fans’ expectations.
Until 2019, the "Story of Yanxi Palace" extra "Golden Branches and Jade Leaves" was launched. This extra drama was also logged on Netflix, which also gave the platform a glimpse of the potential of extra dramas. At this time, content creators have intentionally created drama content and after-sales extras simultaneously. For example, the director of "The Hidden Corner" Xin Shuang used the original cast to film a 15-minute stage play "Echo", which echoes the content of the main film from beginning to end. . Mango TV has also explored extra payment models through series such as "Don't Think of Interfering with My Study" and "The Secret of Darkness". Each episode costs 2 yuan for members and 4 yuan for non-members.
From this point of view, how to satisfy users with both after-sales content and paid gameplay is still a major challenge for the platform.
In addition, more and more famous scenes of gods fighting are appearing in the after-sales of dramas, and now it has extended to games, cultural tourism, peripherals and other fields. For example, "Lotus Tower" launched a Chinese Valentine's Day co-branded gift box, "Changfengdu" created a Chinese-style creative district in Beijing's Happy Valley, and "Seven Occasions of Auspiciousness" also linked up with Juneyao Airlines to launch Caiyun Mythical Paradise themed customized flights... These dramas Ji’s after-sales gameplay is constantly breaking the boundaries of content creation.
Nowadays, the derivative IPs of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" are launched one after another, which also means that the after-sales cycle of hit dramas is being lengthened. Perhaps, the derivative after-sales of other classic IP dramas are also expected to meet the audience. By then, players from all walks of life will compete with each other, and fancy ways of playing may emerge one after another.
Since the Internet war entered the second half, the battle for hit dramas has not been limited to content competition. The fancy after-sales service also plays a role in attracting fans and assumes some profit growth points. However, whether it can ultimately generate revenue for the platform still depends on the drama. Set quality.
After all, instead of treating fans as leeks, it is better to make the work solid, and the after-sales gameplay can be the icing on the cake.
