[Text/Caiquanshe & Dao Ge talks about Che Zhang Qian] "Only one and a half episodes a day, and advanced on-demand broadcasts are so expensive. A total of 4 episodes cost 24 yuan, with an average of 6 yuan. Even if it is so expensive, in the past At least one episode can be broadcast in a day, and it will be interrupted for three days after the advance on-demand. It would be too ugly for you to watch on Youku. It’s okay not to follow this drama! "
" and " Mo Yuyunjian " have more episodes than " Rose Story " has one episode less, but the price is 9 yuan more. Is this 9 yuan a wedding gift for Xue Fangfei and Xiao Heng? Since a certain drama started to be screened, now various platforms The screening activities are getting more and more chaotic. In the past, it was usually 6 episodes for 18 yuan, and the price was the same on all platforms. But this time, the price of "In the Clouds" suddenly increased, which is really unacceptable. The quantity is smaller, the price is higher, and the two dramas are released on the same day. "
" In the past, this kind of super point only cost three yuan an episode, right? At that time, "Lotus House" could be exchanged for points or six episodes for 18 yuan. At the beginning, "Mo Yu Yun Jian" was really popular. Later, the progress became slower and slower, and the updates were reduced. I was really fed up. I updated one episode and then two episodes. Finally, it was over the top. Tell me 4 The set costs 24 yuan?”·······
Recently, on various social platforms, the editor of "Financial Circle Society" noticed that many netizens complained about the advanced screening price of the recently popular TV series "Mo Yu Yunjian" Too expensive. According to netizens, the popular drama series "In the Clouds" has opened for advance screening. The four-episode screening price including the extra video is 24 yuan, and the ending gift package without the extra video is 19 yuan. Compared with the opening on the same day, The six-episode screening price of "The Story of a Rose" is 18 yuan, including the finale and highlights. The previous popular TV series " Celebrating More Than Years 2" has a 6-episode price of only 18 yuan. The editor of
noticed that the advanced on-demand service is a new service launched by major video platforms in 2020. Previously, some video platforms stipulated that VIP members enjoy the rights of "early viewing of hot dramas" (hot TV dramas and self-made dramas can be watched in advance). At that time, netizens were discussing a lot about the "paid advance on-demand" model. The Beijing Internet Court also held a hearing in 2020 on the case of Wu v. iQiyi over a network service contract dispute.
It is reported that Wu is a gold VIP member of iQiyi. In terms of rights to watch dramas, iQiyi’s terms and conditions stipulate that compared to ordinary users, VIP members can watch 6 episodes earlier when watching dramas. On this basis, "Advanced On-Demand" offers VIP users the privilege of watching 6 more episodes, but to obtain this privilege, VIP members need to pay again for a single episode at the price of 3 yuan.
Wu believes that the "paid advance on-demand" service model violates the contract and infringes on his golden VIP membership rights of "preemptive viewing of popular dramas" in disguise, and that the "VIP Membership Agreement" contains multiple standard clauses that violate the "Contract Law of the People's Republic of China" and should be It was invalid, so iQiyi Company was sued to the court, requesting the court to confirm that the "paid advance on-demand" and other clauses in the "VIP Membership Agreement" updated on December 18, 2019 were invalid or ineffective.
The Beijing Internet Court held that iQiyi’s “paid advanced on-demand” service is a vertical segmentation of the integrity of its members’ rights to “preview popular dramas”. The iQiyi platform unilaterally changed the terms of the contract and launched a "paid advance on-demand" service during the broadcast of the TV series involved in the case " Celebrating More Than Years ", which damaged the rights of gold VIP members to watch the drama in advance and made it impossible for gold VIP members to enjoy the viewing experience. The movie experience is far below expectations, which significantly reduces the entertainment and satisfaction of watching movies and TV series for gold VIP members. Therefore, although the terms of the contract can be changed unilaterally based on the characteristics of iQiyi's network services, the premise should be that the rights and interests of users are not harmed. iQIYI's unilateral addition of the "paid advance on-demand" clause damaged Wu's main rights and interests and did not have the effect of changing the contract.
In addition to the lack of support from the court, the People's Daily and the China Consumers Association have also published articles criticizing the "advance on-demand" model. Although the three major video platforms Tencent, iQiyi, and Youku have issued statements one after another to cancel the "advance on-demand" service for drama series, what is interesting is that these video platforms are just "changing the soup without changing the medicine."The editor found that the previous term "advanced on-demand" has been changed. Currently, Tencent has changed it to "Pointing Ceremony", Youku has changed it to "Final Ceremony", and iQiyi has changed it to " Add more gifts."
Why do video platforms continue to "change the soup without changing the medicine"? Chen Wenming, director of Zhejiang Xiaode Law Firm, analyzed: "Advanced on-demand viewing is not illegal in itself, but it may constitute a breach of contract for some video website members."
The implication is that only platform members with "serious" consumers like the above-mentioned Wu will Only by going to court can the platform protect its legitimate rights and interests. However, compared with the tens of dollars in "advance on-demand" fees, the cost and energy of going to court are not worth it. Just imagine, how many people would go to court for a few dozen dollars?