Singapore has a small land and few people, and has no presence in the entertainment industry, but it actually had its glorious period.
In the 1980s, during the country's reform and opening up, TV series were introduced from overseas, including "On the Journey" produced in Singapore. The theme song spread throughout the streets:
"I never blame fate for my mistakes, and I'm not afraid of the bumpy journey. I go to the place in my dreams. I don't regret my mistakes..."
After the 1990s, there was a peak period, with "Crane Roaring in the Nine Heavens", "The Strange Heroes Beyond the Wall", "Lotus Struggle for Hegemony", "Journey to the East" and so on, which were widely circulated in China.
There is also a saying that there are four beauties in Singapore: Guo Feili, Zheng Xiuzhen, Fan Wenfang, and Lin Xiangping.
But that didn't work anymore. In the Asian entertainment circles represented by China, Japan and South Korea, Singapore enjoyed itself behind closed doors and had no status at all.
Singapore's media industry is quite concentrated. In the past, there was Singapore Radio and Television, which was equivalent to CCTV. Later, it was reorganized into the "New Media" group, which has a monopoly position. The only shareholder is Temasek.
Hugelive wanted to set up a company in Singapore and reach Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, so it introduced Temasek Investment and reached cooperation with MediaCorp.
Huang Lan is a senior executive of Mediacorp. He switched jobs and has since been responsible for Hugelive’s affairs in Southeast Asia.
The current shareholders of Hugelive include Yao Yuan (individual), Golden Harvest, Sequoia, Goldman Sachs, Atlantic Investment Group, Temasek, and Milner. With the United States, Asia, and Europe as the territory, it is almost enough to introduce a European capital.
That evening, Yao Yuan and Yu Jiajia attended the dinner.
The special girl really saw Fan Wenfang, and four of Singapore's beauties appeared together, but at a dinner party of this size, they could only appear as an extra.
The next day, the two were invited to visit MediaCorp Group and went to various places to play.
On the third day, the press conference was held.
There are only two people here, Yao Yuan and Yu Jiajia, but they are of high rank, equivalent to the number one figure in a large group. The number one figure in the entertainment field attended in person, which gave them enough face.
“With a population of 600 million, Southeast Asia is a huge market that Hugelive really wants to capture.
There are a large number of Chinese in Southeast Asia and there are many similarities in culture.
Of course, in the rapidly developing modern society, we cannot simply insist on tracing this cultural homology, but must carry out localization projects based on specific circumstances.
Then it shows some cultural elements that can be used in China, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
For example, ghost culture, the Maoshan Taoist priests in China, the Onmyoji in Japan, the shamans in Korea, and the head-downing in Southeast Asia need no explanation, and the audience can understand it at a glance.
We need to look for more of these elements, and while enriching local entertainment, create more popular works so that the works can go out and be seen by more people.
This is Hugelive’s goal and responsibility!”
After Yu Jiajia finished fooling around, Huang Lan continued: "Our initial plan is to shoot a series of TV series with the theme of Chinese voyages to Nanyang, to test the new market, and at the same time supplement it with some localized movies.
Hugelive is an open platform that always encourages creators. We have prepared US$100 million in film and television funds to help creators in Singapore and Malaysia.
We are not afraid that you may have ideas, but we are afraid that you may not be creative. We provide the money and the platform, and you produce works. It’s that simple!”
Click click click!
The reporters took photos and then rushed to ask questions.
In the stagnant entertainment industry of Singapore, a catfish suddenly appeared, and for a moment it seemed that everyone was paying attention.
"..."
Yao Yuan answered two questions officially, then sat and watched Yu Jiajia and Huang Lan perform, and then his mind wandered.
Everyone always complains that domestic entertainment is dead and only fights among each other, but this is not necessarily the case.
Platforms such as Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku are indeed struggling in China, but when their local territory is established and the domestic market reaches saturation, they have to develop overseas.
Probably after 2018, going overseas will become a craze.
iQIYI has set up overseas headquarters in Singapore and offices in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries. It has filmed many targeted films such as "Soul Ferry·Legends of Nanyang", "Hello, Heart" and "The Gangster Young Master Falling in Love with Me".
Episodes for the Southeast Asian market.
Tencent has made a bigger move, acquiring iflix, a Southeast Asian streaming media, with more than 25 million active users and coverage in 13 countries.
There are old dramas like "Jingxin" and "The Legend of Zhen Huan", dramas that are neither old nor new like "Nirvana in Fire" and "Three Lives Three Worlds", as well as relatively new dramas such as "Chen Qing Ling" and "Shan He Ling".
The drama has many fans overseas.
Our costume dramas are the most popular, because we have a strong foundation, and just a little bit is enough for others to copy - this is not self-praising, South Korea likes to copy Chinese costume dramas.
Of course, overall exports cannot compare to Korean dramas.
In Southeast Asia, the most popular dramas among viewers are probably Korean dramas (30%), American dramas (23%), and Chinese dramas (14%).
"Thank you all for coming to today's press conference, please look forward to our works!"
"Whoosh!"
The applause interrupted Yao Yuan's thoughts. He clapped along mechanically, and then took a group photo. All senior executives from Singapore were dispatched, and Temasek also sent representatives to support each other and give each other face.
"..."
Yao Yuan looked at this scene and couldn't help but touch his nose.
Okay, let’s develop, let’s expand, let’s lay the foundation with Hugelive first, after long videos it’s time to make short videos!
………………
In Singapore, Yu Jiajia was mainly responsible for handling matters, and Yao Yuan accompanied her along the way.
He went to the United States.
First, for the sake of AutoNavi, the shareholders of Cheng Congwu and AutoNavi will also come over and let everyone have a try. Because Yao Yuan wants to fully acquire the company, which means that he will become the sole shareholder of AutoNavi.
This does not meet the conditions for US stocks, so it needs to be delisted.
The second is to discuss the issuance of bonds with the shareholders of Maiwo Network.
Both AutoNavi and Yuetuan are large projects. Yao Yuan estimates that at least US$2 billion will be needed to complete them. His plan is to sell a total of US$2.5 billion in bonds.
Divide into two batches.
The first tranche is US$1 billion, with a three-year term; the second tranche is US$1.5 billion, with a five-year term.
For bond issuance, you need to find an agent, such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan, and HSBC. All aspects are very complicated, and Yao Yuan has to go there in person.
Many companies appear to be prosperous, but in fact they are full of debt.
When this debt matures, it is repaid first, then issued or borrowed again, and then the next debt is repaid... It is not an exaggeration to say that it is tearing down the east wall to pay for the west wall, but as long as the company's profits are good, there is no problem with this model.
The fear is that if the management is not good and if there is a loss, the debt will become a big problem.
For example, the AMC theater chain acquired by Wanda owes US$1.9 billion in various short-term debts and long-term debts.
Generally speaking, Yao Yuan will stay in the United States until after the New Year, and Yinyin will come over to accompany him after finishing her work. Yu Jiajia will not be together, she will go to work on Hugelive.
With the popularity of the three original dramas "Black Robe", "Black Robe" and "Warrior", they successfully attracted a large number of users. Before the end of 2012, the number of paying members stabilized at 2.15 million, fulfilling expectations.