TVB is not going well this year either. Except for the high ratings of "Never Bow Down" in February, all other dramas can only be considered passing. As for Phoenix Channel, it seems that it is not much better than TVB. The ratings of TV series
It's up and down sometimes, but overall it's slightly better than TVB.
The number of TVB dramas is determined based on the ratings. In March, TVB continuously broadcast two TV series with only 5 episodes.
Why does a TV series only have 5 episodes? Because TV series are filmed and broadcast at the same time, and the ratings are really bad. They only filmed a few episodes and were cut in half. As for those long-term dramas that last for 60 or 80 episodes, many of them are not planned in advance.
Okay, but as I continued filming, I found that it became more and more popular, so the screenwriter and director worked hard to continue the story.
In April, TVB dramas finally showed their power. "Contemporary Men" starring Huang Yat-hua, Mak Cuixian, Lui Liangwei, Lam Jiahua and others received soaring ratings. Producer Liu Jiahao decisively adjusted the shooting plan and increased the number of "Contemporary Men" series originally planned to 25 episodes.
Doubling the number, just ask the screenwriter to edit the story in the direction of 60 episodes.
TVB general manager Fang Yihua is in a good mood. She is happy not only because "Modern Man" is a hit, but also because the producer of this TV series, Liu Jiahao, only switched jobs from Oriental Television Production Company last year.
In the past, TVB talents have always jumped to Kang Jianfei's Oriental Group. Now TVB can finally attract talents. This is of great significance to Fang Yihua. At least it proves that she makes good use of talents. The decline of TVB is due to the inability of the people below.
, it’s not that she, the general manager, is incompetent.
The two companies are competing for people. It does not mean that whoever pays more will be better at retaining people. Although the producers and directors of Oriental TV Production Company are higher than those of TVB, the competition is also very fierce. After all, the company's resources and positions are limited.
While some people are showing off their talents, there must be some people who think they are not being recognized for their talents, and it is normal for them to switch jobs to other companies.
A few days after "Modern Man" became a hit, Fang Yihua heard bad news: Phoenix TV's drama "Big Era" was about to premiere.
Next, Phoenix TV broadcasts "The Big Era" trailer every day before and after the popular program, attracting enough attention from the audience.
After half a month, even viewers who follow TVB's "Contemporary Men" are beginning to look forward to the broadcast of "Big Era".
Not only on TV, some newspapers in Hong Kong also began to report gossip about "Big Time". The focus of the reports was Zheng Shaoqiu's extramarital affair with a Taiwanese actress. As well as the scandal between the leading actors Liu Qingyun and Zhou Haimei.
The scandal between Liu Qingyun and Zhou Haimei was planned behind the scenes by Phoenix TV. Not only did the unknown black boy suddenly become the leading actor, he also fell in love with the former runner-up of the Oriental Street beauty pageant. This kind of gossip news can easily arouse the attention of the public.
As for Zheng Shaoqiu's extramarital affair in Taiwan, it has nothing to do with Phoenix TV. It's just some entertainment tabloids settling old scores.
The reports of these two scandals have very effectively increased the popularity of "The Great Era", and the media who smelled the fishy smell wanted to take the opportunity to dig out more inside information about "The Great Era".
As a result, with the active digging of the entertainment media, more and more news appeared in the newspapers. For example, the script was written by Kang Jianfei himself, and the screenwriting team brought together a large group of famous editors including Wen Ruian, and even the editors of Phoenix TV's financial program
The regular guests have also become special consultants for the show.
Then there was the postponement of the filming of "The Flag Soldiers of Hong Kong and Province 2" by McDonough, who was hand-picked by Kang Jianfei to be the producer of "The Big Era". There were also two movie stars, Li Lizhen and Lan Jieying, who were also invited by Kang Jianfei to participate.
Various gossips leaked from newspapers, and the powerful cast of Zheng Shaoqiu, Zhou Huimin, Li Lizhen, Lan Jieying, and Zhou Haimei made "Big Time" popular even before it was aired.
TVB reacted quickly and let the protagonists of "Modern Boys" continue to appear on the show and attend public events. The publicity war between the two sides was intense.
…
On April 25, TVB's "Contemporary Men" has been on the air for more than half a month, with the highest ratings reaching 61%. However, "Big Time" was launched at this time despite the pressure of "Contemporary Men".
Since "Contemporary Men" is in the exciting plot stage at this time, although many viewers are interested in "Big Time", they still take advantage of the commercial break to change channels and watch it twice, and then go back to continue watching "Contemporary Men".
"What was the ratings of our drama yesterday?" Fang Yihua asked on the second day after "Big Time" was launched.
Her secretary opened a form and replied: "Last night, the highest ratings of "Modern Boys" were 47%, which was a drop of 6 points from the day before yesterday."
Fang Yihua nodded to show that she understood, and her secretary immediately put away the documents and left.
The launch of Phoenix Channel's "Big Era" will definitely have an impact on TVB's "Contemporary Men". The 6-point drop in ratings is still within Fang Yihua's acceptance range. After all, "Big Era" is a drama series planned by Kang Jianfei himself.
The producers and directors are all big names from companies under the Eastern Group.
But as time went by, Fang Yihua soon couldn't sit still.
On April 25, the highest viewership rating of the TVB drama "Modern Boys" was 47%. On April 26, it became 43%. On April 27, it plummeted to 36%, and on April 28, it fell to 29%.
In just five days, "Big Time" stole the viewers of "Contemporary Men", and the latter's ratings dropped to less than half of their original ratings.
The main reason why "Big Era" can achieve this is naturally because it is a drama in itself. Of course, there is also the factor of TVB's own suicide.
After more than ten episodes of "Modern Man" were filmed, the original plan of filming 25 episodes was changed and the drama was written to be 60 episodes in length. The result will inevitably lead to delays in the plot in the middle and later stages, as well as inconsistencies in some characters' personalities.
The audience became more and more unhappy as they watched it. At this time, "Big Time" happened to be airing, so more and more people naturally chose to change the channel.
After the ratings of "Contemporary Men" fell below 30%, Fang Yihua finally slammed the table in anger and held a meeting to angrily scold the creative team of "Contemporary Men": "Who wrote yesterday's episode? It took a lot of time to do something.
Episode. And what’s going on with the third male lead? Why does his personality completely change after filming? And the second female lead..."
Seven or eight people in the conference room lowered their heads, being scolded by Fang Yihua like a grandson, but no one dared to refute. Because the overall quality of "Contemporary Men" has declined, although this was caused by the change of shooting plan midway.
, but they also have unshirkable responsibilities.
If there are no serious competitors, then a TV series with high ratings in the early stage will be barely acceptable to the audience even if it drags on in the middle and later stages. They will choose to watch it while scolding them. But with "Big Era" disrupting the situation, then it must be maintained all the time.
It must be of high quality, otherwise it will destroy the Great Wall.
After giving the training, Fang Yihua said she was tired, so she could only ask everyone to pay attention to the quality of the series. In fact, she had felt bad when she started promoting "The Big Era" and had long been mentally prepared for failure.
Liu Jiahao, the producer and screenwriter, is extremely aggrieved. Since he was responsible for the production of "Modern Man", he can only sleep an average of three and a half hours a day. Sometimes he can fall asleep while sitting on the set. Such a fast-food drama that is being filmed and broadcast at the same time,
How can it be compared with the sophisticated production of "The Big Era" which took half a year? The energy and money spent by both parties are not proportional.
Different from the frustration on the TVB side, Phoenix Channel and East TV were in a scene of jubilation and celebration, because when the sixth episode of "The Big Era" was broadcast, the ratings reached a terrifying 68%. This is Hong Kong TV
Data that has not appeared in the program for a long time can already be compared with the ratings of the beauty pageant finals.
The ratings are so high that there is no need to collect statistics. You can tell from the sparse flow of people on the streets of Hong Kong when the TV series is broadcast. This is a sign that the streets are empty.
Why did it cause such a big sensation?
Because "The Great Era" is about Hong Kong stocks, and just a few months ago, the most serious stock market crash in Hong Kong in 15 years broke out. Hong Kong citizens are still worried about this, and it is easy to be attracted by the plot of "The Great Era".
When "Big Time" aired to its 20th episode, the highest ratings for a single episode had climbed to 73%. Liu Qingyun, a black boy who had always been a sidekick, became a first-line TV star with this drama. Zheng Shaoqiu, who was affected by extramarital affairs,
, although he plays the villain in the play, he has regained the recognition of Hong Kong audiences with his amazing acting skills.
In addition, the one who gained the most was Lan Jieying. Her role in this drama was so popular that for a long time, photos of Lan Jieying appeared in entertainment magazines every three days.
As for Zhou Haimei, Li Lizhen and Zhou Huimin, their performances were not as outstanding as Lan Jieying's. However, with the super popularity of "Big Era", they still gained a lot of fame and fans.
"Ming Pao Weekly" couldn't help but publish a special feature to comment when "Big Times" was only two-thirds of the way through: "What this TV series depicts and expresses is far from as simple as stocks. The show highlights
When fame and wealth are entangled with human nature, it is so destructive...
"The Great Era" has a very special meaning. On the surface it tells the story of two families and the grievances of two generations, but in essence it reveals the changes of the times in Hong Kong...
In terms of structure, it breaks through the routines of traditional TV dramas; in terms of plot, it elevates the family drama model to a very high level. In terms of acting skills, actors such as Zheng Shaoqiu, Liu Qingyun, Zhou Huimin, and Lan Jieying all have wonderful performances in the drama.
Performance……"
The plot of "The Great Era" stretches from the 1960s to the 1990s, 1994 to be precise. But it is only now 1988, and everything that happened in the next few years is all Kang Jianfei's "conjecture and fabrication."
The impact of "Big Time" not only caused the streets of Hong Kong to be sparsely populated during the broadcast period, but also caused the Hong Kong stock market, which had just begun to recover, to experience several small declines. (To be continued...)