Chapter 358: Breaking the Circle

*Super Girl* is currently co-hosted by the Central Media, Hanxi Television, and Focus Media. The stage for the grand finale was set here in Yanjing, and the competition is being broadcast jointly on the Central Media Variety Channel and Hanxi Provincial Television.

If the *Super Girl* finale had been held in Hanxi, it would still have had popularity, but to explode in popularity across the entire country as it has now, becoming the focus of countless viewers, it might have taken several consecutive seasons to achieve.

But in the hands of the Central Media, *Super Girl* began to blaze with popularity ahead of schedule. Its viewership ratings and level of discussion have already surpassed all current variety shows in the country. Even the television dramas broadcast during the same time slot as *Super Girl* are no match for it at all, including the dramas under the Central Media itself, which have had their ratings snatched away so badly it's a miserable sight to behold!

This scene of explosive popularity has drawn the attention of countless people of all ages and professions. Whether they are students, middle-aged groups, or the older generation, everyone is discussing who will win the championship this year. The number of people participating in the SMS voting is even more countless.

This scene of explosive popularity has made the contestants participating in the competition—even if they haven't officially debuted yet—frighteningly famous across the country. This includes the judges and guest performers who were invited; every time they appear, they harvest a large batch of new fans!

Although the joint production team of the Central Media, Hanxi Television, and Focus Media distributed tickets to some users for free, the requirement was that they must be on-site during the recording.

But the audience seating in the television station's recording hall is limited, and on top of that, there are too many people who want to enter the venue to support their favorite singers, which has forced the originally free tickets to be hyped up by scalpers.

Scalpers have tried every possible way to find those audience members who received free tickets, then spent money to buy the tickets from their hands. With one turn, they could sell them at several times the price. For this reason, the *Super Girl* tickets in the hands of scalpers are still in short supply.

"My brother gave them to me!"

Hearing Li Dongyue say this, Cui Qianqian hooked Li Dongyue's chin with her hand. "Dongyue, does our brother still lack a sister-in-law?"

Knowing that Cui Qianqian was joking, Li Dongyue still shook her head like a rattle-drum. Just now, she already had two sisters-in-law; if another one came, they could directly play mahjong together.

Cui Qianqian had originally just wanted to tease Li Dongyue, but seeing Li Dongyue's appearance, Cui Qianqian instead developed a competitive spirit.

"Little rich woman, let me tell you, you can't have prejudice against me. What if our brother takes a fancy to me? You are currently not letting a future sister-in-law enter the door!" Cui Qianqian flipped her hair and said to Li Dongyue, acting "fierce."

But facing Cui Qianqian's threat, Li Dongyue still wouldn't budge, finally saying vaguely, "You are different from Sister Yao and the others!"

Cui Qianqian's appearance could be called beautiful, and coupled with her straightforward personality, there were quite a few people chasing her at Yanjing University. But when it came to looks, Li Dongyue felt there was no comparison to Yao Luoying or An Ruxue.

Cui Qianqian was so angry her teeth itched. She had originally just wanted to tease Li Dongyue; who knew this girl would be so impervious to reason.

"Dongyue, what exactly does our brother do? I heard that the tickets for this semi-final of *Super Girl* have already been hyped to madness. Not only is it the semi-final advancement, but I heard they also invited people from the Four Heavenly Kings of Xiangjiang to be guest performers. The tickets are impossible to grab!" Fan Xiaomeng asked Li Dongyue.

In this version of the *Super Girl* program, for the sake of gimmicks and influence, every episode invites a guest performer to warm up the stage at the beginning. In reality, it is just to attract more viewers.

Because the viewership ratings of *Super Girl* are soaring, the number of companies coming to the production team to advertise is constantly increasing, and the advertising sponsorship fees are soaring in a straight line. Focus Media, the Central Media Advertising Department, and Hanxi Provincial Television have also constantly increased their budgets, which has basically made the invited guest performers stars.

Even some lower-tier stars want to pay out of their own pockets to the *Super Girl* production team just to go on stage as guest performers. One can imagine how influential *Super Girl* is now.

"Ah, doing some 'small business,' knowing some staff members of the *Super Girl* production team!" Li Dongyue, asked by Fan Xiaomeng, opened her mouth and said timidly.

But regarding this explanation from Li Dongyue, Cui Qianqian, Fan Xiaomeng, and Li Dongyue's other roommates clearly didn't believe it. But seeing that Li Dongyue didn't seem willing to mention the Li family's situation much, Cui Qianqian and the others didn't pursue it further. Those who could get into Yanjing University, although their minds were focused on studying, except for a very few who were too numb regarding emotional intelligence, the rest had top-tier emotional intelligence.

Tonight was the *Super Girl* semi-final advancement competition. Li Dongyue's dormitory members all changed into new clothes, groomed and dressed up, and headed straight for the Central Media Television Station.

"General Li Zong!"

As the General Manager of Focus Media, the company that proposed the *Super Girl* project, Li Yan definitely had to come to the scene today to oversee the battle to ensure that no accidents occurred.

Just after arriving at the Central Media Variety Program Department, Li Yan heard a voice. Turning his head to look, he saw the person who had come, and a smile appeared on Li Yan's face. "Director Hu!"

The person who came was the director in charge of the Central Media Variety Channel, and *Super Girl* on the Central Media was also operated by him.

"General Li Zong, it troubled you to make a trip yourself. For today's recording, the Variety Program Department here is fully prepared and will absolutely not have any mistakes!" Director Hu said decisively.

Hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly said, "I have long heard of the great name of Director Hu and the Central Media Variety Program Department. However, *Super Girl* is almost at the finale. How could Focus Media not be concerned? After all, the parent company, Dongling High-Tech, and Chairman Li are also very concerned about this program.

Before Chairman Li left Yanjing, he specifically talked to me about this project. Focus Media here dare not be careless!"

Hearing that Li Yan brought out Focus Media's parent company, Dongling High-Tech, and Li Dongling, even for Director Hu, who had absolute advantages when facing various large and small television stations and media organizations in the country, his expression became a bit more solemn.

Li Yan really wasn't deceiving the Director Hu in front of him. Before Li Dongling left Yanjing, he did indeed find Li Yan to talk once.

Although they mainly talked about Focus Media's advertising and television shopping projects, he did indeed mention the *Super Girl* program.

Talent shows and singer PK advancement competitions can be described as enduring. If a variety show brand can be established, it can bring in huge amounts of revenue continuously.

Just like the "Singer" variety show over a decade later, which frequently trended on social media under the operation of a certain television station, the constant discussion surrounding the show attracted countless eyes from the outside world.

Most viewers went for the PK between domestic singers and foreign singers on the variety show, or to watch the fun. But behind these trending searches, the organizer of the *Singer* variety show, Mango TV, relied on this season of the variety show to get revenue of over 6 billion RMB, and even far more than that!

Before the *Singer* variety show became popular, it seemed that advertising revenue was not much. There were only six advertisers, and the advertising sponsorship fees added up to only 300 million, which seemed unsatisfactory.

But after the program became popular, the number of Mango TV members surged by over 15% within a few days, because *Singer*, like the current *Super Girl*, had strong interaction with the audience, requiring the audience to vote for the singers they supported to help them pull votes and advance.

Now the *Super Girl* program relies on SMS voting, while *Singer* more than a decade later relied on member voting in the Mango TV APP. The routine had almost not changed in over ten years!

The gameplay was basically the same, trying every way to make the audience support their favorite singers. The cost for a user to open a Mango membership was around 64 yuan. Just the *Singer* program brought in a number of new members for Mango TV, which could bring in over 600 million in revenue. Added to the advertising sponsorship fees, this variety show could bring in over 900 million, or even 1 billion in income.

Besides these obvious revenues, Mango TV was also a listed company. After the program became popular, the stock price soared by 5 billion in market value. The market value plus advertising sponsorship and membership income, a single variety show could bring the producer an increase of over 6 billion in revenue!

In the future, if Focus Media also uses this set of gameplay, then it is estimated that it will earn even more. If it is cutting leeks, then the sickle is simply too fast...

"I don't know how Focus Media's preparations for the second season of the *Super Girl* program next year are going?"

This year's first *Super Girl* hasn't ended yet, but Director Hu has already mentioned the second batch of *Super Girl* next year to Li Yan. One can imagine how much he looks forward to this variety show, or rather, how much the Central Media values the revenue of *Super Girl*.

This is because the copyright of *Super Girl* is in the hands of Focus Media. If it were another company, the Central Media wouldn't care at all whose hands the copyright of *Super Girl* is in. In fact, many television stations in the country are scrambling to launch various versions of the *Super Girl* program.

But now, the Central Media and various television stations have a rather special attitude towards Focus Media. Including the Central Media Television Station, what they value most about Focus Media is not *Super Girl*, but the daily money-making television shopping business!

The television shopping craze set off by Focus Media in the country has now spread to more than ten provinces. Among them, the shopping brand with the most momentum, the most profit, and the most user recognition is still the Focus Select Shopping Channel.

Even the Central Media cannot be an exception. They have already prepared to cooperate with Focus Media to open a television shopping channel under the Central Media. Compared to the revenue brought by *Super Girl*, the revenue brought by the television shopping business is much more direct and profitable!

Various television stations clearly have calculated this and will not lose the big for the small, missing out on the television shopping cooperation with Focus Media for the sake of a variety show. That would be losing the watermelon to pick up the sesame seeds.

Hearing Director Hu ask about the second season of the *Super Girl* project, Li Yan laughed and said, "If the Central Media is willing, Focus Media is of course willing. Next year, we will still proceed with this year's cooperation model, still jointly hosted by Focus Media, Hanxi Television, and other media!"

Hearing this, Director Hu was very satisfied. Focus Media is undoubtedly a cooperation partner that various television stations like now. They can cooperate on the television shopping business and launch such an influential variety show as *Super Girl*. In addition, Focus Media also has SMS advertising, outdoor advertising, and other businesses, all of which can complement the television station's resources. Which television station would not be willing to cooperate with such a company?

Li Yan's face also had a bright smile. Using a variety show to pull the Central Media onto Focus Media's chariot is absolutely cost-effective.

Before the popularity of internet portals, forums, and self-media, domestic advertising resources, including public opinion, were controlled by media such as television stations, newspapers, radio stations, and magazines, and they were all state-owned units and companies.

This resulted in everyone doing advertising and publicity in the country having to "borrow the momentum" of the television stations.

And now, Focus Media, through businesses such as television shopping and *Super Girl*, has pulled television stations including the Central Media, Hanxi Provincial Television, and those in Hujiang, Pengcheng, and Yangcheng into Focus Media's camp.

The SMS advertising business has also made telecommunications companies, Liantong companies, etc., partners of Focus Media. There is also the warehousing, logistics, and other businesses involved in television shopping, allowing Focus Media to cooperate with the supply and marketing companies.

The Central Media and various television stations, several major operators such as telecommunications, and supply and marketing companies have all become supporters of Focus Media. This has allowed Focus Media to almost transform into the company with the most media resources in the country, without one. Even if it were listed now, it is estimated that it would have a chance!

Li Dongyue and her dormitory roommates Cui Qianqian, Fan Xiaomeng, and others entered the recording hall. There was still quite a bit of time before it started, but the hall was already packed.

Cui Qianqian, Fan Xiaomeng, and others who came to the television station for the first time couldn't help but talk excitedly, and they were discussing whether to find the singers for autographs after it ended later.

Li Dongyue and the others' tickets were in the front row. A group of people passed by Li Dongyue and her dormitory roommates, and one of them suddenly stopped.

Turning his head and seeing Li Dongyue, who was with her little sisters, the person was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked back, smiling at Li Dongyue. "Dongyue, you came here, why didn't you tell me in advance? I could have sent someone to pick you up!"

The person speaking was Li Yan. Director Hu, who was on the side, saw this and only thought that Li Dongyue was a relative or friend of Li Yan. At first, he didn't pay much attention, just casually asking Li Yan, "I don't know who this is to General Li Zong...?"

Li Yan glanced at Li Dongyue, turned his head, and whispered in Director Hu's ear. The smile on Director Hu's face first froze, and then his expression toward Li Dongyue changed suddenly.

"Li..." Director Hu had never expected that Li Dongyue would actually run over to watch the *Super Girl* competition. For a moment, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"I came with my classmates to watch the competition!"

Li Dongyue was afraid that Li Yan and Director Hu would say something, so she spoke first to the two of them.

Being able to climb to the current position in a television station, who isn't a human expert? Not to mention being in the media industry, their eye for detail goes without saying.

Director Hu heard this, then looked at Cui Qianqian and the others beside Li Dongyue, and immediately changed the subject. "Student Li, right? In the future, just call me if you come to the Variety Program Department of the television station.

After the television program is recorded today, Student Li can go to the back with your friends to take photos with our staff, including the singers!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 359 =====