2023 platform series producer 101: Who is controlling the big IPs and top streams?

Author/Fugui

Edit/Ichinata

The student party is fighting for the college entrance examination, and the platform will decisively fight for the top of the summer file!

At present, Youai Tengmang focuses on a "small dessert" model.

Tencent Video's "Three Points" is both wild and sweet, Xiao Zhan and Li Qin's "The Sea of Dreams" are quickly relayed, iQiyi's "Mature Year" and "Huarong" are slightly popular, Youku's "Heart Protection" has sat on a roller coaster, and Yu Zheng's new drama "Micro Swift Double Flight" is still making efforts.

More "big meals" to be exploded - "platform + big IP + top stream" formula dramas, are all grabbing the hottest summer files.

For example, iQiyi's "Changfeng Du", "Lotus Tower", "Seven Times of Good Luck", Tencent's "Sauvignon Blanc", Youku's "Anle Chuan", "Secretly Can't Hide", Mango's "My Human Fireworks" and "Da Song Youth Chronicle 2" are all among the explosions.

In addition, the number of pre-orders for "Ning'an Like a Dream" and "Jade Bone Yao" on iQiyi and Tencent Video both exceeded 5 million.

In this era of heroes and user aesthetic upgrades based on works, behind the platform's explosive battle, there is also a battle of talents.

As we all know, platform producers have a lot of say in what kind of IP to buy, what kind of top stream to choose, set the team, focus on production, manage publicity, etc. Their operation, decision-making, aesthetics, and production capabilities determine the fate of dramas and the content temperament of a platform to some extent, and are also changing and reshaping the current traffic pattern of the entertainment industry.

To this end, Tao Nag took a comprehensive inventory and analyzed in detail the producer talent echelon of mainstream platforms, and found that in addition to the core strength of the platform represented by Dai Ying, Fang Fang, Xie Ying, Tang Fan, etc., we also saw new explosive promoters such as Niu Jixin, Zhang Na, Hu Ke, Ren Xu and so on. The replacement of platform producers is bound to lead a new wave of drama production.

On the production company side, Nag Nag once inventoried the domestic entertainment producers 101 and selected the gold medal producers of the TOP10. (Poke link: Internal entertainment producer 101, who is the hexagonal warrior?) This time, let's take a look at Platform Producer 101, how to make waves!

iQIYI:

Led by Dai Ying, it has the most studios in the industry

From the Misty Theater, "Canglan Tips" to "Crazy", iQiyi's explosive output in the past two years is obvious to all.

This year, iQiyi's self-made content accounted for 70% in the first quarter, becoming the main force of content supply on the platform.

At the same time, the "purity" of "iQIYI Self-made" is also improving - in the next works such as "Ning'an Like a Dream", "Her City" and "Carefree Crossing", iQIYI is the only producer.

Behind the strong content output and data, iQiyi's drama studio is indispensable.

Previously, iQiyi had nearly 30 public drama studios.

According to iQiyi's latest public information, more than 50 studios are gaining momentum. iQIYI's drama studio is relatively large-scale and systematic, and the person in charge is mostly experienced senior producers.

The head dramas and key projects are concentrated in the Qiai, Tap Water, and Fengqi Studio under the responsibility of Dai Ying, as well as the Qizheng and Qiguang Studios in charge of Yang Bei, most of the popular works in iQiyi Station are from their hands, and the reserve projects are also high-level team productions such as "Persona of the Apocalypse", "Father and Son", "Guangzhou Thirteen Lines" and so on.

▲Dai Ying, Senior Vice President of iQIYI (second from left)

Among them, Qiguang Studio, which Wang Xiaoyan is responsible for, is mainly responsible for the procurement of head copyright dramas, and has frequent cooperation with mainstream production companies such as Huanrui, Noonday, Changxin, Xinli, and Ningmeng.

Some studios prefer and focus on pendant tracks. For example, Feng Weiwei's craftsman, Shao Wenyi's Love Sa Sugar Studio focuses on sweet pet themes, Li Yingying's Qixu Studio focuses on male frequency tracks, and Xiong Xiaoling's Esni Studio focuses on urban emotional themes.

Some studios continue to expand more types of themes according to the market trend. For example, the Sesame Pod Studio in charge of Niu Jixin has produced many comedy themes, and in the past two years, it has launched the suspenseful "Thirteen Years of Dust" and "Basic Law of Genius", but the reserve works are mostly costume dramas, such as "Ning'an Like a Dream", "Yun Xiuxing" and "Chaoxuelu".

Tan Junping's Love Le Studio, whose previous works were mainly urban emotional themes, but there were many realistic themes such as "Going North" and "Big Businessman" in reserve works.

Some studios have long-term bundles with well-known producers. For example, Zhou Kehui's Tao Leqi Studio basically covers most of the stellar gravity to be broadcast, and Xu Mi's Feng Qi Studio has launched "Feng Qi Luoyang", "Crazy" and "Daming under the microscope" together with Liubai Film and Television, all of which are well-known labels with explosive models.

The producers and studios that will enter the audience's field of vision after 2022 are also very bright and will soon become a new force on the platform.

For example, "Cloud Feather" by Ao Yu Studio, which is in charge of Dai Jingting, is the first TV series directed by Guo Jingming, and Yu Shuxin and Zhang Linghe joined; Wang Xudong is responsible for "The Boy Who Can't See the Shadow" and "Lonely Boat" in Zhongxi Studio, both of which are starring Zhang Songwen. Jiutian, Ai Shenghe, Changjin, Qi Hao, Sanshi and other studios that began to prepare works this year, and have a lot of high-attention works to be broadcast.

Tencent Video:

Urban, fantasy, reality dramas are multi-pronged

Tencent Video series self-made, mainly concentrated in Tencent Video (Penguin Film and Television) online video film and television content production department "Tian" head studio. In addition, Tencent Pictures and China Literature Group's China Literature Film and Television also produce dramas such as "The World" and "Youth in War", which will not be repeated here.

At the end of last year, Tencent Video's internal GM rotation, Han Zhijie, who was originally in charge of the series, was in charge of variety shows, and the person in charge of the series became Wang Juan, who was originally responsible for operations and marketing, and the development strategy of the film and television sector has also undergone some changes.

Not only is it good at costume big IP and urban women-oriented themes, Tencent Video is also striving to develop suspense, main theme narrative, realistic theme, martial arts theme and other national-oriented content, and proposed four major content tracks of "love, burning, wisdom, and discussion".

Bian Jiang, who has produced high-reputation works by iQiyi Misty Theater, is currently the head of Tiankai Studio, responsible for developing hardcore themes; "The Long Season", produced by Zhang Na, head of Natural Studio, fired the first shot at Tencent X Theater with a strong word-of-mouth, which is some of the embodiment of Tencent Video's strategic shift.

▲Zhang Na, senior director of Natural Studio of Tencent Video's Film and Television Content Production Department

Among them, Zhang Na's next two films to be broadcast "I Live Elsewhere" and "Her Way of Survival" are both urban emotional themes, and expectations are quite high.

At the same time, Tencent's veteran producers such as Fang Fang and Li Eryun gradually turned into producers, and Huang Xing, Li Liming, Liu Mingli, etc., who had participated in the production of key projects, began to control the project.

▲Fang Fang, Deputy General Manager of Tencent Video, Film and Television Content Production Department

Huang Xing, a producer of Tianxuan Studio who has participated in works such as "Sweeping Black Storm" and "Three-Body Problem", began to serve as the chief producer in works such as "Huan Yan" and "Black Earth Without Words" to be broadcast; Li Liming has taken over many ancient puppets and romance dramas with high traffic such as "Shenyin", "Acacia Order", "Sauvignon Blanc" and "Twilight Heart Covenant"; Liu Mingli, who has produced many small-cost online dramas in Sohu, has no shortage of high-configuration works such as "The Banner of My Fathers" and "My Battle with Marriage" in the next main control projects.

In the past two years, Tencent's blockbuster works have also made more producers well-known to the audience.

Zhang Zhiwei, the chief producer of "Menghualu" and "Star Han Splendid", is the head of Sky Studio, and the works to be broadcast are "Lan Boudoir Happy Event" and "Little Day"; Wang Tiexian, who has participated in "The Imperial Gift" and "The Three-Body Problem", has a new version of "Immortal Sword" to be broadcast.

Youku:

Xie Ying dominates, ancient puppets and suspense explosions are frequent

This year, Youku's presence in the drama market is quite high, "Who Is He", "Long Moon Ember Ming", "Heart Protection" and "Back Wave" are scheduled one after another, and the degree of discussion on social media is also considerable.

After the phenomenal explosions such as "Chang'an Twelve Hours" and "White Night Chase" in the early years, Youku entered a trough period with personnel changes, but from the perspective of the producers behind a new generation of explosive models such as "Si Ten", "Mountain and River Order" and "Ignite Me, Warm You", Youku dramas may have completed a new round of talent iteration.

At present, Youku Drama Center and Ali Pictures Drama Studio are self-produced film and television dramas. Among them, Xie Ying, the chief operator of the drama center, mostly participates in the production of the project in the form of producers and producers.

▲Xie Ying, vice president of Youku and general manager of the drama center

Other major producers have produced certain masterpieces in recent years. For example, Zhang Yuanhuan's "Acquaintance with Junchu" and "Happiness to Ten Thousand Homes", Zhou Zhaozhao's "Mountain and River Order" and "Youth Song Xing", Zhou Jing's "Long Moon Ember Ming" and "Liuli", Yan Dandan's "Si Ten" and "Who is He", Zhang Xiaozhou's "Outside the Court" and "Guangyuan" and so on.

The next high-attention projects are basically concentrated in Hu Ke, Liu Jiali, and Congee Shuaibo, which have a large number and volume, and have great explosive potential.

Hu Wei is the chief producer of the recent hit "Heart Protection", followed by "Splendid! Splendid! "New Life", "Redemption of the Crush" and many other reserve works; Liu Jiali, who participated in the production of "Ice Rain and Fire" with Xie Ying, served as the main producer in the next ancient puppet drama "An Le" and the tail fish novel "Seven Hearts"; Congee Shuaibo has a large number of dramas to be broadcast, including "Under the Stranger", "Order of the Flowers", "Young White Horse Drunken Spring Breeze", "Dawn of the Book of Heaven" and other works have attracted considerable market attention.

Alibaba Pictures currently knows that there are two major drama studios, including Dunqi Studio, which is in charge of Dunqi, and Cool Gleaning Studio in charge of Zhang Wenli.

Dunqi is better at criminal investigation suspense and youth love themes, Zhang Wenli is good at female emotional themes, from the perspective of the works to be broadcast, the two studios have a clear tendency to broaden the theme.

Mango:

29 production teams, has made Monsoon brand famous

Mango's self-made dramas are mainly based on the Monsoon Theater, and the general manager, Tang Fan, basically participates in all the works of the Monsoon Theater.

▲ Tang Fan, general manager of Mango TV Film and Television Center and chief producer of Monsoon Theater

Wang Rouyuan, general manager of the creation center, used to work for Yaoke and participated in the production of many well-known works such as "An Home" and "Breakout", and is good at urban emotional themes. At present, he is mainly responsible for the development of original works in Mango, and his main masterpiece in the Mango period is "Rational Life", and the works to be broadcast include "Wedding Banquet Street" and "Becoming a Family".

▲Mango TV creation center Wang Rouyuan

In addition, Dai Ling and Ren Xu are also the main producers of Mango, holding a number of key projects on the platform.

Dai Ling participated in the production of the S-class self-made drama "Happiness Duet", the first costume drama "The Year of Overflow" at Monsoon Theater, and Ren Xu participated in the production of copyright dramas such as "The Long River of the World", "Thin Ice" and "He Jun Ge".

Zhou En has participated in most of Tang Fan's works as the chief producer, including word-of-mouth works such as "I'm Very Good in Another Country" and "The Great Song Youth History", and the reserves to be broadcast are also extremely rich, including "Speed Paradox", "Silent Testimony", "Extraordinary Doctor", "Love Is Forbidden Here" and so on.

The training of cutting-edge talents is also in full swing, most of the newcomers accumulate experience through joint participation in production, incubate to the main producers, Tian Ying, Chen Xixiao, Liao Lingchao, Xiong Xinyan and others have participated in the production of key projects.

It is understood that Mango currently has 29 film and television production teams, and from the perspective of talent reserves, Mango will continue to make efforts in self-made dramas.

It can be seen that the platform's production capacity is different from the past, and copyright dramas are being crushed by more and more platform self-made dramas and custom dramas, and the platforms have absorbed more outstanding talents to continuously provide high-quality works for the content library.

On the one hand, it is a talent absorbed from established film and television companies, such as Wang Rouyuan from Mango from Yaoke, Tan Junping from iQiyi from Huayi Brothers, and Dunqi from Youku from Perfect World and so on.

On the other hand, there is also a flow of talents between platforms, such as Bian Jiang and Liu Mingli from iQiyi and Sohu to Tencent Video respectively, Zhao Jie of Penguin Film and Television Tiantong Studio, who is currently preparing for "The Disappearing Eleventh Floor" on iQiyi, and Lu Fanxi, who used to be a producer of Youku, is now showing his skills at Station B.

In the final analysis, the blockbuster battle between mainstream video platforms is a battle of comprehensive strength of talents.

Throughout the drama market in 2023, high-quality works such as "Crazy", "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Long Season" continue to come out of the circle, giving the drama market a shot in the arm. At a time when content is king, the platform is full of battles, explosive effects, and production rollovers, which also makes people look forward to producers creating new people, new explosive models, and new trends. Let's make this wave of content upgrade and come more joyfully!