Author | Mia
Edit| Akagi bottles
"We have entered an era where all art creators should empathize downward and create upward. ...... The first is to warm realism and promote truth, goodness and beauty; the second is to criticize realism and lash out at the false, evil and ugly. ...... The biggest hit that can really record the times must come from realistic themes. "If you can't open the ceiling, the floor will be pierced. ”
On April 23, at the main forum of the 2024 iQIYI World Conference, Wang Xiaohui, chief content officer of iQIYI, kept saying golden sentences. The "high-quality creation theory" is a response to the impact of short videos, which is different from the previous appearance order, as if it is also emphasizing the "return to content".
From July 2022, Tencent Video has achieved profitability, and iQiyi has been operating profitably for eight consecutive quarters so far, which means that the logical reconstruction of the long video industry is "being realized". The cost of content has been effectively controlled, in the face of changes in the economic cycle and new demographic trends, what kind of answers will long videos give?
On the new big theater and the dust theater, what signals are released by iQiyi's 300+ film list?
On the afternoon of April 23rd, the 2024 iQIYI iJOY Spring Enjoyment will release more than 300 2024-2025 latest content lists, announcing "Fireworks in the World", "Oriental Legends", "Life", "Jianghu Chapter" and other content tracks, looking at the new film list, the drama field continues the trend of "ancient puppets + realism + theater boutique + IP sequel + innovation", just like the overall trend strategy of long video in recent years, innovation and diversified segmentation layout on the premise of stabilizing the basic disk. At the meeting, the platform announced the launch of quarterly works such as "Police Honor 2", "Fearless 2" and "Tang Dynasty Legends 2" to continue the vitality of popular IP.
Although ancient puppet dramas have been constantly criticized for plot homogenization, acting skills and other problems, they have been repeatedly verified that the audience is basically large and stable, emotionally sticky, easy to explode, and it is also a type with high star-making efficiency, which is bound to be the basic choice of various platforms.
In the category of ancient puppets, the head hit has been booked in advance, and the "Fox Demon Little Red Lady Moon Red Chapter" starring Yang Mi and Gong Jun has a high degree of attention and topicality. The same series of this IP also includes Liu Shishi, Zhang Yunlong, Wu Xuanyi, and Zhai Xiaowen starring in "Fox Demon Little Red Lady Bamboo Industry Chapter", and Cheng Yi and Li Yitong starring in "Fox Demon Little Red Lady Throne Chapter".
Other key projects include: Bailu and Zhu Ruibin's duo "White Moon Fanxing", Li Qin and Zeng Shunxi starring Cangyue IP "Seven Nights of Snow", Deng Wei and Xiang Hanzhi starring Jinjiang IP adaptation "Sendai There Are Trees". Jiulu Feixiang IP "With Jin Chang'an" released a concept poster, and it was rumored on the Internet that the starring roles were Song Yi and Cheng Lei. Adapted from "Hengmen Has a Fox", the entertainment Xianxia drama "Linjiang Immortal" starring Bai Lu and Zeng Shunxi.
Simple "talking about love" can no longer satisfy the audience, and the ancient puppets have introduced more innovative elements, such as "Four Seas Chongming" starring Jing Tian and Zhang Linghe has integrated comedy life flow elements. The costume drama "When the Clouds Rise" starring Li Yitong, Zeng Shunxi, and Deng Wei released a trailer, adapted from the Japanese comic "The Tale of Caiyun Kingdom".
From "The World" to "Flowers", serious literary film and television adaptations, period dramas have been released, and the creation that follows the orientation of "small people, big times" will also be the focus of iQiyi's bets in the future.
After the hot dramas such as "South to North", "Wind Chaser" and "City in the City" at the beginning of the year, there will be a series of blockbuster dramas in the future, directed by Yao Xiaofeng, written by Zhao Dongling, starring Bai Lu and Ou Hao, and starring Hu Jun and Li Naiwen, "Going North" is adapted from Xu Zechen's novel of the same name, and has won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Award, telling the ups and downs of a century-old family by the Grand Canal. "Lonely Boat" with the Anti-Japanese War as the background, starring Zhang Songwen, Chen Duling, Wang Yuwen, Zhang Fengyi, Zhou Yiwei, etc. "Born of Everything" directed by Liu Jiacheng and starring Yang Mi and Ou Hao, adapted from Zhao Defa's novel "Bondage and Determination", tells the legend of women's growth in the era of war.
Other key projects focusing on realism in the future include Noon Sunshine's new work "Mortal Song", the criminal investigation drama "I Am a Criminal Policeman" starring Yu Hewei, Ding Yongdai and Bai Fan, and "National Treasure Yaoshi" starring Bai Yufan and Xin Baiqing.
The Misty Theater, which has a strong commercial appeal, is about to launch a new "Born by Life", which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Lu Xun Literature Award winner Shi Yifeng, directed by Lu Chuan, starring Qin Hao, and Sun Li, Luo Jin, Ding Guansen, Li Xiaoran starring "Above the Dark Clouds", Ou Hao, Li Yitong starring "Unspeakable", Zhang Songwen, Rong Zishan starring in the stand-in family crime drama "The Boy Who Can't See the Shadow".
It is worth mentioning that the platform will launch two new theater brands - "Everyone's Theater" and "Dust Theater" to explore aesthetic advancement. Wang Xiaohui introduced that "Dust Theater" focuses on high-quality short plays, telling the stories of ordinary people, exploring new aesthetics and new audio-visual, and representative works include the famous prose collection adapted from "Altay's Elf" Li Juan, the upcoming "My Altay", and the filming of "In the World".
"Everyone's Theater" focuses on the adaptation of the works of great writers, deeply reflecting the real situation and fireworks life of the public. These include Liang Xiaosheng's "Chinese Taoli", Jia Pingwo's "Happy", Liu Zhenyun's "One Day and Three Autumns", "Children of the Melon-eating Era", Ge Fei's "Dengchuntai", Li Peifu's "Plains Guest", Ma Boyong's "Two Beijings and Fifteen Days" and so on. Obviously, the success of the phenomenal hit "The World" has become the confidence for iQIYI to open this new theater.
Like the previous "Hurricane" brought goods to Jiangmen Cultural Tourism, some new projects have also launched related cultural tourism exploration. On April 23rd, iQIYI also announced that it would join forces with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Altay Regional Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio and Tourism, and the Huacheng Publishing House to jointly launch "My Altay" "New Ecology of Cultural and Tourism Cooperation", advocating "Read a good book, watch a good drama, and go to a beautiful place".
Its variety show layout is composed of two parts: "Variety N generation sequel + original", the former includes "Hello Farming Boy 2", "New Rap 2024", "Cute Detective 2024", etc., and original IPs include "Burning Moon", "My Home Field", "The King of Comedy Stand-up Season", "Back to Reality in Ten Days", etc., and continues to deepen the layout of all-female variety, comedy variety show, fan variety and other tracks.
In the field of documentaries, the platform announced that it would jointly launch the "Clearing the Fog" series of documentary melodramas based on real events created by China Central Radio and Television, the "Serious Case Series" creates genre boutiques with high-quality suspense reasoning, the "Focus Series" focuses on social hot cases and explores the issues of emotion, reason and law, and the "Spy War Series" calls on the whole people to enhance their awareness of national security.
In addition, in the field of films, iQIYI announced 29 new films such as "Wandering Blade" and "A Shame Before the Snow". In the field of animation, the platform announced new works such as "The King of All Phases" and "The Guest". The first PV of the 3D animation of "Tomb Robbery Notes: Seven Star Lu Palace" has attracted attention.
This year, as a big year for sports, the 2024 European Cup, the Paris Olympics and other events are coming one after another, with the resources of many top international events such as the 2024 European Cup, the Premier League, the Champions League, tennis and golf Grand Slams, and the platform will also carry out a series of integration and upgrades in terms of event operation, content distribution, communication matrix, cross-border resources, etc.
At the meeting, iQIYI also announced that it had reached a strategic cooperation with Jiangsu Satellite TV, and the two sides will deepen cooperation in joint investment, joint production, and innovative broadcast mode and marketing methods. At the same time, iQIYI will carry out strategic cooperation with Stephen Chow's Bigao Group in various fields of film and television dramas and animations around IP, and announced an animated version adapted from Stephen Chow's classic comedy film "God of Food".
How to serve the "old and young" and how to make good use of AIGC?
On the 23rd, after Wang Xiaohui, Liu Wenfeng, chief technology officer of iQiyi, gave a speech on the theme of "Embracing AI and Creating the Future Together".
Not long ago, Sora caused a big shock in the industry. In his view, the industry's anxiety about AIGC is a misreading. "Generative AI has become a new lever for creators to amplify their creative capabilities and creative value. With the support of generative AI, both ordinary and professional creators can use AI to create better and more valuable works. He said that generative AI is empowering iQiyi's content planning, production, and publicity chain.
Gong Yu, the founder and CEO of the finale, analyzed the current internal and external environmental challenges such as macroeconomy, copyright protection, and technological innovation, and talked about iQIYI's future plans in content production, market development, and business model innovation.
"When a country's per capita GDP (gross domestic product) is greater than $10,000, the growth rate of cultural and entertainment consumption will exceed the growth rate of GDP. Chinese's per capita GDP exceeded $10,000 in 2019, which is an inflection point in consumption and gives us more space. Gong Yu believes that since 2021, the online entertainment industry has entered a stage of high-quality growth. The inflection point of consumption has brought new development opportunities to the online entertainment industry.
He also analyzes the changes that have taken place in the overall user mix of online video platforms. The segmentation needs of the "old" and "small" groups in terms of products, content and services are both a challenge and an opportunity for enterprises. Gong Yu believes that the former "sunset red industry" has become a "sunrise industry". In this context, the increase in family investment in the refined cultivation of children is expected to drive the growth of consumer demand for groups aged 0 to 15. Gong Yu said that he would pay more attention to the two groups of "one old and one young".
Gong Yu said that in the future, we should think about how to make products and services suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, and at the same time, iQiyi will provide a healthy entertainment experience for children through kiwi fruit TV"children's mode" and the mobile Qibabu App.
Presented on the content side, what can be seen is the platform's increase in "elderly content" and "children's content".
Written by Zhao Dongling and directed by Wen Deguang, Zhang Guoli, Wang Gang, and Zhang Tielin's "Iron Triangle" reunion "Old Guy" is a typical representative of the former. The series tells the warm healing story of three old guys with very different personalities, who work together to start a business and create a retirement community after retirement, and the tenth on-screen cooperation in 22 years has triggered a wave of emotional killing from the beginning of the official announcement.
On April 24th, at the iQIYI World Conference sub-forum and "iQIYI Children's Industry Innovation Forum", 6 iQIYI self-made children's projects were newly released, such as "Meng Saike Season 2", "Ice and Snow Guardian Season 3", "Little Strip Gang Stick Season 1", "Meow Warrior Season 2", "Jet Hero Season 1", "Miaoqi Transforms into a Girl Season 2", and other 6 iQIYI self-made children's projects, intending to broaden the latter.
"Since 2018, the film and television industry's oldest No. 1 revenue advertising has continued to decline, and the membership model born more than ten years ago has also slowly climbed since 2019, and can no longer show double-digit growth. "After the period of relying on demographic dividends and rapid growth, content needs new growth space, business model innovation directly points to AIGC technology, and market growth points directly to the sea. But at the end of the day, content is still king.
In 2023, 23 Douban dramas with a score of more than 8 will be produced, officially marking the year of national dramas entering the year of high-quality dramas. The major challenges faced by the internal and external environment have forced the long video platform to improve quality and reduce quantity. Will this record be broken in 2024?