When Cheng Lie heard this, he still kept his head down and thought for a moment.
After all, looking at all of Jing Yu's works up to now, it was never a question of profit or loss—only how much profit. Even for a project like 'Clannad', Cheng Lie had already read part of the script and personally felt confident that, at the very least, they could break even.
Under such circumstances, Jing Yu wants to go for a big-budget production… how should he put it? It was a bit risky, but it's not like they didn't have the capability.
'5 Centimeters per Second' had, according to Qingyun Video's stats, an average of 17 million paid views per chapter across its three segments.
Just the streaming revenue from the web brought in 230 million. On top of that, embedded advertisements in the movie accounted for another 20–30 million. Now, several TV stations were bidding for the broadcast rights, which would add another eight figures in earnings. As for merch—well, '5 Centimeters per Second' didn't lend itself well to merchandising, which was unfortunate. But selling collector's edition DVDs or hiring a famous novelist to write an expanded novelization would surely generate respectable returns.
Of course, the music—especially 'The Wind Rises'—was hugely popular. Licensing rights alone were projected to bring in over ten million within a year or two. But those were considered Jing Yu's personal income, and Cheng Lie didn't count them toward the studio's operational funds.
Still, for a project like '5 Centimeters per Second', with 50–60 million in production and another 10–20 million in post-release promotion, generating more than 300 million in total revenue for Jing Yu and his company was highly probable.
Add to that the currently airing 'Clannad' and 'Kaiji', and it was almost certain that Jing Yu wouldn't be short on cash this year.
However, according to Jing Yu's plan, for 'Fate/Zero', the special effects budget was already beyond what he considered acceptable, and he was in talks with the VFX company to raise the budget further. Cheng Lie estimated that this area alone would surpass 70 million. Moreover, Jing Yu intended to hire well-known actors—popular, attractive, and with strong screen presence. Even though actors in Great Zhou were relatively affordable, it all depended on who you invited. This portion of the budget might rival the special effects cost. Then factor in production and marketing...
200 million.
No matter how Cheng Lie looked at it, he felt the final budget would exceed that figure.
"Actually, us doing a big-budget production isn't impossible," Cheng Lie said, "but releasing something that large-scale as a Qingyun Video exclusive... isn't that too much of a bargain for them? Sure, when we bought into the company, we promised to collaborate on three shows, but—" he paused, giving Jing Yu a pointed reminder.
Jing Yu immediately understood what Cheng Lie meant.
They were merely shareholders in Qingyun Network—not majority stakeholders. A 17% share was significant, but not controlling. Helping a company you've invested in made sense. But giving an exclusive on a blockbuster production? Would Qingyun Network even guarantee a return on such a project?
That made Jing Yu hesitate a little.
"So what are you suggesting?" Jing Yu asked, turning to Cheng Lie.
"You believe in the project, so naturally, I do too," Cheng Lie replied. "However..."
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. For something mid-budget like 'Kaiji', multi-platform broadcasting isn't always feasible—even if we wanted to, other platforms might not be interested. But 'Fate/Zero'... with its scale and investment, that's another matter."
"You mean… talk to Qiezi Video and Jixun Video, and do a three-platform release?"
"Of course not. You're a shareholder in Qingyun. If you took a supposed exclusive and then aired it on their competitors, Qiezi and Jixun, you'd never be able to explain that to the Qingyun Network board."
"What I'm saying is—why not do a joint release on both Qingyun Video and Yunteng TV? The competition between Qingyun Video and Yunteng TV isn't that intense. And if Qingyun Network doesn't agree to that, then make 'Fate/Zero' the exception. Use a different project to fulfill your exclusive deal with Qingyun Network. You're not a subsidiary of theirs—you're an investor. That doesn't mean you can't work with Qiezi or Jixun."
"Actually, after seeing the success of '5 Centimeters per Second', I do believe streaming platforms have great potential," Jing Yu said. "But it's still a developing market. Many of our shows just don't get enough bang for their buck with exclusivity. Like '5 Centimeters per Second', sure, it made a profit. But if it had gone to theaters first and then streamed on Qingyun, the earnings would've been way higher. Unfortunately, we were bound by the contract when we bought in, which explicitly required that exclusivity. Still... including a 200-million-yuan production like 'Fate/Zero' in those three promised shows? That feels like a loss for us."
Jing Yu fell into thought again.
Cheng Lie's proposal was solid. In Jing Yu's previous life, many hit dramas aired simultaneously on TV and online platforms. Sure, TV stations and streamers both wanted exclusivity to pull traffic, but from a producer's perspective, multi-platform releases maximized profit.
Simple fact: some older viewers don't use smartphones or computers. A streaming-only release would lose that whole demographic. On the flip side, younger people barely turn on the TV all year—air it on TV only, and they'll miss it entirely.
"Would Qingyun Network and Yunteng TV even agree to something like that?" Jing Yu asked.
"Most likely, yes. And if Qingyun Network says no, then like I said, 'Fate/Zero' goes to Qiezi or Jixun instead. Fulfill the exclusive contract with something else. Likewise, if Yunteng TV says no, then sell 'Fate/Zero's rights to one of the big six networks and simultaneously launch it online somewhere else."
Since the industry wasn't monopolized, Jing Yu had plenty of room to maneuver.
"But TV shows on cable are bundled with channel subscriptions, while online episodes cost per view," Cheng Lie added. "So... if we want to really maximize earnings, we need to include some special content in the streaming version."
Special content?
"I get it." Jing Yu immediately understood.
If a person's home has both cable and broadband, and 'Fate/Zero' airs on both TV and streaming platforms, they'll likely watch it on TV—they've already paid for the subscription. But if the streaming version includes unique scenes not available on TV...
Well, fans who get hooked watching on TV would be tempted to pay just to see the exclusive content.
Think of it like a game—with a main storyline and optional side quests. Skipping the side quests doesn't affect the core plot, but diving into them expands the world.
And that's exactly what Cheng Lie was suggesting: when writing the script, they could craft extra side plots specifically for the online version to enrich the universe.
And this… well, it was easy to execute. The 'Fate' franchise had tons of material—introducing characters like the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, or delving into Artoria's backstory—these could be exclusive online content. They wouldn't impact the main story but would lure in die-hard fans watching on TV.
Jing Yu looked at Cheng Lie. Clearly, he'd been sitting on this idea for a while and was just waiting for the right opportunity to propose it.
"But... doesn't this make us feel like conmen?"
Jing Yu had basically decided to go with Cheng Lie's plan, though it did make him feel a little guilty.
"Conmen? How?" Cheng Lie looked at him oddly. "We're not cutting corners—we're just adding value. The TV version follows the planned script. The streaming version includes additional content that costs more to produce. We're pouring effort into building out the story world. Naturally, viewers pay more for more content."
"It's like the difference between a standard and a deluxe edition—not standard versus a budget version. We're not cheating anyone."
Uh...
"You make a good point—I have no comeback," Jing Yu said, unable to refute the logic.
Games charge for DLC.
Want a CS:GO skin? Gotta pay for loot boxes.
Nothing comes free these days.
"Alright. I'll talk to Qingyun Network about this. If they agree, great. If not—well, too bad for them. They missed out. You handle the talks with Yunteng TV—you know them better."
And so, over the course of a thirty-minute meeting, the release strategy for 'Fate/Zero' was settled:
Simultaneous broadcast on both television and streaming platforms!
After Cheng Lie left, he also instructed his team to gather detailed information on Great Zhou's currently available actors and celebrities.
Meanwhile, he held in his hand the character profile sheets that Jing Yu had created for 'Fate/Zero'.
In the coming days, he'd have to match actors to roles based on those character designs. Once Jing Yu approved the shortlist, they could begin reaching out.
It was a manageable workload—but not a small one.
That said, it was nothing they couldn't handle.
Jing Yu was no longer the unknown newcomer from two years ago. He was now one of the most sought-after names in the film and drama world. Previously, he'd avoided hiring A-list actors to control costs and promote Xia Yining and Yu Youqing. That didn't mean the big stars didn't want to be in his projects.
Just thinking about the production scale of this new drama had Cheng Lie's blood pumping.
After all, this would be the largest-scale production he had ever managed.
Soon, two days passed.
It was a Saturday in late April—
Time for the broadcast of 'Kaiji' Episode 4.