The viewership rating for Episode 12 of 'Fate/Zero' ultimately landed at 12.01%.
An absolutely absurd number — especially considering this aired on Yunteng TV.
While it wasn't the overall average rating of the series, this figure alone was already astonishing.
Generally speaking, once a drama surpasses a 7.5% viewership rating, each additional 1% becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. After passing 10%, even a 0.5% increase becomes exponentially harder.
It's the same logic as going from a 60 to an 85 on a test — that's doable. But going from 85 to 95? That's a whole different challenge.
Though many institutions had already predicted such a result before Episode 12 aired, when the number was officially released — people still couldn't help but sigh.
Unreal.
[Spring Season's God-Tier Drama: 'Fate/Zero' Breaks 12% Rating, Breaking Great Zhou's Single-Episode Record for the Last Decade!]
[Though only rated above-average in Jing Yu's own filmography, 'Fate/Zero' has reached the peak in popularity and influence. Is it true that for high-budget fantasy dramas, as long as the special effects are great, the plot doesn't even matter?]
[Final arc of 'Fate/Zero' reaches legendary heights. Iskandar's popularity skyrockets in two days, becoming the most beloved character of the show — a tragic hero who will be remembered for years, even decades.]
[With this one drama, genius screenwriter Jing Yu has solidified his place in the industry. Unlike in previous seasons where the top three networks could compete with him, this time they were utterly crushed.]
[Critics can say what they want. The numbers speak for themselves. 'Fate/Zero' is this year's biggest and best drama. The only show that might surpass it — could be Jing Yu's next one.]
[After Episode 12 aired, paid view counts on the three major streaming platforms approached 18 million. Compared to last winter, each platform saw a user increase of over 1.5 million this spring — a spike that's hard not to attribute to the debut of 'Fate/Zero'.]
[With just one episode left, as long as it lands a solid conclusion, 'Fate/Zero' will undoubtedly go down as a landmark drama in Great Zhou's entertainment history. Who knows if anything in the next decade will surpass 12% viewership again?]
The performance of 'Fate/Zero' had media outlets across Great Zhou going full-on praise mode.
No one could ignore it anymore — critics could nitpick all they wanted, but success couldn't be denied.
Yunteng TV even held a full-network celebration on Thursday to commemorate 'Fate/Zero' breaking 12%.
Of course, Jing Yu didn't have time to attend, so the female lead Tang Rui went in his place.
Jing Yu also didn't skimp when it came to rewarding the crew. He handed out generous bonuses, roughly half a year's salary based on each person's position.
But these costs were just a drop in the bucket compared to what 'Fate/Zero' was expected to earn. Besides the Fate game Jing Yu was developing, merchandising for figures, props, and costumes had already begun preorders via BlueStar Media & Film Company's official website.
And as Jing Yu anticipated — or rather, even beyond what he anticipated — the response was wild.
Character figures, weapons, costumes, and other items from the show were all priced in the triple digits — yet just in preorders alone, sales surpassed 50 million yuan in under a week.
Once these items are fully manufactured and sold, that number is expected to multiply several times over — and that's only the initial phase of revenue. No one in Great Zhou could currently estimate how big the long-term profits of this series would be.
Unlike his past works, which were critically acclaimed but lacked diversified monetization channels, 'Fate/Zero' proved exceptionally commercial.
It was perfectly built to harvest fan enthusiasm.
Jing Yu had invested just over 200 million yuan into the drama. But even before the final episode aired, Yunteng's 70 million broadcast rights fee, combined with estimated merch revenue and streaming payouts, had already allowed the series to break even.
From this point forward, all profits were pure earnings.
"If we add in product placement, foreign licensing for the second half of the year, and continued merch revenue, we're looking at a conservative estimate of over 300 million in net profit just from 'Fate/Zero'," said Cheng Lie excitedly.
And of course, he had good reason — he owned 4% of BlueStar Media & Film Company.
The company's account still held 600–700 million yuan in liquid funds, and with upcoming disbursements from streaming and merch deals, the number would likely grow much higher.
Jing Yu's productions were just that profitable.
Even 'Initial D', to this day, brought him tens of millions in annual income.
Over the past few years, Jing Yu had produced a massive portfolio of dramas, films, and music — meaning that even if he stopped working tomorrow, he'd still be earning eight figures annually on royalties alone.
Cheng Lie might not have reached Jing Yu's level, but thanks to their partnership, his own income was astronomical.
And that was just their available cash. The intellectual property value of BlueStar's entire content library was worth billions more.
Before he realized it, Cheng Lie looked around and marveled: just two years ago, they were borrowing money from Yunteng TV to finance a single show. Now, they had become a top-tier company where spending couldn't keep up with income.
"Honestly, I feel like Qinyun Video — even with all its registered users — probably isn't making more annual profit than we are," Cheng Lie chuckled.
"Of course not," Jing Yu replied. "If their chairman Che Kaijun can get Qinyun profitable in three years, that's already impressive. Burning money early is normal for internet companies — honestly, late-stage burning is common too. I never expected any short-term dividends from my shares in Qinyun."
"Then why invest in it?"
"Because as you can tell, video platforms are growing fast. They're going to be indispensable to the drama industry in Great Zhou. I'm the second-largest shareholder in Qinyun. I don't need to profit directly — just by having that title, no platform will dare mess with my shows. I'm not some no-name screenwriter begging platforms for distribution — I'm one of the investors."
"But see, in the gaming world, I don't have that status. That's why the Fate series game promotions and distribution have hit resistance," Jing Yu continued.
Cheng Lie gave a wry smile at those words.
"True. 'Fate' is crushing it in the drama world. But those legacy game companies in Great Zhou don't take us drama folks seriously — yet they're also terrified the Fate game will eat into their market share."
Most big-budget games launched in spring and winter. Coincidentally, 'Fate/stay night' was confirmed to launch on November 1st.
That month, several major game companies also had releases. With the explosive heat of the drama, those companies were understandably anxious.
Cheng Lie had clearly felt pushback on the game's promotion — the resistance was real.
"Let's just take it slow," said Jing Yu.
"Growing into a major company comes with these growing pains. It's all part of the process. But ten years from now, when we look back — we'll see how small all this really was. By then, our company will be a giant in Great Zhou's cultural entertainment industry. No need to bow to anyone."
"You say that like it's reassurance, but I swear, when you say things like that, it doesn't sound like comfort at all," Cheng Lie laughed nervously.
"You've already planned things out, haven't you?"
On the third Sunday of March, Qinyun Video released the teaser trailer for 'Natsume's Book of Friends'.
And they knew just when to drop it — releasing the teaser on the day of the 'Fate/Zero' finale, right in the afternoon.
In just two hours, the teaser broke 1 million views.
One of those viewers was Ye Man.
Great Zhou's drama fans had long caught on:
If Jing Yu acts in the show, the quality tends to be higher.
Take 'Dragon Zakura' — it was good, but didn't quite compare to 'Initial D', 'Hikaru no Go', or 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
For the summer season, Jing Yu had two dramas: 'Natsume's Book of Friends' and 'Legal High!'
And from the released info — Jing Yu wasn't listed in either cast.
Many fans were a little disappointed. Ye Man clicked on the teaser with those feelings.
But as soon as the screen lit up —
Her pupils contracted.
"Wait… isn't that Wu He?"
The actor who played Akira Toya in 'Hikaru no Go'!
"He's the lead in 'Natsume's Book of Friends'?!"
This series really only required two casting priorities:
Natsume's grandmother, Reiko
Natsume Takashi, the male lead.
For both roles, the first requirement was looks, second was aura, and third — acting.
Taking all that into account, Jing Yu brought in Wu He — whom he'd worked with before — to play Natsume Takashi.
As for Reiko, he had Xia Yining, recently returned from vacation, take on the role. Jing Yu wasn't about to let his company's top actresses, Xia Yining and Yu Youqing, fade from public memory.
In the teaser, the first shot Ye Man saw was that of a soft, gentle-looking young man.
Soothing background music began to play.
He stared off into the distance, with a fat orange cat sprawled lazily on his shoulder.
Just that one frame — and Ye Man's DNA immediately started dancing.
Sure, she liked Jing Yu. But what really drew her in were handsome, talented actors.
Back when Wu He appeared in 'Hikaru no Go', his looks stirred just as much buzz as Jing Yu himself.
Now, two or three years later, he had shed his boyish look — but that scholarly aura remained intact.
Especially paired with the calming soundtrack — the vibe was immaculate.
Then came the next shot:
A bizarre, three-eyed monster chasing the boy across the countryside.
Wait... so this is a yokai drama?