"Director Lin, when it comes to the prize money, it's actually unnecessary to set it at one million Hong Kong dollars. I believe even five hundred thousand, or just one hundred thousand, would still attract a lot of applicants. We don't need to worry about not having contestants."
Huang Xizhao spoke up. He felt that one million Hong Kong dollars was too high—giving one-tenth of that would already be enough to cause a sensation.
"It's not the same."
Lin Baicheng waved his hand. "The impact of a hundred thousand versus a million is completely different. One hundred thousand HKD can't even buy an apartment in central Hong Kong City. What I want is a sensation across all of Hong Kong—something people will talk about on their own, something that makes everyone know about this competition. While we produce this show well, we'll also promote the TV station."
"Besides, we should look at the long term. One million may be a lot for an ordinary family, but for the TV station and for me personally, it's not that large of a sum. I can afford it."
Huang Xizhao nodded and did not continue. Previously, most of the profits of LTV were taken away by Lishi Herald, leaving the station strapped for funds. So he had always been inclined to save wherever he could.
Mai Dangxiong spoke next: "Director Lin, there will only be one champion who answers all fifteen questions correctly, and it's not even guaranteed someone will do that. So I feel that besides the one-million-dollar top prize, we should also set a few additional rewards—for example, contestants who answer ten or eleven questions correctly."
"Good suggestion."
Lin Baicheng nodded approvingly and continued after a pause, "I plan to set a tiered reward system. For example, a contestant who answers ten questions correctly will receive 1,000 HKD. If the contestant chooses not to continue, they can take that 1,000 and leave. But if they continue and answer the eleventh question correctly, they'll win 5,000 HKD. But if they lose, they only get half of their previous winnings—500 HKD."
"My plan for the tiered rewards is: ten questions—1,000 HKD, eleven questions—5,000 HKD, twelve—10,000 HKD, thirteen—50,000 HKD, fourteen—100,000 HKD, and finally, anyone who answers all fifteen questions correctly will win one million HKD."
"These are just my rough ideas. As for the exact figures, you can discuss and adjust them. Just don't be stingy."
"Next are the participation requirements: any legal resident of Hong Kong aged sixteen or older can join. But anyone with ties to the production team, or those working in government agencies, cannot participate. Also, contestants who have already reached the 'finals' stage before cannot join again. As for other restrictions, you can think about them later. Just make sure fairness is maintained while deciding who cannot compete."
After speaking, Lin Baicheng looked at Huang Xizhao and the others. "I've said so much—do you now have a general understanding of the show's competition format?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then your next task is to draft a proposal—work together, fill in and adjust based on what I've just said. This competition will be one of our station's key upcoming programs."
Then he turned to Cheng Yufeng: "Yufeng, make a note of this—once the plan is finalized, have Lawyer Chen apply for the copyrights. Also contact Isabella to file for international copyright. We need to secure the rights."
"Understood, Director Lin."
Cheng Yufeng replied and wrote it down in his notebook.
"Manager Huang, I'll leave the rest to you. Refine the plan as soon as possible—I'll be waiting for your good news."
After saying this, Lin Baicheng stood up and left the meeting room. The remaining tasks were now in Huang Xizhao's hands. All Lin needed to do was review the completed proposal later.
Once Lin left, Huang Xizhao and the others continued their discussion.
Because they already had Lin's rough framework, the final proposal was completed before the end of the workday and submitted to him for review.
Lin carefully read through it and found that it was largely the same as what he described, though there were many refined details. For example, regarding the prize structure, the final version awarded 1,000 HKD starting at seven correct answers, then 2,000 for eight, 3,000 for nine, 5,000 for ten, 10,000 for eleven, 30,000 for twelve, 50,000 for thirteen, 100,000 for fourteen, and finally the million-dollar prize for answering all questions.
The reason for starting rewards at seven questions was to avoid discouraging contestants if no one could answer many questions—some reward would help maintain audience enthusiasm and ensure long-term popularity. Of course, as before, if contestants chose to continue and failed, they would only take home half of their last secured prize.
Lin Baicheng trusted their professional judgment, so if they believed these adjustments were appropriate, he accepted them.
"We'll go with this plan."
"This show will be the most important project of our TV station moving forward. Set up a dedicated production team. Station resources will be prioritized for them. Let the team start with preliminary preparations."
"Things like question selection, handling excessive applicant numbers, choosing a suitable venue—these all need to be thought through. Only with proper preparation can the show become an instant hit."
"Don't worry, Director Lin. I'll take care of it."
Huang Xizhao nodded—he would have done so even without being told.
"Once all preparations are complete, report to me. I want to review everything before the show begins."
This was the first major move in boosting the station's ratings, so Lin was highly invested. Besides, the money-making potential of this program was undeniable. A concept this brilliant could not be wasted.
"Yes!"
Although the proposal for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was finished, the actual broadcast would still take time.
Lin no longer paid close attention—for now, he only needed to wait for the production team to finish preparations, then review everything one last time.
Meanwhile, Christmas quietly arrived. Although Hong Kong was a British colony, Western cultural influence was not that strong. Few families celebrated Christmas. The Lin family didn't have the habit either. Most Hong Kong people still preferred traditional Chinese holidays.