Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1355 - 1077: Amazing Popularity_2

Chapter 1355: Chapter 1077: Amazing Popularity_2

It seems the world is never short of clever people!

Wang Ye simply nodded and said approvingly,

"Not bad, I think you can be bold in trying things out with the Internet, and you can take even bigger steps!

Besides such covert news soft advertising, you can also leverage the strengths of traditional TV stations to produce some relatively short but exquisite videos. They might have a wider audience online, and they are more likely to grab people’s attention.

You might not have noticed, but in the United States, video websites like YouTube, MSN Video, and Google Video have already sprung up and attracted a vast number of Internet users."

In 2007, video websites had already risen and were nothing new.

There were no short video sites yet, though, and most video website models were still quite traditional with longer videos. However, some individual video creators had begun to emerge.

But traditional media hadn’t yet taken notice of this trend, and no powerful media company had entered the game—it was Internet companies that were working on these video websites.

Xie Liaofu quickly nodded in response and said, "Yes, I have noticed. However, Russian Internet video websites haven’t really taken off yet. I’m also considering whether NTV Television Station could leverage our vast library of video content to start our own video website."

Of course, the most important thing for a video website is the content, and in the early days, these sites couldn’t attract many individual video creators, or so-called video bloggers. After all, back then, not many people were making videos on their own, and if they were, it was just as a hobby, for the love of it.

So, if a video website wanted to attract a lot of users, they would have to spend money to acquire resources from traditional media, like TV series and movies.

Fast forward about ten years, and video websites began to segment.

There were long-video sites that focused on movies, TV series, and web dramas, and short-video sites that relied entirely on content created by individual users.

And for long-video websites, the biggest annual costs, besides server rooms and broadband expenses, were the spending on purchasing copyrights, which could be exceedingly high.

Xie Liaofu’s idea was not bad; their TV station already had a huge library of video resources and tremendous influence and contacts within the industry. Starting their own long-video site focusing on TV shows and films might be quite promising.

Wang Ye was quite supportive of his idea and even suggested that Xie Liaofu meet with the people in charge at YANDEX or Facebook to talk about a potential partnership and see if they could co-fund the project.

After all, NTV Television Station was a newbie on the Internet, lacking the necessary technological expertise and simply having a large video resource library.

And when it came to the Internet, companies like YANDEX and Facebook were veterans with strong technical capabilities.

If a partnership could be reached, it would be a powerful alliance, greatly increasing the likelihood of success!

Today Xie Liaofu came not only to report that "Empress Yekaterina" had finished filming but also to bring the series’ video resources for Wang Ye to preview. This way, if there were any issues or aspects Wang Ye was not satisfied with, there would still be time for corrections before the official broadcast.

The series Xie Liaofu brought over was recorded on a set of CDs, and Wang Ye planned to watch them when he got home in the evening. He had also informed Rossiyana in advance to come over and watch with him.

After all, they were depicting Rossiyana’s ancestors...

That evening, in a small screening room at the top floor of Xiao Ying Hotel, Wang Ye, Rossiyana, and Nalan Yaqi eagerly settled in with fruit snacks and tea, ready to watch the yet-to-be-released grand drama.

It’s true what they say, money talks. With enough funding, the production standards of this grand drama were second to none compared to blockbuster movies. From the majestic music at the beginning to the breathtaking scenes, it all made this TV series stand out from any others people had seen...

As the TV series officially began, the setting of the scenes and the costumes of the characters were extremely exquisite and authentic.

It could be said that the production accurately recreated the lifestyle of the nobility of that era.

The main character in the first few episodes was the young Catherine, played by Donia. So when Donia appeared, Rossiyana teasingly asked Wang Ye,

"So this is that little ballet star of yours, right?

Tsk, tsk, she’s quite pretty. She tugs at my heartstrings."

"However, judging by her looks, she seems quite young. Is she even of age?"

Wang Ye gave a sheepish laugh and said, "Heh, she’s in university, so she’s definitely of age. She just looks younger, that’s all."

"Why didn’t you invite her to come watch with us today, then? I bet she hasn’t even seen herself on the screen yet," Rossiyana pressed.

Wang Ye scratched his head, wondering how to respond to this question.

The reason he hadn’t invited Donia over was, of course, because Rossiyana was there!

Although Rossiyana didn’t mind the few women around him, that didn’t mean Wang Ye didn’t need to consider her feelings.

Fortunately, the gripping plot soon captured Rossiyana’s attention, and she stopped grilling Wang Ye, instead becoming engrossed in the TV.

After dinner, they watched until after eleven at night. Wang Ye couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer and went to bed, but Rossiyana and Nalan Yaqi were still energetically continuing the marathon.

From their expressions, it was clear that the series had been a success...

So, the next day after Wang Ye got to work, he made a call to Xie Liaofu, letting him know they could go ahead with the broadcast!

...

Nothing much happened in the entire month of April, except, if one had to mention something, it would be the airing of "Empress Yekaterina."

As soon as the series aired, it immediately became the hottest show around.

When have people ever seen a TV series produced with a few hundred million US dollars in investment? It’s even more exciting than a movie!

Every actor’s performance in the series was brilliant, and the plot twists were so engaging that they transported the viewers directly back to the era before Tsarist Russia’s rise.

The Russian people have felt a void in their spirit in recent years, as their old beliefs collapsed over a decade ago, and a new faith hadn’t yet been established.

With the strong invasion of European and American culture, some of the younger generation began pursuing so-called "Western culture," but that wasn’t entirely their own, so they couldn’t wholly embrace it.

Now, this blockbuster series was entirely their own culture, their own characteristics, and it was titled "the world’s most expensive TV series," which gave everyone a sense of pride. It made Russians feel like their country, after falling on hard times for years, finally had something to show off—and it even outdid the developed countries in Europe and America. How could they not support it!

Thus, on the Russian Internet, as well as in real life, the series spread like a "virus."

In schools, workplaces, companies, and even restaurants, bars, and on the street, you could hear people discussing the series, praising its phenomenal quality and the attractiveness (or handsomeness) of its actors...

Moreover, the series was a huge hit not just in Russia, but also in countries including Ukraine, Belarus, and several Stan countries—all Russian-speaking nations felt an unprecedented impact.

NTV already had a satellite channel that could cover most Russian-speaking countries, but previously, its influence was limited, it wasn’t well-known in other countries, and its ratings were rather low.

However, with the broadcast of this blockbuster series, NTV’s ratings began to skyrocket!

Especially during the airing of the series, NTV’s ratings peaked at an astonishing 76% within Russia!

Basically, as long as there was a television at home, most people were tuning in to watch the series on schedule.

When the series was airing, it was as if the streets were deserted...

Even in Ukraine, Belarus, and the Stan countries, the series’ ratings exceeded 50%.

Additionally, the series not only received unparalleled acclaim in Russian-speaking countries but also caught the attention of other countries, which came to NTV Television Station to negotiate broadcasting agreements.

It appeared that becoming a worldwide sensation was a strong possibility.

And Wang Ye’s strategy of major investment and grand production had apparently achieved preliminary success.

As the second season of Catherine and other blockbuster series began preparations, NTV Television Station’s influence was set to increase further, crushing the other national TV stations without any problem...

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