Author: Shi Wenjing
In recent days, the drama “Cracking Black Storm” has been aired, and the topic and word-of-mouth have soared. In order to satisfy the audience’s enthusiasm for chasing dramas, the video platform once again used the “killer trick” of chasing dramas during the half of the show’s broadcast-advanced on-demand. Platform members can purchase single episodes and chase the dramas in advance. The “cut leek” method of super hit show members paying and pre-ordering has once again aroused the audience’s heated discussion. In fact, the vast majority of current webcasts, especially self-produced dramas on video platforms, are no longer satisfied with only selling members. Advanced on-demand, VVIP, member-only endings and other tricks to make money have become standard for new dramas.
3 yuan one episode unlocks 4 episodes ahead of time, causing controversy
The reason why the advance on-demand broadcast of “Sweeping Dark Storm” aroused heated discussion is that the drama is too popular, and the non-members can only update one episode a day, while paying members can watch four more episodes in advance. Paying members can catch up to eight more episodes. For example, when watching “Sweeping Dark Storm” on August 25, ordinary viewers can see episode 15 after watching a long-form advertisement. Paying members with monthly, seasonal, and annual subscriptions can turn off the advertisement and catch up to episode 19, and if the member wants to spend 3 yuan/episode, using advanced on-demand service can catch up to the 23rd episode. In this case, when the 28-episode finale was pre-ordered on July 31st, ordinary viewers did not catch up to the 20th episode. The show has reached 2.3 billion exclusive broadcasts on August 25. Even if a small number of members pre-ordered the show, the show’s “super-point” benefit is huge.
Advanced on-demand paid users are called the platform’s VVIP, that is, Krypton users, which is a category of audience that is more “noble” than paid VIPs. Many viewers are dissatisfied with the realization of the changing new drama of the platform. This method broadens the profit channels of video websites, but also reduces the movie-chasing advantage and psychological advantage of paid member users, and paid member users become another form of “ordinary users.”
The level of paying users is also more “strict”, with different levels and different treatments. So netizens kept asking: “I have already spent money to recharge the membership, why do I need to spend more money to watch a show?” Some VIP members reluctantly posted a barrage: “It costs three yuan and three yuan.” “It’s not that I can’t make it out.” I raised the money, but I feel that this behavior shouldn’t be encouraged.” Many netizens complained about this as a “routine VIP member”, and even krypton gold users who purchased Jiji to catch up to the finale in advance, did not forget to send a bullet screen to show their “identity”. “: “Wealth and honor made us meet, good for you rich people.”
Although the audience is dissatisfied, the advanced on-demand mode has become the norm for the realization of webcasts, and it has become more and more intense. The audience’s eagerness and willingness to follow the drama has been firmly grasped by the platform. For example, the recently broadcasted “You Are My Glory”, “The List of Treasures in the Antiquities Bureau”, “You are Beautiful When You Smile”, “I Love You So Much”, “Flowers on the Sea”, “The Wolf Hunter”, “The Secret of Not Being in Love” “” and other new dramas are all on-demand. At present, the major platforms have advanced on-demand refurbishment, some watch four episodes ahead of time, some watch “next week” ahead of time, some two weeks ahead of schedule, and some lead to the finale. The advanced on-demand charging model is also very flexible, some are 3 yuan/episode, some 30 yuan/6 episodes, and some 18 yuan/8 episodes. Hot dramas such as “Chen Qing Ling” and “Shanhe Ling” also have paid tidbits, Paid exclusive ending. After some popular dramas are chased, each viewer can spend up to seventy or eighty yuan on advanced on-demand.
According to statistics, in the first half of 2021 alone, nearly 70 popular dramas will start advanced on-demand, which has already accounted for one-third of the new dramas; among them, more than half of the new dramas on a large platform adopt the advanced on-demand model, except for the TV series. Homemade dramas are more solo dramas. Advanced on-demand has become a normalized profit model for major video platforms.
From resistance to becoming a normalized profit model is unstoppable
At the end of 2019, the hit drama “Celebrating More Than Years” is a drama that is loved by audiences of different ages. When “Celebrating the New Year” was in full swing, the platform launched a paid membership of 50 yuan to always watch six episodes and other additional paid drama models, which caused an uproar. VIP members not only have to tolerate the advertisements but also spend more money to chase the drama, and for a while, the audience complained and questioned. Many media condemned this “grabbing money” method of cutting leeks, believing that the platform is artificially creating anxiety and misleading consumption.
The purchase of the membership has already paid, and the advance on-demand has to pay again. An iQiyi “golden VIP member” believed that this violated his legal rights and angrily took iQiyi to court. The member regained his due drama rights. The court held that the “advanced on-demand” model itself is not inappropriate, but it should not harm the existing rights of paid members. In other words, the legitimacy of advanced on-demand charging has not been denied, but it should not be improper in the course of specific operations that damage the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
More than a year has passed, the advance on-demand broadcasting of online dramas is no longer uncommon, and the rights and interests of members have become clearer. Major platforms will fully launch advanced on-demand services in 2020 to ensure that advanced on-demand content is provided to VIP users under the condition that the pace of VIP member content update remains unchanged. A game between the video platform and users is also a journey to develop user habits.
So far, this kind of “cultivation” is very successful. During the broadcast of the hit drama, especially when the fan drama was broadcast, the mentality of the audience has changed from “platform grabbing money” to “tens of thousands of people asking for something better.” In the face of idol dramas and suspense dramas, many audiences have paid their own pockets to chase the dramas ahead of time. According to industry insiders, the “Chen Qing Ling” advanced on-demand revenue reached 150 million yuan, and the “Qing Yu Nian” revenue reached 145 million yuan. Data from the “2021 China Internet Audiovisual Development Research Report” shows that 45.5% of users pay for online video programs within half a year, and nearly 60% of post-90s and post-00s are paying users. Paying habits have gradually developed. On the whole, User payment methods are mainly continuous monthly subscriptions, of which 20.2% of users have chosen advanced on-demand services. The greater the volume of a hit drama and the higher the rate of membership unlocking, the greater the profit.
For video platforms, in addition to platform advertisements, placement advertisements, and mid-insertion advertisements, paid memberships and paid advance-on-demand have become important models for the profitability of webcasts. The increasing normalization of advanced on-demand broadcasts is closely related to the continuous loss of video platforms, the slowing down of membership growth, and the increase in the cost of competitive drama purchases. If major video platforms want to continue to develop and turn losses into profits, they can only increase their purchases. Drama investment, and the cost can only be passed on to users.
A year ago, the advanced on-demand broadcast, which was like a scourge, was condemned and criticized, is now expanding at an unstoppable rate. Audiences are willing to contribute generously to high-quality content, and hope that the platform’s revenue can feed back content production and give birth to more high-quality content. (Shi Wenjing)
Original title: Advanced on-demand, VVIP, exclusive endings for members, etc., new tricks for the video platform to make money, web dramas “make money” continue
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责编：崔益明 ]
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