Rhino Entertainment Original
Text: Shen Wanting Editor: Pu Fang
On the evening of February 6, the two most "drama king" dramas in the 2024 Spring Festival file ushered in a head-to-head showdown.
They are the period drama "South to North" launched on iQiyi and the costume detective suspense drama "Tang Di Gong Case" broadcast exclusively on Youku. Coincidentally, the TV broadcast platforms of the two are CCTV eight sets, and they have contracted the ** and second * files of the TV drama channel.
Among the Spring Festival dramas that have been scheduled to be broadcast, these two dramas have quite strong market competitiveness in terms of subject matter attributes, main creative team, and pre-broadcast popularity, and they are also the two popular "players" competing for the "drama king" during this year's Spring Festival.
The superposition of themes and schedule dividends
The reason why "South to North" and "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" can receive widespread attention at the time of the broadcast is objectively related to the schedule advantages of the Spring Festival file and the audience of these two dramas.
As we all know, during the Spring Festival, a special node that can bring together different groups in the family in a unified field, the public's demand for good dramas has been stimulated, coupled with the ** schedule of the winter vacation and the fragmented time on the Spring Festival transportation to provide an opportunity to chase dramas, the Spring Festival file has a natural audience base advantage.
This phenomenon has been particularly evident since 2020.
From "Mountains and Seas", "Awakening Age" and "Son-in-law" in the Spring Festival of 2021, to "The World" and "The Beginning" in 2022, to last year's phenomenal hit "Hurricane" and "To a Windy Place" and "Three-Body Problem", which have gained good traffic, have made the concept of "Spring Festival files", which is mostly seen in the film market, have a deeper meaning in the drama market.
It is not enough to have a unique "schedule effect", but only the themes that can cover a wider audience and poke the public mood have a better chance of igniting the market and detonating the national topic.
For example, although last year's anti-crime drama "Hurricane" is not a family carnival theme in the traditional sense, the topics it touches and the characters it portrays stirred the nerves of the audience, and the refreshing feeling of class crossing made the enthusiasm of the public discussion reach a climax. Another example is the high-reputation period drama "The World" in 2022, which has a wider audience circle in terms of subject matter, and its dramatic impact and realistic background color cut into the nostalgia of the public and bridge the generational difference.
Let's go back to this year's "South to North" and "Tang Di Gong Case".
"South to North", which focuses on the emotional group portrait of the "Northeast Wind" era, has the meaning of "attacking" to "The World", but "South to North" is aimed at a generation of railway police from the 70s of the last century to the present, as well as a group of people living in the product of the specific era of "Compound". The "railway" is used as a watchtower to gain insight into the lives of ordinary people, and the passengers who come and go on the train year after year carry the marks of different periods, conveying the warmth and coldness of the world, and forming a certain emotional echo with the Spring Festival transportation group.
In comparison, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty", which is positioned as a costume suspense drama, is not a popular theme, but in recent years, there are not a few popular dramas in the circle, and the show's thick cultural heritage and strong regional color may be able to capture the emotional value of multiple circles. The protagonist of the story is a well-known screen image in China, and his popularity among the audience is undoubted; At the same time, the series organically integrates the hardcore suspenseful texture with the Tang culture with oriental aesthetics, which not only provides the audience with a refreshing feeling, but also reproduces the unique Datang people's style.
The contest between the "top matches".
In addition to the schedule dividends of the Spring Festival and the basic audience of their own themes, from the perspective of the overall "appearance", these two dramas are also among the best.
First of all, at the level of drama production, whether it is the quality of the script or the production team, "South to North" and "The Case of Tang Di Gong" have shown full sincerity.
The former is written by Gao Mantang and Li Zhou, among which Gao Mantang, who has won numerous TV drama screenwriting awards, undoubtedly gilded the quality of the show. Gao Mantang's works are mostly known for being close to life and full of a sense of the times, and are known for depicting the spiritual world and spiritual outlook of ordinary people, and have made great achievements in the field of realism. And "South to North" is also a group portrait drama of small people with realism, which happens to fall in the subject area that it is good at.
The latter is adapted from the famous Dutch sinologist, diplomat and writer Gao Luopei's name**, and the original work has received a lot of affirmation at home and abroad. In the fifties of the twentieth century, the English version of "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" caused a sensation in Europe and the United States as soon as it was published, and has been translated into more than ten languages. This ** is a literary masterpiece that describes Chinese, Chinese affairs, and disseminates China's ancient history and traditional culture, integrating the essence of traditional Chinese public cases ** and Western detective reasoning**, leaving a strong mark in the history of Sino-foreign exchanges.
In terms of the production team, Zheng Xiaolong, who is one of the directors of "South to North", has one of the best influences in the directorial industry, and the works he directs are even more high-quality, to a certain extent, he has also become a golden sign for measuring the quality of dramas inside and outside the industry. In addition to CCTV and iQiyi, which are the platform parties, the producers are also on the list.
The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty is not far behind. Director Li Yunliang has experience in directing a number of suspense, spy war and other related dramas, and the producers include CCTV, Youku, Ruyi Film and Television, Erling Yilu Film and Television and other platforms and companies, and the production strength should not be underestimated.
Secondly, in terms of casting, both of them take into account the aesthetics of different circles, including young actors who are quite appealing among young audiences, and powerful actors who are more popular among middle-aged and elderly groups.
Specifically, "South to North" can be called the best match of "traffic + strength". The traffic-oriented young faces represented by Bai Jingting and Jin Chen, with Ding Yongdai, Zuo Xiaoqing, Liu Jun, Ni Dahong, Wang Jinsong, Li Naiwen and other screen regulars, such a starring lineup has its own national degree that spans generations.
The lineup of "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" is more cost-effective, including Zhou Yiwei, Wang Likun, Zhong Chuxi, Zhang Jiayi, Zhang Ruoyun, Chen Duling, Wang Jinsong and other old, middle-aged and young actors. Especially the recent reversal of word-of-mouth on Monday, which has achieved a big reversal in word-of-mouth with variety shows, has skyrocketed, which may contribute a wave of attention to the show.
Finally, judging from the market feedback before the broadcast, the publicity and distribution of the dramas of the two dramas have not yet been widely rolled out, but the platform and the brand have given enough rankings.
For example, iQIYI specially created a "Joy Party from South to North" before the official launch of "South to North", inviting the leading actors to gather to warm up for the series; In addition, the official Weibo also cooperated with a number of brands to release exclusive materials to build momentum for the series, including Chun Zhen, Swish, Du Xiaoman, vivo, Wang Laoji and other different categories, and the commercial value is very considerable.
Youku's arrangement for "The Case of Tang Di Gong" has extended from China to abroad, and offline large screens have been arranged in Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, Wuhan, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo and other cities at home and abroad. It is worth mentioning that as of February 6, the number of reservations for the show on Youku and Weibo has exceeded 8 million, breaking the record of the number of reservations in the history of the platform.
In general, "South to North" and "The Case of Tang Di Gong", which were fought in the same period, seem to be "everything is ready, only the east wind is owed", and this "east wind" is precisely the most important, that is, the content quality of the series. Only on the basis of excellent word-of-mouth and effective marketing strategies can it be possible to ferment the heat and achieve a breakthrough.