Another Possibility for Long Videos

Finally, long videos have entered the 'awakening era.' With high costs and profit pressures, streamlining, cost reduction, and efficiency improvement have become the industry's key buzzwords.

In fact, to break through, long videos have done a lot. Whether it's the tiered membership system, the discontinued advanced on-demand rights design, the clear goals of content refinement, and theme layering, or the exploration of new business models combined with culture, tourism, and e-commerce, the major platforms are actively seeking 'new possibilities for long videos.' But it must be admitted that many attempts in long videos are still limited to the video site model, mostly belonging to 'micro-innovations' within the platform's existing business framework.

On May 18th, Hunan Satellite TV & Mango TV held a new ecosystem appreciation meeting in Changsha, which was the first jointly organized investment promotion meeting by the two platforms. While demonstrating confidence to the industry, the 'headwinds of dual-platform integration' of TV networks has become the core theme. At the event, Zhang Huali, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Hunan Radio and Television Group Co., Ltd. (Station), together with Song Dian, Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of Mango Excellent Media, and Cai Huaijun, General Manager of Mango TV, launched the ceremony for the integration of the two platforms.

Hunan Radio and Television, which has already started integrating personnel appointments, production mechanisms, and marketing systems, may once again provide us with a new idea.Will the new round of deep integration of TV and internet networks be a new solution for the long video sector that is facing a tough battle?

From an industry perspective,"TV network integration" represents a reshaping of the long video model, a logic renewal that is in line with the national conditions and the era background - it requires both the stability and resources of "TV," as well as the flexibility and market of the "internet."The combined efforts of the two may be able to break through the constraints and bottlenecks in content, operation, and positioning of long videos.

Take another look at "TV network integration"

TV network integration is not a new concept. Traditional mainstream platforms such as Phoenix, SMG, Hunan Satellite TV, BTV, etc., have long been attempting "TV network integration." Phoenix New Media, Yidian News, Baishitong, Beijing Time, and other former star products carry the ambition of traditional media to embrace the internet. However, the results are clear to everyone: some face broken funding chains and executive resignations; some teams are divided and ended in haste. It seems that only the "TV Xiang Army" is still in the center of the stage, incubating Mango TV that can self-generate and continuously grow. According to the 2021 financial report, Mango TV has over 50 million active members, has been profitable for more than 5 years, and withstood the market test with a professional content team inherited from the radio and television system, producing stable and diverse explosive variety shows. Mango TV, backed by state-owned assets, has managed to stay out of the capital battle of long videos and has also forged its own path.

Looking back at "TV network integration" once again

Looking back at the first phase of the platform integration, the lessons are indeed real.The content, resources, and operations of 'platform' and 'internet' are not aligned, the integration is in fact quite fragmented, and even the two sides may compete. More often than not, the platforms and the Internet simply 'procure from each other' and 'become each other's broadcasting channels', let alone harnessing a synergistic effect where 1 + 1 > 2.

As times change and the internet shifts from incremental to stock, while traditional broadcasting media strive to operate closer to the market, long videos charge ahead. They also need to explore a balance and methodology between social value and healthy business models, making cost reduction and efficiency enhancement the 'main theme' of long videos. The new collaboration between 'platforms' and 'internet' is imminent.

First of all.Comprehensive integration of platforms and the internet on 'internal circulation'.This integration is reflected in content, operations, and marketing resources, as well as in organizational management. Since March this year, Hunan Broadcasting and Mango TV have been working hard to promote cross-appointments of team members on both platforms, advancing integrated operations of content production, film and television drama procurement, and advertising operations. In this way, everyone can truly 'integrate' both in terms of thinking and actual business, reducing waste from redundant efforts and enhancing collaborative efficiency.

Next isExternal energy integration of platforms and the internet.The users covered by online media are relatively young, with obvious trends of individualization and segmentation; while the audience covered by traditional television stations is more diverse in age, with the advantages of being family-oriented and appealing to the masses. Only by combining the two can a synergistic effect be formed in achieving full coverage of the population.

Of particular note is,In the new wave of "integration of TV and the Internet", the value of "TV" will once again become prominent.

In the past, we always "misunderstood" the online presence of television stations, thinking that television stations were traditional media. But in reality, we see that television stations are not inferior to internet media in terms of understanding and innovative cases in the new era. Henan TV's "Tang Palace Night Banquet", "Lantern Festival Wonderful Night", "Luoshen Water Fu", with innovative content developed in exquisite fashion, coupled with fermentation on social media, have made waves three times, causing the industry to take notice and reevaluate the value of "TV".

We can also see that,In the new era, the accumulation of "TV" in terms of social responsibility, mainstream content, and policy control is what the times require.The five characters hanging in the office building of Hunan TV, "Orientation Gold Does Not Change", have once again highlighted the contemporary value of "TV" more than a decade later.

The 'another kind of possibility' born at the right moment.

This is also why the 'platform-network integration' of the new stage may be another possibility for long videos.

When re-examining from the perspective of the times and the country, the content of long videos is not only a representation of current social values to a large extent, but also an indispensable cornerstone in the content industry. Under this demand, the integration of long video platforms with traditional broadcasting institutions can both leverage synergies to reduce costs and promote broadcasting institutions to adapt to the market, providing audiences and the industry with more resource choices.

As a platform that has successfully operated both terminal and online platforms, Hunan Broadcasting has once again taken the lead in investing in this brand-new 'platform-network integration' model.In the past, Hunan Broadcasting allowed Mango TV to operate independently as a video platform and forged its self-financing ability. The current second phase is to further explore integration of the two ends from various business sectors, labor divisions, and marketing integration.Previously, 'Sisters Who Make Waves' achieved the broadcast of different versions on the platform and network, which is considered as further opening up dual-platform resources, enabling online content to feed back to the broadcasting platform. Currently, the integration of dual-platform content proposals is underway, with leadership teams starting to have cross-functional roles, advertising resources fully connected, indicating that integration from production to sales is beginning to permeate the entire chain.

This trend is continuing. At this investment promotion conference, Hunan Satellite TV and 48 variety content production teams under Mango TV were showcased one by one, working together in the future to produce 'dual-platform' variety show IPs, creating a variety of programs such as suspense reasoning, youth creativity, real-life people's livelihood, and flagship IPs, radiating diverse content to maximize the value of the dual platform.

At the level of TV series, Mango Season Theatre, as the country's first platform-network interactive weekly broadcast, has, to some extent, verified the advantages of both ends. From the results of the first season, 4 out of 9 series had a Douban rating of over 7 points, and the viewership rate has been leading among provincial satellite TV stations at the same time slot. In the second season of Season Theatre, both the content and platform cooperation density will be further enhanced. After integrating the production power of Mango Pictures and Mango Entertainment, the dual-platform has assembled 29 series production teams and will strengthen connections with external content creators, such as in-depth cooperation with actor Huang Lei and star screenwriter Wang Juan.

At the same time, it can be seen that under the control of traditional mainstream broadcasting groups, innovations can also emerge online. Apart from Mango TV, 'Little Mango' e-commerce also carries the mission of breaking the long video ceiling of Hunan Broadcasting and extending the dual-platform IP industry chain. Taking advantage of the dual-platform, brands can deeply collaborate with Mango system IPs on the Little Mango App, exploring a series of new commercial play methods, such as the upcoming 'Youth With You' camping season exploring various business innovations with Little Mango.

Colleagues are also making such attempts. Youku's cooperation with Henan TV, Oriental TV, and other programs has become the initial stage of a new round of platform and network collaboration. CCTV uses cloud asia vets, big data, 5G+4K/8K+AI and other technologies to enrich the presentation of scarce resources such as the Tokyo Olympics, Beijing Winter Olympics, and other events. The online variety show 'Summer of CCTV Young' revolves around the main host of the station and connects platform and network resources.

Adhere to long-termism.

The above cases prove the trend and advantages of the "new platform and network integration." However, it is easier said than done. How to match and share between the two platforms in a tacit understanding, the specific execution process is also mixed with various challenges.

First is the unity of thought.In the initial stage, separating the 'network' from the platform to become an independent entity is driven by the idea of efficiency first. In the era of territorial expansion, only by 'joining forces' can teams be motivated and market share captured. Now in the era of stock, it's difficult to gain a large amount of traffic through the separation of online and platform. Instead, it may lead to high costs and resource wastage, hence 'integration' becomes the general trend. However, after merging the two independent entities, how to form the leadership team and how content production cooperates will inevitably affect the platform's position and interests in the market, thus requiring internal operators to maintain a high level of ideological unity and understand the big picture.

Second is to maintain innovative vitality.The flexibility and openness of the 'network' make it full of vitality in content innovation and commercialization models. However, if integrated with the platform, can the network continue to advance in exploring fresh themes, and in commercial projects such as e-commerce, cultural tourism, and other investment periods? Will the integrated organization and system continue to support innovation?

There is also a question of strategic determination.The integration of television and the Internet is definitely a comprehensive, long-term project. The effects will not be immediately apparent after implementation, and a series of obstacles and frictions may even arise in the process. This requires both television and the Internet to maintain sufficient meticulousness and patience, and to promote ecological integration with a long-term value system.

This series of challenges will continue to question the long video industry - the process is difficult, the flow is complicated, and the risks are high. However, "breaking before establishing", just like HBO previously stood out in a kind of cable TV channel with a disruptive content approach, Netflix pulled out a second curve with a leapfrog streaming model, the Chinese long video field can also have a completely different solution, breaking new ground. At least from the information released at the Hunan TV & Mango TV dual-platform investment promotion conference, the integration of various sectors at the adversity, long-termism, and pragmatic levels is gradually being implemented from top-level design to specific execution.

"There are demands from above, requirements from below, driven by the times and the mission."In the current environment, the integration of television and the Internet may be seen as the most likely path to succeed, although the process will undoubtedly be difficult. As Gong Zhengwen, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, General Manager, Station Manager, and Editor-in-Chief of Hunan Broadcasting and Television Group Co., Ltd., said: "In breaking through adversity, we are all fearless and like-minded individuals."
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