Chapter 14

Evolution Media quickly completed its registration, while the approval process for China's Got Talent took a bit longer. However, since the program was healthy and could benefit from the influence of the Hengshi Group and industry heavyweight Chen Long, getting approval was just a matter of time.

So, after Wang Zixuan handed over the management of Evolution Media to Chen Zuming, Chen Zuming began to contact Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, and Leehom Wang.

On October 13, Wang Zixuan also posted on Weibo to start the promotion: "I'm preparing a talent show called 'China's Got Talent.' The judges will face away from the contestants and select their disciples based solely on their voices. Four top mentors will carefully train their disciples. The most beautiful voice + the strongest mentors = the ultimate showdown. The four mentors are tentatively selected as Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, and Leehom Wang. Regardless of appearance or age, I only want to hear the true celestial sounds. The champion will receive a prize of 5 million yuan and a photo opportunity with me (this cannot be waived)."

This Weibo post immediately drew a large number of netizens to forward and comment.

"Husband is so awesome."

"This show is going to be a hit!"

"Husband is so funny, I want to take a photo with you."

"Blind selection, what a creative idea."

"God of Songs as a mentor, I will definitely watch."

"5 million, this must be the talent show with the highest prize money, right?"

...

Many media outlets also reprinted and reported on it. Sina Weibo also benefited from these reports, with a significant increase in registered users, and the number of people following Wang Zixuan rapidly rose.

Wang Zixuan kept a low profile, and since the media couldn't interview him, they went to interview Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, and Leehom Wang.

All four expressed that no one had approached them yet, but the show sounded very good.

Online discussions were also ongoing, from the authenticity of the news to the selection of the judges.

The God of Songs, Andy Lau, naturally had no objections.

Alan Tam, the principal, had a high status in the industry.

Han Hong had been very popular in China in recent years.

Leehom Wang's fame had declined somewhat in recent years.

Many netizens felt that they should choose younger idols like Jay Chou and Leehom Wang.

However, Wang Zixuan valued Leehom Wang's effect on the show and did not plan to replace him.

Without a doubt, this news dominated the headlines. Many industry insiders exclaimed, "The wolves are here."

A 5 million yuan prize for the champion, and the appearance fees for the four mentors would certainly not be low. Without a doubt, the production cost of China's Got Talent would set a record for talent shows.

Many criticized such extravagant spending, saying it would disrupt the industry ecosystem and was a short-sighted approach, even going so far as to call it a wasteful rich kid's game.

However, many also felt that the show was creative and well-funded, and believed it would be a high-quality production.

On the 14th, Wang Zixuan posted another Weibo: "Formally signed with Han Hong, one mentor confirmed."

On the 15th, Leehom Wang.

On the 16th, Alan Tam.

On the 17th, Andy Lau.

Blind selection, no manipulation, and a million yuan in compensation—these were the conditions that convinced the four.

Securing the four mentors in four days also demonstrated Wang Zixuan's decisiveness, but everyone was more curious about the mentors' compensation.

Unfortunately, Han Hong and the others remained silent on this matter.

On the 18th, Wang Zixuan posted another Weibo: "Four mentors' compensation: 10 million yuan. Peak night ratings: 5% + 1 million yuan in red packets. For every additional percentage point in ratings, an additional 1 million yuan in red packets. Champion mentor: 3 million yuan."

This Weibo post once again stunned many.

Everyone had guessed that the mentors' compensation would be high, but few had expected it to reach 10 million yuan, and there were even red packets.

Although, except for the champion mentor's red packet, the likelihood of the other red packets being redeemed seemed low.

Blind selection and top-tier mentors—these two points alone guaranteed that the show would have high ratings. However, in recent years, the broadcasting authority had strictly controlled talent shows, prohibiting them from airing during prime time, banning off-site voting, and limiting the broadcast period to no more than two months. These strict regulations meant that talent shows could no longer replicate the craze of Super Girl.

This year's Happy Girl was broadcast at 10:30 PM, and the final ratings were only 4.15%, despite the show's long-standing brand effect.

China's Got Talent, despite having Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, and Leehom Wang, would find it extremely difficult to exceed a 5% rating.

Many seized on this point to mock Wang Zixuan for his unrealistic expectations.

However, more people discussed the 10 million yuan compensation, as the 2009 Forbes Celebrity List, announced in March, showed that Zhao Wei, Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, and Zhou Xun, all top actresses, earned only about 20 million yuan annually. The highest-earning singer, Liu Huan, made only 12 million yuan.

These were annual incomes, while talent shows lasted only a few months. If converted to annual income, Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, and Leehom Wang's value would far surpass that of top-tier actors, with only a few international stars like Chen Long and Li Lianjie being more valuable.

Wasteful.

Absolutely wasteful.

This was the consensus of many.

Just the mentors' compensation, the champion's prize, and the champion mentor's bonus already amounted to 48 million yuan.

Was that all?

On the 19th, Wang Zixuan posted another Weibo: "The preliminary judges will consist of a celebrity, a music professor, and an ordinary person, representing popular, professional, and public perspectives. The celebrity judge for the Hong Kong preliminary round is confirmed as Nicholas Tse."

Wang Zixuan's Weibo post once again made many people kneel.

"Wastefulness knows no bounds."

"Are you collecting celebrity cards?"

"Will the show not even be finished before you go bankrupt?"

In fact, Chen Zuming and Nicholas Tse were good friends, and Nicholas Tse was willing to do it for a friend's price.

On the 20th, Wang Zixuan posted another Weibo: "The celebrity judge for the Taiwan preliminary round is confirmed as Jay Chou."

Another good friend of Chen Zuming.

If you thought the hottest show during this period was "Everyday Up" or "Happy Camp," you were wrong.

The hottest show during this period was the yet-to-be-produced "China's Got Talent."

Whether it was entertainment news reports or online discussions, the hottest topic was always "China's Got Talent."

This could be clearly seen from the growth in Sina Weibo users. On October 18, Sina announced that Weibo users had exceeded one million, and at this point, Sina Weibo had been publicly tested for less than two months.

The number of netizens following Wang Zixuan increased from 150,000 on the 13th to over 300,000, making him the top Weibo user, and the number was still growing by over 10,000 per day.

Every day, a large number of netizens refreshed Wang Zixuan's Weibo to see which celebrity cards he had collected.

"The celebrity judge for the Beijing preliminary round is confirmed as Sun Nan."

"The celebrity judge for the Shanghai preliminary round is confirmed as Yang Kun."

After China's Got Talent gained momentum, Chen Zuming's speed in signing singers as preliminary judges also increased.

Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Han Hong, Leehom Wang, Nicholas Tse, Jay Chou, Sun Nan, and Yang Kun were all heavyweights in the music industry. In the eyes of netizens, being a judge on China's Got Talent was a testament to a singer's strength.

If China's Got Talent didn't invite you, it could only mean your fame wasn't enough.

Moreover, with the music industry in a downturn in recent years, many singers could only earn money through commercial performances. Now, with the opportunity to participate in the hottest show and increase their exposure, and with no shortage of funds, who wouldn't be tempted!

Later, Chen Zuming didn't even need to contact singers; he could choose from those who contacted him.

(Thank you to my friend "Wanshirufeng" for the 100 yuan tip, and I'm asking for recommendations.)

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