'Autumn in My Heart' signed an agency contract with SPG on the 5th of March and aired on KGS on the 25th.
In just 20 days, SPG's efficiency was considered very high. The domestic rerun of 'Autumn in My Heart' had not ended yet, and KGS had already aired four episodes on the 25th and 26th.
SPG had bought the copyright of 'Autumn in My Heart' for an ulterior motive. In order to save time and cost, they did not invest in the marketing of the drama and only released relevant information on their official website and blogs.
KGS similarly did not place much importance on 'Autumn in My Heart'. Other than the show preview a few days before the broadcast, there was no fanfare at all, and it felt a little sneaky.
It could be said that apart from Lu Chen, no one was really optimistic about the performance of 'Autumn in My Heart' in South Korea. Even the loudest fans were mostly just being stubborn.
The South Korean drama market was not that easy to move!
After the first four episodes of 'Autumn in My Heart' were aired, the ratings were released very quickly.
This inevitably attracted a lot of attention.
2.83%, 3.07%, 5.58%, 6.12%, the average rating was 4.4%!
The ratings of South Korean dramas were different from China. The three major TV stations took turns to be the bankers, unlike China, where a drama could have a celebration party if it had a rating of 1%.
The average rating of 4.4% was still passable, but it was nothing compared to those popular dramas that easily had ratings of 10%!
For example, the currently popular MBC historical drama 'The Power of the Queen' had a rating of close to 30%. Compared to this gorgeous new drama that had an investment of 10 billion won, 'Autumn in My Heart' was like an ugly duckling.
However, SPG and KGS's emphasis on 'Autumn in My Heart' had a clear change.
The average rating of 4.4% was not high, but from the first episode's 2.83% to the fourth episode's 6.12%, the ratings had more than doubled. This increase was shocking.
One must know that 'Autumn in My Heart' was a foreign drama, and it was a Chinese drama that had never been popular in the South Korean market. Without any investment in marketing, it had gained such a huge increase in just two days, which meant that this drama was going to be a hit!
Based on the current ratings alone, 'Autumn in My Heart' had already set a record for similar Chinese dramas being broadcasted on South Korean TV stations. There was a huge potential for improvement in the future.
Most importantly, KGS found out through a phone interview with a subordinate agency that "Blue" was very well received by the audience, with more than 90% positive reviews!
On the internet, especially in TV-related forums, there were also discussions about "Blue."
"This is the first Chinese drama I've ever watched. It's surprisingly good!"
"The male lead is very handsome and the female lead is very beautiful. The acting skills of the two are very good. This is a good drama worth recommending."
"The storyline is also very good. Did you guys notice that the names of the characters are very Korean? Other than the background, it feels like an outstanding Korean drama, not a Chinese drama."
"I've watched a few Hua dramas in the past, but they can't compare at all!"
"Spoiler alert, this is a tragedy."
"Go to hell for spoilers …"
The unexpected viewership ratings and good reviews made SPG feel like they had found a treasure.
Therefore, SPG and KGS met again and arranged a new publicity plan for "Autumn in My Heart".
KGS adjusted the broadcast time and delayed "Blue" to primetime. They also changed the broadcast time from four episodes per two days to three episodes per three days, extending the broadcast time.
With the investment of publicity funds, "Autumn in My Heart"'s popularity in Korea suddenly increased.
And the effect was immediate!
The fifth episode on April 1st had a viewership rating of 9.37%. The sixth episode on April 2nd had a viewership rating of 12.79%!
On Sunday night, April 3rd, KGS aired the seventh episode of "Autumn in My Heart".
When Song Jiayi and Yang Yanni arrived at the multimedia room on time, they were shocked to find that it was filled with people. There were basically no empty seats!
The two looked at each other, a strong sense of pride rising in their hearts.
Since when did Chinese dramas become so popular in Korea?
The two girls even keenly sensed that the gazes of the trainees on the scene had changed.
That night, "Blue"'s viewership rating reached 15.86%.
Other than the surge in viewership ratings, the drama's viewership was also increasing significantly. Just like the high-definition digital TVs in China, the digital set-top boxes used by Korean TV viewers were equipped with a playback function. Many viewers were watching the first few episodes of "Autumn in My Heart" at different times.
This was also a sign that "Autumn in My Heart"'s viewership was exploding!
The next morning, Song Jiayi and Yang Yanni had just finished their training and were about to rest when they were called to the office by the person in charge of the training center. An executive from SPG was already waiting there.
The other party informed Song Jiayi and Yang Yanni that the two had been selected to return to China and prepare to participate in the filming of Lu Chen's new drama!
Song Jiayi and Yang Yanni could not believe it when they heard the news.
After confirming that it was true, the two could not help but cry tears of joy!
Their hard work and perseverance had finally paid off.
At the same time, the news of "Autumn in My Heart"'s steadily increasing viewership in Korea quickly spread back to China.
The latest episode's viewership rating had exceeded 15%. With thirteen more episodes to go, the average viewership rating of the drama was already set to exceed 10%, and it would be far more than that!
Since when did Chinese dramas become so popular in Korea?
Many people in the industry who knew about the situation were shocked and went to Lu Chen Studio to inquire about the news.
As for the fans of Lu Chen and Chen Fei 'er, they were completely boiling!
They didn't know the real significance of "Autumn in My Heart" being popular in South Korea, but they understood that Lu Chen and Chen Fei 'er were going to fulfill their promises.
"This is a big deal!"
In the recording studio of Flying Stone Records, Lu Chen said to Chen Fei 'er, "You're going to pay for your dowry!"
At the beginning, in order to fight back against the "entertainment aspect" Big V, Lu Chen's original idea was to reach 10% of the viewership rating of "Autumn in My Heart". Then he would draw out the first, second and third prizes from the fans. The first prize would be 10 places for a luxury tour in South Korea, the second prize would be 100 places for a happy tour, and the third prize would be 1000 souvenirs.
As a result, Chen Fei 'er scoffed at this and changed it to not be divided into the first, second and third prizes, and directly draw 1000 pairs!
The announcement was made in two parts to give the fans a big surprise.
Such a big surprise made Lu Chen really stunned.
Lu Chen actually wanted to tell his girlfriend that in his dream world, the original Korean drama's viewership rating in South Korea reached 40% +.
Although the current situation was different, he believed that it should not be a big problem to get an average viewership rating of 20%.
This meant that he would have to pay tens of millions of yuan, which was not enough even if he spent all the money he earned from selling to SPG!
And Chen Fei 'er's reason was very simple. If he wanted to play, he would play big!
If he really made a name for himself in South Korea, it would be worth it no matter how much money he spent.
As for the cost, she would cover it.
A mere few million or tens of millions of yuan was not even a fraction of Heavenly Empress Chen's dowry!
To Lu Chen's teasing, she proudly expressed her disdain.
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