"I can't say for sure, but it shouldn't be too bad!"
Facing the deputy director's inquiry, He Jiaye replied cautiously.
After all, he wasn't entirely confident that the drama would be well-received.
Moreover, the promotion period for this drama was only a few days, and the publicity achievable within this time was very limited.
Therefore, he didn't have high hopes for the drama's premiere viewership ratings.
The drama didn't have many topics that were particularly worth discussing; it simply and earnestly narrated a soldier's transformation and growth.
As such, this kind of drama could only gain more viewers after word-of-mouth spread.
"Do you think Director He's choice of drama will work? After all, our station has always focused on urban romance dramas. This is the first time we're acquiring a military-themed one."
Nearby, two female employees whispered to each other.
"It's definitely not going to work. Who would watch such a boring show? I really don't understand what those guys are thinking, getting so engrossed in such a dull drama!"
At this moment, another young woman said directly.
In her opinion, this drama was incredibly boring, with a plot as plain as water, characters lacking any distinctive features, and not even a single handsome young idol.
The lead actor looked like a simpleton. She couldn't fathom what was so captivating about it.
Therefore, she was certain that the drama's viewership ratings wouldn't be high.
"Ten seconds left for commercials. Prepare to switch to 'Soldiers' Sortie'!"
As the commercial countdown ended, the screen transitioned to the opening sequence of "Soldiers' Sortie."
The viewership ratings began to climb steadily.
However, the growth was not fast, and after a period of increase, the number of viewers even started to show a downward trend.
"What's going on?"
The deputy director's eyes turned cold, and he looked at He Jiaye with some anger.
"Well, perhaps some female viewers dislike this genre!"
He Jiaye quickly responded.
Previously, Sunnan TV had been airing romance dramas. A sudden shift to a military theme might alienate many viewers.
"Hmph. I'll give you one week. If the viewership ratings for this drama don't improve within this week, I'll pull it off the air immediately!"
The deputy director had no desire to stay any longer. He had been in a good mood initially, but seeing the declining viewership figures made him quite displeased.
"Director, please don't be angry. Give this drama a chance. I believe it won't disappoint you!"
He Jiaye's back was already drenched in sweat. He quickly pleaded with the deputy director.
"Considering you're a veteran of the station, I'll give you this chance. But it's only one chance. My patience is limited!"
The deputy director returned to his seat, intending to observe further.
"I told you, who would watch this kind of drama? I want to see how he handles this situation!"
The female employee from earlier said triumphantly.
"Hahaha, after Old Man He is removed, won't that director position be yours?"
Another young woman said with a smile to her companion.
...
"Boss, 'Soldiers' Sortie' has started. Did you see me? I'm on TV!"
Wang Shuyuan's train of thought was interrupted by a call from Wang Baobao.
Wang Shuyuan casually turned on the hotel TV and switched to Sunnan Satellite TV.
Since he had no inspiration, he might as well watch some TV.
Later, Wang Shuyuan even found an angle, took a picture of "Soldiers' Sortie" with his phone, and posted it on Weibo.
"Days alone are always boring. Fortunately, this drama is quite good!"
Wang Shuyuan posted this caption along with a screenshot of "Soldiers' Sortie."
"What is this drama? I need its name within three seconds!"
"Are you blind upstairs? Can't you see the big words 'Soldiers' Sortie'?"
"No need for further comment. I'll watch the drama recommended by Uncle too!"
"I've already turned on the TV. Watching with Uncle!"
...
After Wang Shuyuan's Weibo post, his fans immediately started commenting.
After commenting, these fans, full of curiosity, opened their televisions, eager to see if "Soldiers' Sortie" was as good as claimed.
To achieve a promotional effect, Wang Shuyuan deliberately held back the chapters of his novel that he had already written. He even took a leave of absence, stating he would be watching "Soldiers' Sortie" and would update after he finished.
"Scoundrel! Can you do something productive? What are you watching? Update quickly!"
"Exactly, what are you watching? Write faster!"
"Who has the author's address? I'll go to his place and smash his TV, force him to write!"
"Damn it, can't you finish writing before watching? Is 'Soldiers' Sortie' really that good?"
Many readers were exasperated by Wang Shuyuan's leave request.
The main point was that it wasn't just readers of one book who were frustrated, but readers of three books.
They were already speechless at the author's antics.
Writing one book was already slow, yet this guy had started three books.
And not only that, but all three books were well-written.
This made it difficult for them to know which book to urge him to update. Now, even worse, if he stopped updating one book, all three would be updated simultaneously.
If they wanted to read, they had to endure.
Therefore, many of them knew Wang Shuyuan's address and wanted to drag him into a dark room to write books for them every day.
However, many readers became curious because of Wang Shuyuan's leave announcement.
They were curious about what kind of drama could so captivate their author.
Moreover, judging by the title, it didn't seem like a cliché romance film, but rather a military drama.
Since ninety-nine percent of Wang Shuyuan's readers were male, when they realized it was a military-themed drama, they all turned on their televisions to watch it.
After all, the novel wasn't being updated anyway, so why not find a drama to watch while waiting?
Following Wang Shuyuan's Weibo post and the content from his novel, a large number of viewers flocked to Sunnan Satellite TV.
"It's going up! It's going up!! Director He! The ratings are going up!"
Just as He Jiaye was hesitating, Jiang Ye, who was monitoring the ratings, shouted excitedly as he saw the suddenly increasing numbers.
"How much did it go up? Why are you shouting like that? What if you scare the director?"
The two female employees from the corner earlier said dismissively to Jiang Ye.
"Xiao Jiang, how much did it increase?"
He Jiaye didn't hold out much hope, but he still asked Jiang Ye.
"It's already approaching 0.7%!"
Jiang Ye replied directly.
As Jiang Ye spoke, the atmosphere in the entire studio became very strange.
"Hiss! 0.7%! Our station hasn't reached that number in a long time, has it?"
"This is prime time. To achieve this figure is incredible!"
"Is this even possible? This drama just premiered today, and the promotion didn't cost much either!"
Many employees found it hard to believe this figure. While a 0.7% viewership rating for a premiere might not be considered extremely high, for "Soldiers' Sortie," it was surprisingly high.
Considering the drama had virtually no prior publicity, the effective promotion in three to four days was negligible.
Under these circumstances, a viewership rating below 0.1% would be considered normal.
However, "Soldiers' Sortie" managing to achieve a 0.7% rating during prime time was indeed hard to believe.
"0.7%? Xiao Jiang, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The deputy director could no longer sit still.
He knew that since the beginning of the year, only a few dramas on Sunnan Satellite TV had managed to break 0.3%.
Let alone reaching a terrifying 0.7% on its premiere.
"I'm not mistaken. It's already at 0.9%!"
Jiang Ye checked the data again and replied.
"What? How is this possible?"
"It's already 0.9% so quickly? Could it even break 1%?"
"Hiss, isn't this a bit exaggerated?"
"Could there be a problem with the general administration's statistics?"
When everyone present heard Jiang Ye's words, their eyes widened in disbelief.
They knew that breaking 0.7% was already incredibly impressive.
And in just a few seconds, it had risen to 0.9%!
What kind of amazing drama was this, with such explosive ratings?
Many dramas with promotion budgets of tens of millions hadn't even broken 1% on their premiere.
And this drama, with essentially no promotion, was achieving a 0.9% rating so quickly on its premiere.
This was simply terrifying!
"0.9%! Hahaha, Heaven blesses Sunnan Television!"
The deputy director personally walked to the monitor, confirmed the data, and then burst into laughter, his spirits soaring.
"Shanghai TV, no matter how much money you have, we can still defeat you!"
The gloom on the deputy director's face vanished, replaced by unparalleled confidence.
"Old He, you've done a great job. I think you have the potential to be promoted to deputy general manager!"
The deputy director said, patting He Jiaye's shoulder with great pleasure.
He then took out his phone, took a picture of the ratings data, and posted it on his Moments:
"Everyone, let's just say, with almost zero promotion, breaking 1% on premiere isn't that difficult!"
After the deputy director's post, a group of peers immediately started liking and commenting.
Deputy Director of Xiangnan TV: "Holy crap, amazing! Broke 1% on premiere!"
Director of Jiangnan TV: "Damn, what kind of god-tier drama is this? Incredible!"
Director of Shanghai TV: "Smiling face, congratulations!"