"So, how does the president feel about my suggestion to give all existing members a television video box?" Huang He asked.
"I have no objections!" Hastings immediately replied, his previous resistance gone.
Huang He bringing up Randolph at this moment clearly told Hastings that even with his 40% stake, he was like the former Randolph. If Huang He wished, he had plenty of ways to remove Hastings from his position as Netflix CEO and chairman, as Huang He was the majority shareholder.
So, Hastings readily capitulated. Since Huang He didn't want 500,000 new subscribers but rather to appease the useless old users, what else could Hastings say? He just had to follow orders.
However, this also sowed the seeds of resentment and hatred between Huang He and Hastings.
"I must find a way to save Netflix from that scumbag!" Hastings vowed to himself after Huang He left.
"This guy can't stay; he must be driven out!" Huang He also made up his mind.
Hastings wanted to betray his associates; Huang He had no objections. He thought it was a mature strategy for an entrepreneur. It was only because Huang He himself was not mature enough and still had some conscience that he made the wrong decision.
But Hastings dared to defy him, and clearly did not hold him in high regard. This was absolutely unacceptable. Huang He could let Android swagger around because he intended to use Android to trap his opponents.
However, Netflix was crucial to his future plans and could not be ruined now. Therefore, Hastings had to go.
Huang He realized he had made a mistake all along. Because Hastings was the founder of Netflix, he assumed Hastings was very capable and that Hastings had built Netflix from the ground up.
But after learning about the history of Netflix's rise, Huang He understood that the credit belonged entirely to Randolph. The future digital development path of Netflix was also prepared by Randolph in his written outline for Netflix's development. Hastings was merely following Randolph's established route.
Of course, it was undeniable that Hastings was also capable. However, Hastings was a very selfish and cold-hearted person. In a place like the United States, Huang He would not hesitate to believe that Hastings would betray him to Goldman Sachs for his own benefit in the future, so this guy couldn't be kept.
His company already had enough infiltrators and moles; it couldn't afford another Hastings!
However, at this moment, it was clearly not the time to act against Hastings, and he still lacked an important tool to do so. Therefore, Huang He and Hastings continued to maintain their previous relationship, and Netflix successfully gifted television boxes to 500,000 old users.
As for the other 500,000 television boxes, they could be applied for on the official website of Los Gatos Television and collected directly from Atari's business halls.
In short, these boxes were all free, and there were no thresholds for collection; they were simply given away for free.
Meanwhile, extensive publicity began on Weibo and other channels. The 500,000 units applied for through the Los Gatos Television official website were also claimed within two days. All one million television boxes entered households.
Of course, this number was certainly not enough. According to statistics, the total number of viewers eagerly awaiting "The Misty Journey" exceeded 10 million. It was purely a matter of production capacity; these television boxes were absolutely insufficient.
Fortunately, if one had a computer at home, "The Misty Journey" could also be watched directly on the Los Gatos official website.
In addition, Netflix also directly added the option for "The Misty Journey" DVD discs to its library, increasing the inventory by 3 million sets at once.
At 4:00 PM on May 4, 2005, the television version of "The Misty Journey" was broadcast on Los Gatos Television as scheduled. Although the impact of the premiere was not widespread due to only having one million digital television boxes, only one million families across the United States could watch "The Misty Journey."
However, there was a lot of discussion online. Because Los Gatos used the strategy of airing the entire series at once, the 24 episodes of the first season of "The Misty Journey" were broadcast on Los Gatos Television in just a day and a half. The pace was very fast, and most television stations didn't have time to react before it was all finished. It was rumored that during these two days, the rate of employees taking leave had reached a new high, especially among young people. Some companies even saw one-third of their young employees collectively take a day off.
Although the TV series finished quickly, the related trend online began to surge. To be precise, the praise for Los Gatos Television almost drowned out the entire internet.
In 2005, what television station in the world had ever broadcast an entire TV series at once, without any program interruptions, and with almost no commercials?
As a result, many viewers who originally thought they could eat and sleep after watching two episodes ended up staying up all night, going to bed with dark circles under their eyes.
Later, even the commercials in the middle of the series became extremely popular, with many viewers even hoping the commercial breaks would be longer so they could go to the restroom.
Of course, these were just isolated cases. Since all past TV series could be directly on-demand, viewers who weren't completely engrossed could arrange their viewing times leisurely, unlike traditional television stations where they had to wait for the drama to start at a fixed time and then wait another week for the next episode.
Well, American TV series are broadcast weekly, with only one episode per week. This is where Chinese TV series are much better.
These viewers who were accustomed to watching one episode a week had never experienced watching all 24 episodes at once. Instantly, the entire internet was filled with praise for Los Gatos Television.
Coupled with the promotion across various platforms, Los Gatos Television naturally became the greatest television station in America overnight.
The reputation of the entire station began to ferment at an unimaginable speed, with almost all of the internet becoming organic promoters of Los Gatos Television.
This made many people frustrated because, except for a few, their homes didn't have Los Gatos Television boxes. They all wanted to experience what this legendary top-rated television station was like.
As a result, families with Los Gatos television boxes became sought-after, and suddenly, many neighbors started visiting to experience this television station.
At the same time, on various second-hand marketplaces, the previously free Los Gatos Television boxes had their prices increased to $20 each. This was an absolutely risk-free business.
This situation naturally attracted the attention of many print media, and the influence gradually spread from the internet to traditional media. However, unfortunately, due to the aversion of traditional television stations, news about Los Gatos Television would not appear on regular television channels.
And if it couldn't appear on television, it meant that Los Gatos Television couldn't expand its influence on a large scale. But it didn't matter, as the second batch of boxes would not arrive in the United States for another half a month, so a slower fermentation was fine, lest the continuous shortage of supply compared to demand lead to viewer dissatisfaction.
—
"Little John betrayed us?" In the same luxurious living room, the old man asked with a displeased expression.
"Sir, Little John said he absolutely did not betray us. It's just that Huang He never trusted him and kept this plan hidden!" the secretary replied in a small voice.
"What is this guy doing now?" the old man retorted.
"He is still working at Jiangnan Group, saying he must gather more intelligence for us and atone for his mistakes!" the secretary replied.
"Fine, whether he betrayed us or not, the matter has come to this. It's fine to let him stay within Jiangnan Group; he's at least a useful pawn!" the old man sighed. "I just didn't expect Huang He's television box would actually get off the ground!"
"Sir, this is our mistake. Our experts completely did not anticipate that Huang He would solve the problem of network video stuttering and could also give away one million television boxes. This guy is simply insane. Our experts said the value of these television boxes exceeds one hundred million U.S. dollars. He's completely using massive funds to break into the market!"
"Because even giving every American a television box would be cheaper than spending 35 billion to buy a television station!" the old man's expression was very pained; he had been tricked by Huang He again.
"Then did the experts say what the future would be like?"
"Sir, according to our experts' predictions, if no one intervenes, it will inevitably subvert the entire industry. This is because television boxes are much stronger than current television stations in all aspects. Television stations are almost defenseless against television boxes!"
"However, this does not mean traditional television stations will disappear. They just need to integrate themselves into the entire television box system. After all, news programs and variety shows are still needed in the market!" the secretary replied.
"So, Huang He has once again gained a significant first-mover advantage, and there are no competitors in this market. Jiangnan Group can expand freely?" the old man said with a displeased expression.
"It's not that there are no competitors. Apple also has its own television boxes, and Microsoft has launched similar products. However, their prices are relatively expensive, while Jiangnan Group's television boxes are given away for free, and the content within the boxes is also considerable. At least Huang He holds the entire Netflix content library, which is enough for these television boxes."
"At the same time, Los Gatos Television is actively acquiring past TV series and investing in new TV series, variety shows, etc. They are also acquiring TV series globally and producing them in different language versions. Their actions are swift, and no company can keep up with their speed!" the secretary said in a low voice.
"So, we can only watch Huang He grow bigger in this industry!" the old man felt a great headache. He was already paying close attention to Jiangnan Group and targeting it, but the company continued to grow, becoming more and more difficult to handle.
"Go contact Hastings. Tell him I want to see him!" the old man thought for a moment and decided to use his old strategy, utilizing Hastings, the Jew.