About the so called "data manipulation" issue

So I came across a long post on weibo just earlier . It's about counterarguments to the issue "Zhu Yu Platform's DATA MANIPULATION" claimed by the anti-fans and it made me realize just how dumb they are lol.

https://weibo.com/3555991137/QvKgVDaA1

"Zhu Yu's experience immediately reminded me of a meeting I had with a client not long ago. She mentioned a wildly popular drama currently airing on the platform, and my immediate reaction was, "Isn't the data inflated? I feel like nobody around me watches it." The client seriously told me, "No, the data is real… it's very popular in lower-tier markets, and the platform has made a lot of money."

Before that, I'd also encountered actors I particularly disliked who were constantly trending on social media, but I was completely silent around them. So, I'd secretly gossip about them during meetings with the platform. They told me they wouldn't falsify data for a single project. The reason is simple: each project team has different leaders, and the data isn't monitored by just one person, but by everyone at the same level. If they were to manipulate the data, they'd lose their job. Therefore, the only way for platforms to boost drama series data is through traffic acquisition and promotion, and by allocating resources accordingly. However, they can't manipulate data; their technical departments won't take that responsibility for you… Even a couple of years ago, the box office performance of a certain film left many industry leaders speechless, privately predicting its demise. But in reality, it was due to effective promotion in lower-tier markets and short video platforms; after the storm, it was a genuine box office success.

Of course, two years have passed since my conversations, and I can't guarantee that the platforms still operate internally the same way. After all, the major platforms are no longer what they once were. But logically speaking, for two major platforms to manipulate data for a single drama, frankly, I think only special projects mandated by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television have that kind of power; no other drama deserves it…

The above is based on my limited understanding of the industry. The rest concerns the various arguments circulating, which I will logically deduce why the Zhuyu data manipulation is absurd.

First, who is actually responsible for the manipulation? Is it the platform? If so, is the platform the biggest beneficiary?

Most of the public opinion is now directed at the platforms, insisting that they fabricated data to boost viewership. But I want to ask, if the platform's data is fake, and the actual viewership is far lower than the figures, then the platform is losing money on this deal… What kind of outrageous operation is this? The show's sponsorship was completed before it even aired; it could have sold even without manipulating the data. Now, with the public outcry escalating, and the potential loss of advertising revenue due to the controversy, what exactly is the platform gaining from this? After a show finishes airing, the production company uses the data for presentations, and fans use it to flood social media. What does the platform benefit from this? At best, the team gets a bonus… and can negotiate better hiring conditions if they leave the platform for a production company in the future.

The fact is, even if we cut the inflated figures in "Zhu Yu" (a popular Chinese drama), the current data is still far ahead, with no competitors in the same period. In other words, its commercial value is completely unaffected. So what kind of brilliant decision-makers would make to "flop" the viewership for this show? Or was it a simultaneous "sudden inspiration" from the decision-makers of both platforms? In fact, when it comes to data manipulation, the platform's operation is the most unreasonable and has the lowest return on investment... Anyone who says this fundamentally doesn't understand the industry's operating mechanism. To be honest, even if a platform really wanted to manipulate data, it would pressure the production company to do so (in fact, cloud-based streaming is already a similar mechanism). Even when TV stations used to buy water (referring to advertising), they didn't do it themselves; they required the production company to buy it, without making any promises or signing any contracts. So, whether it's Tencent or iQiyi, if they really want to create a hit drama, they would put pressure on the production company and the actors' teams, making them use their own resources and methods to inflate the data to a high level—the so-called "spending pressure"—not by doing it themselves... After all, the biggest beneficiaries of good data are the production company and the actors, as it relates to their subsequent resource allocation and bargaining power. The platform staff, to put it bluntly, are just employees; who would risk their life for a "bonus"? Everyone has more than one project on their hands; a platform broadcasts dozens of dramas a year. If one bet doesn't work, they can just switch to another. Is it worth fighting to the death?

But why is the backlash so overwhelmingly directed at the platform this time? Because those criticizing it are well aware that such exaggerated data, if it were the artist's team or production company "buying" it, they would have gone bankrupt long ago. These days, production companies are squeezing every penny they can from the cracks. Besides, these two actors weren't top-tier stars when they filmed this drama. If they had such substantial assets, they wouldn't have had any flop dramas, and arguably, none at all in the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

Secondly, if the data isn't fabricated, why has this drama surpassed previous national hits in popularity?

This question is actually about audience demographics. Some people compare it to previously aired crime dramas, arguing that historical romance dramas have a smaller audience and don't match the current popularity and data. I want to correct that. In fact, any hit drama achieves its success precisely because it breaks out of its niche. Why? Because, based on years of observation by the platform, the overlap between the audiences of different types of dramas is inherently very low. To put it simply, those who like historical romance dramas don't usually watch crime dramas, and vice versa. The success of previous national crime dramas was largely due to attracting some viewers from historical romance dramas, thus breaking into the mainstream and becoming hits. So, will "Jade Chaser" achieve the same breakthrough effect? To be honest, it has…

but it hasn't broken into the crime drama audience; rather, it has broken into the short drama audience.

I don't know how many people are paying attention to recent short drama platform data, but the fact is, for some reason, the quality of newly released short dramas and projects currently in production has declined. The entire short drama industry is in turmoil due to the powerful impact of AI short dramas. As a result, there's been a lack of hit short dramas lately. So what have short drama viewers been doing lately? Right, watching "Jade Chaser"!

Because the general aesthetic and preferences of short drama viewers perfectly match "Jade Chaser"—it's beautiful, exquisite, visually appealing, and a perfect fit. "Jade Chaser" is basically a slow-motion version of a top-tier short drama. Here I want to emphasize another point: many industry reports have mentioned that the audience for short dramas isn't entirely a diversion of long drama viewers. In fact, many people who love watching short dramas previously couldn't get into long dramas at all—firstly, they lacked patience, and secondly, television broadcasting was inconvenient. However, the rise of short dramas has actually cultivated a new audience market to some extent. A story can be finished in 90 minutes, which is effortless for many people with fragmented leisure time. And this length is exactly the length of two episodes of a long drama…

So many people question why the data for *Zhu Yu* is higher than that of national dramas. My answer is, firstly, the data for historical romance dramas has always been higher than that for traditional dramas. Even those few national hit dramas are still inferior in terms of data compared to the real historical romance drama hits… It's just that national dramas have a higher level of discussion, better reputation, and wider social impact. As for why, it's simple. Those who enjoy watching historical romance dramas are mostly drawn to the actors. These viewers don't watch a show only once… they watch it repeatedly, glancing at it whenever they remember, then watching it again a couple of days later, once for screenshots, and again to ship the characters. However, mainstream dramas are plot-driven, and most viewers are satisfied after watching once. This is why historical romance dramas often have explosive viewership numbers, but they don't generate widespread discussion. While they may not surpass mainstream dramas in terms of viewership, mainstream dramas definitely can't compete in terms of overall viewership and rewatch rates. But when it comes to advertising, traffic is driven by viewership, not viewership. This is why historical romance dramas are relatively easier to advertise for – it's a very simple principle.

Thirdly, why did the initial data for "The Legend of Jade Sword" not match up with other platforms, only to later catch up? It's clearly a case of manipulation and manipulation to artificially inflate the numbers…

This issue is actually related to marketing channels within the industry. Simply put, different marketing teams have different resources. Some focus on driving traffic through short video platforms, some invest in self-media influencers, some establish offline presence, and some sell on-screen couples (CPs). Each has its own methods and strengths. However, I've rarely seen a company that uses all channels simultaneously, because it's unaffordable. The cost of driving traffic is ridiculously high now, even for movies; few have the financial resources to cover all channels. Therefore, the main focus of the early promotion for "Chasing Jade" was short video platforms, which was indeed the right decision. As I mentioned, the target audience for this drama is short-form drama viewers, a battleground for fan wars. Even with massive resources, the environment of conflicting fandoms and anti-fans makes it impossible for the drama to gain more attention. But various production companies have also spent a lot of money on short video platforms, so why didn't they achieve the same results as "Chasing Jade"? It's very simple... because Zhu Yu was involved in a team-building activity = =

From my personal observation, this drama has been trending on Weibo every day since it premiered. Of course, seven out of ten times it's a negative trending topic, and clicking on it reveals nothing but arguments. But for many people who are too lazy to click on the trending topics and just browse social media every day, the spread of this awareness is almost as powerful as the brainwashing ads for Brain Gold... Seeing it constantly on the trending list, even the most indifferent person would have to take a look. Although the original intention of buying trending topics wasn't this, its actual effect was to achieve a secondary flow of traffic to Zhu Yu.

Finally, why are so many entertainment bloggers overwhelmingly criticizing it, yet the data is still so good?

This is actually what I want to say the most. Being a fan for a long time really creates a fandom cocoon.

This cocoon is especially obvious after the rise of the fan economy. I myself have actors I like and actors I dislike. I often feel that some dramas have no viewers, but the data is still very good, while some dramas clearly have many viewers, but they still flop. The main reasons for this feeling are twofold: the matrix of marketing accounts (YXH) and the push algorithm. Many people clearly felt that Weibo was the main battleground for attacking Zhu Yu this time. The reason behind this is actually quite simple: most marketing accounts on Weibo have long-term partnerships with marketing companies. These companies often work with specific actor teams. When an actor appears in a drama, they release various clips, long articles, and data-driven posts; when a rival actor appears, they launch a barrage of mockery and criticism. This has become the norm on Weibo, and no one can deny it.

After being on this kind of platform for a long time, everyone's block lists and favorites become models. Over time, the push notifications will be customized according to these models. The most awkward thing is that Weibo is a platform that loves online battles for traffic… So the push mechanism often pushes negative content to what you like, but reduces the reach of what you dislike. This judgment is based on the human tendency to actively defend what you love and to quickly scroll past what you dislike. Therefore, the larger the fan base, the easier it is to fall into the cocoon of fandom. And subjective feelings, manipulated by big data, become the most unreliable judgment mechanism… Everyone lives in their own desired world, which, while infinitely close to reality, is not the truth.

In my opinion, the best and easiest way to judge the authenticity of Zhu Yu's data is to objectively compare all the charts horizontally. If it ranks highly on various domestic and international viewership charts, then it is undoubtedly a hit drama. Whether the data is inflated or not, the platform knows best. If fans truly believe this time the data is fake, they should be happy, not angry… because capital is addictive; once successful, it will endlessly replicate itself, and everyone will have a better future. Why fight back? Once the rules of the game are broken, it becomes a jungle law where the strong prevail. There are countless high-profile celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry; are they really going to lose to two potential breakout stars?

Or perhaps everyone secretly knows that replicating this phenomenal drama won't be easy. The reason they're baring their fangs and desperately trying to suppress it is actually to disqualify its data from being statistically analyzed... Just like how Western civilization often removes us from world rankings, in my opinion, it's nothing more than self-deception and saving face..."