The ninth season of "The Big Bang Theory" begins, Sohu Video is about to usher in the second golden age of American TV series

When talking about American TV series in China, we have to talk about Sohu Video. As the first video website to introduce genuine high-definition American TV series into China, Zhang Chaoyang, the head of Sohu Video, has witnessed the ups and downs of American TV series in the domestic film and television market.

"A few years ago, with the introduction of a series of American TV series such as "The Big Bang Theory", the golden age of American TV series entering China was officially opened, but later due to policy reasons, there was a low ebb." Zhang Chaoyang said that in the future Sohu Video will continue to spare no effort to introduce high-quality American TV series, and the second golden age of American TV series is about to come.

The landmark event was that the ninth season of the popular and long-running American TV series "The Big Bang Theory" was exclusively launched on Sohu Video on July 13. This was the 11th hot drama brought to American TV series fans by Sohu Video after the second season of "Fargo", the second season of "Gotham", the second season of "Strain" and other exclusive American TV series.

Why is "The Big Bang Theory" so popular among domestic audiences?

As a phenomenal representative work of American sitcoms, "The Big Bang Theory" is not only extremely popular in the United States, where it has won the title of "King of Dramas" for eight consecutive years, and its leading actors have won numerous awards; it has also established a strong fan base and good reputation in China.

Unlike "Friends", which has a wide audience, "The Big Bang Theory" has a more limited plot, with characters who are geeks who are out of tune with society, and the jokes are more obscure, especially involving a lot of physics theory and scientific theory. Even so, it does not rely on these knowledge theories themselves to support the plot. Apart from these knowledge selling points, "The Big Bang Theory" is still a very likable TV series.

According to the huge audience data viewing analysis provided by Sohu Video, the exclusive broadcasting platform, "The Big Bang Theory" series fully inherits the characteristics of American TV series audiences with high quality, high knowledge and high consumption, among which 82% have college degrees or above. It has completely become a must-have for domestic high-end audiences.

Many fans have been looking forward to the release of the ninth season for a long time. They left messages saying that The Big Bang Theory has accompanied them for nine years and carries almost all the memories of their adolescence. The protagonists in the show have long been as familiar as their friends. Many netizens have already started families and careers, and are very concerned about the emotional fate of the protagonists in the ninth season. Four bachelors who played games together entered a new stage of life and started to get married and have children. This is also the life trajectory of a group of young people who grew up with The Big Bang Theory.

In addition, the drama is popular in China. In addition to the funny plot and the unique performances of the actors, the extensive use of Chinese elements has become the biggest highlight that attracts Chinese audiences. This has also broken the barriers between the different communication contexts of China and the United States to some extent. Chinese food, Chinese supplies, Chinese bosses and Chinese students have appeared in the plot more than once, and some dialogues are even completely in Chinese.

The second golden age of American TV dramas has arrived

Sohu Video's grasp of the direction of American TV series is largely influenced by Zhang Chaoyang's personal love for American TV series. He is pleased that Sohu Video can become the first platform to introduce American TV series.

He frankly stated that "the bet was right". Over the years, not only has many excellent TV series been brought to Chinese audiences, but many American TV stars have also been invited to China. For example, several male protagonists in "The Big Bang Theory" have come to China to interact face to face with fans. This model will continue in the future to allow Chinese audiences to see more exciting dramas and programs.

Zhang Chaoyang also revealed several American TV series that he is watching, including "Game of Thrones", "House of Cards", "Fargo", etc. He asked everyone to believe in Sohu Video's ability to select American TV series, because a viewer's investment in American TV series is different from that in movies and may require a lot of time, so Sohu Video will definitely carefully select programs for the audience. He joked that "a lot of money has been prepared" so that everyone can have a "summer vacation of American TV series."

It is reported that since Sohu Video went online, it has a total of 34 Emmy Award-winning dramas. Sohu Video, the first domestic entertainment and cultural platform, has also expanded from simply releasing American dramas to a multi-dimensional industrial chain that integrates American dramas, American entertainment, and self-production, with "American culture" as the entertainment diffusion point. On the basis of the brand value of the American entertainment and cultural IP, it has fully mastered the discourse guidance right to create value, and opened up the "Happy for All" value IP+ of American culture.

Although the relevant policies for introducing foreign films and TV series into China are becoming increasingly strict, major video websites are still enthusiastic about introducing and broadcasting foreign dramas. This also shows that domestic audiences love high-quality films and TV series. Compared with some high-quality foreign dramas, domestic TV dramas still have a lot to learn from foreign countries.

After the policy was met with a cold reception, with the continuous introduction of high-quality American TV series such as "The Big Bang Theory", "Game of Thrones" and "House of Cards", the second golden age of American TV series in China has arrived.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.