I am Really a Superstar

Starting from last night, the talk surrounding The Voice did not stop being discussed at all. Even at 3, 4 AM in the morning, there were still netizens who were discussing the show, contestants, as well as Zhang Ye’s amazing recital speed. There were all kinds of discussions about the show but weren’t too focused on one subject. However, since this morning, the netizens and industry insiders were only talking about one thing. The most repeated topic was—just how high viewership ratings The Voice would get!

“It’s still not out yet?”

“How slow!”

“I’ve already watched The Voice three times over since last night!”

“I’ve been waiting since nighttime, but there wasn’t even a preview report released!”

“It’s almost 9 AM, is the staff not awake yet? Hurry up and quickly compile all the information. The entire nation is waiting for it!”

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

“F**k, this is not a matter of waking up or whatever. The collection of the viewership ratings is very complex and requires a compilation of many figures and statistics before they can give us the most accurate viewership figures.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“I’m so anxious!”

“Me too, I really want to know how high they were!”

“I wonder if The Voice can beat those shows imported from Korea!”

“Don’t you know Zhang Ye’s nickname? This dude is the leader of Professional Korean Insulters! Somehow, I get the feeling that he made this show to attack those Korean shows! I know Zhang Ye too well!”

“Everyone, prepare yourselves a little first. Most shows do not fare too well in their first episodes, unless they are those foreign-imported shows that have already been well-known for a while. Either that or they are phenomenal shows which are already in their second or third seasons and already have an audience base. Those are the ones who have the possibility to hit 1% in the viewership ratings. Otherwise, even our domestic variety shows which are very popular only get 0.7% to 0.8% for their premiere episodes. Even those with an average viewership rating of 1.1% needed to slowly gain and accumulate popularity. So, my guess is that The Voice will get 0.9% for its premiere episode, or about 0.85%, thereabouts! And that’s on the conservative side!”

“The person above has analyzed well.”

“Agreed, don’t have too high expectations, otherwise, if the viewership ratings don’t turn out so well, I really wouldn’t be able to accept it!”

“Premiere episode getting 0.9%? That’s already defying all logic!”

“I don’t think that will be all. This show is very enjoyable to watch, so we cannot use our usual standards to judge it, nor should we analyze it that way. The Voice’s premiere episode will get 1% at the very least no matter what! For sure!”

“Is there a chance for 1%?”

“What suspense! Even if it’s unlikely, anything is possible!”

“I also think The Voice will do well! Zhang Ye’s really awesome!”

“I love Zhang Ye so much! I love The Voice too! This is what a real singing show should be like! This is what you call the most sincere form of art! A Like for Teacher Zhang!”

Many of those who worked in the television industry also gave their stand on things and did their own analysis and viewership rating estimates of the show.

Like Beijing Television’s Hu Fei—he predicted 1.2%, which was very high!

And Beijing Television’s host, Dong Shanshan, who also posted on Weibo, predicted The Voice to hit 1.1% in the viewership ratings. That was very high as well!

Weiwo Online Television Station’s Wang Xiong gave a prediction of 1.0%.

Central Radio Station’s Tian Bin predicted 0.95%.

……

Just before 10 AM, a Weibo poll was created by the official Weibo site. It was a poll to let all the netizens predict the viewership ratings of The Voice!

There were 5 options to vote for.

1: Viewership rating of 0.5% and below.

2: Viewership rating between 0.5-0.8%.

3: Viewership rating between 0.8-1.0%.

4: Viewership rating between 1.0-1.2%

5: Viewership rating between 1.2-1.5%.

The netizens all rushed to vote at once!

“Choose option 4!”

“F**k, option 4? Isn’t that too high?”

“Yeah, option 3 seems to be the most likely result!”

“I’ll choose option 5!”

“Damn, that option is definitely impossible!”

“Option 5…that’s way too high!”

“Ahem, calm down, calm down. I like The Voice too, but the fifth option is really kinda outrageous. Much less The Voice’s premiere episode, even those popular variety shows still airing now or those Korean, American, Japanese licensed programs would at most get an average of 1.3% or so. Like that recent Korean licensed reality TV show, it’s viewership rating now is at 1.4%, right? The best it got did not even pass 1.5%, am I right? That is already the peak of variety shows these days for the nationwide, simultaneous daily time slot top spot, nationwide weekly top spot, and nationwide monthly top spot. A reality TV show licensed from Japan shown on Sundays has a viewership rating of 1.35% and that’s already the top for Sunday’s nationwide simultaneous time slot. It only got second overall for the nationwide monthly viewership ratings, behind that Korean licensed show. As you can see, this is the overall situation for the state of variety shows these days, with the other average variety shows struggling to get around 0.5%. The Voice wants to achieve 1.2-1.5% viewership ratings in just its first episode? Thinking of challenging those extremely popular foreign licensed shows immediately after broadcasting the premiere episode? That’s definitely too unbelievable!”

“Why would that be impossible? There’s no limit to my confidence in Zhang Ye!”

“Supporting! We will choose option 5 without explanation!”

“Uh, I also hope that The Voice will contend on behalf of our domestically produced variety shows. I too hope that The Voice can outperform those foreign licensed shows, but this still isn’t likely, after all, it’s only the first episode. We can wait until later, when The Voice grows more popular and gathers more viewers. When The Voice goes to the finals of the competition, we can fight it out with all those other shows for first place! To compete and find out who is better!”

“We still have to wait for that many episodes?”

“We must settle this once and for all with the first episode!”

“Right, kill them! Who cares!”

“Wasn’t The Voice viewed with pessimism back then? Didn’t everyone think that those words ‘to see other summits dwarfed, and savor the scene’ uttered by Teacher Zhang were pure nonsense? Then let’s show them the people who don’t know the immensity of the universe! I shall choose option 5 as well! F**k them!”

When it came to foreigners or foreign related things, some of those people did not even look or ask any questions. They were definitely Zhang Ye’s fans as only he would have so many nationalistic fans like himself. Whenever they saw something foreign, it was like they were on stimulants, cursing and swearing without control!

“5!”

“I choose 5 too!”

“Yes, we can’t lose on momentum alone! Voting for option 5!”

“Supporting Zhang Ye! Supporting our domestic variety shows!”

“Right! Let’s fight it out with those foreign imported shows in the viewership ratings!”

The resolute Zhang Ye fans moved many people as they also went along and voted for the impossible option: 1.2- 1.5%.

Finally, after two hours, the poll results were finalized. A total of 35,000 people voted!

Option 1: 6%.

Option 2: 9%.

Option 3: 18%.

Option 4: 42%.

Option 5: 25%.

The majority of the netizens still voted for option 4: 1.0- 1.2%, as this was the most likely and hopeful outcome, or because it was a result they wanted to see.

……

When a few leaders of Central TV Department 1 saw the online poll results, they lightly nodded their heads in agreement. This poll reflected the predictions they had in mind as well. They were hoping that The Voice would be able to get off to a winning start and get 1% in the viewership ratings to help them get the top spot for the nationwide simultaneous time slot for Thursday. As for the weekly or monthly nationwide viewership ratings, they did not think that far. After all, there were so many 1.3-1.4% Japanese and Korean licensed programs blocking their way to get that result.

Ha Qiqi was very surprised at the results of the poll, because her own predictions were not even that high. She had not expected the netizens to think so highly of them and trust in them!

Zhang Zuo did not even see this poll. He was at home, unable to stay settled, feeling very nervous and full of anticipation. He kept checking his phone to see if there were any updates of the viewership ratings.

Other than Central TV, the other television station were also fully focused.

…….

Liaodong Television Station.

“Is it out yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Hur hur, did you see the voting by the netizens?”

“I saw it, they’re all just laypeople.”

“Yeah, indeed, their thinking is too amateurish. There even people who chose option 5? Do they really believe that The Voice will get 1.2- 1.5% of the viewership ratings?”

“They’re just blindly voting, but it doesn’t matter whichever one they vote for.”

……

Shanghai Television Station.

“How much do you guys think it will be?”

“0.9%, I guess.”

“That’s more like it. Looking at the votes from the netizens, they’re really being too optimistic.”

“That’s because they don’t understand the situation in the industry.”

“Yes, although I don’t wish to admit this, there really aren’t any domestically produced shows that can beat the viewership ratings of a foreign licensed program.”

……

At Beijing Television Station.

“I hope that The Voice will give us something to cheer about!”

“Though it’s not likely that it will surpass 1% in the viewership ratings, right?”

“It’s all up to Teacher Zhang!”

“We definitely need to support it. After all, Teacher Zhang was a host who walked through the doors of Beijing Television Station! Hopefully it can hit 1%!”

……

There were even more negative responses at the television station where the variety show licensed from Japan was shown at, especially within that program’s team itself.

“They won’t be able to do it.”

“Trying to compete with us in viewership is definitely impossible.”

“Yeah, how can they compete with 1.35%?”

“The netizens are such teases, why are they even voting for option 5?”

“The Voice’s viewership rating might not even pass 0.9%. It’s just the first episode after all!”

“Back then, Zhang Ye even dared to spout nonsense of overtaking all the variety shows? Claiming that all the variety shows in the country won’t be better than his? I would like to see just how high the viewership of The Voice will get!”

“He’s truly too arrogant.”

……

Everyone’s predictions were different!

Every television station’s prediction was also different!

But the common thing among them was that everyone was paying crazy attention to the viewership ratings of The Voice!

Suddenly, at noon, just past 12 PM, the nationwide viewership ratings for Thursday’s variety shows were released under the focus of numerous people!

“Ah!”

“It’s here, it’s here!”

“Let me take a look!”

“Dammit, it’s finally released!”

“What’s the situation like? How high was The Voice?”

Countless netizens had gathered at once!

Countless industry insiders were observing!

However, when they saw the statistics for the viewership ratings, everyone was shocked. In their minds, they could only say something along the lines of “What the f**k to your second granny!”

“How’s that possible!”

“Heavens!”

“I’ve been blinded!”

“F**k your grandfather!!”

“This…was this compiled erroneously!?”

The figure on the statistics report was totally shocking to look at!

The Voice of China’s first episode of viewership—2.01%!!!