My Chief and My Regiment - Airing Chaos and Rating War During Initial Broadcast

Airing Chaos and Rating War During Initial Broadcast

The promotion of My Chief and My Regiment was nothing short of extravagant. The series enjoyed high expectations from die-hard fans of Soldiers Sortie as the hyped "sister production" of the latter (almost the entire cast from Soldiers Sortie returned for major roles or cameo appearances). The series was purchased at a record-high price of over 1 million yuan per episode for the initial round of airing by 4 major provincial satellite TV stations — Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Yunnan, in agreement that all will air the series on March 2, 2009. In late February, Beijing TV requested postponing the airing to March 9 due to clashes of slots with its current-running drama series, drawing complaints from other stations. After much negotiating, the stations agreed that none will air the series prior to March 5.

Jiangsu TV then announced that it will begin the series in a commercial-free timeslot at 12 am sharp on March 5, exploiting a loophole in the agreement. The 3-episode midnight run set an all-time record in terms of ratings, and successfully established Jiangsu TV a head-start against its competitors. To maintain that advantage, Jiangsu TV then proceeded to run 2 episodes per day as agreed, followed by an unprecedented 11-episode re-run during the following weekend.

The other stations then scrambled to catch up, but restricted by the "2 episodes per day" agreement, resorted to various unusual (sometimes unethical) strategies. Yunnan TV for instance, introduced the "24-hour rolling" airing dedicated to the show. Eastern TV (Shanghai TV) in particular, shortened 3 episodes into 2 by deleting scenes in order to speed up the broadcast, leading to frustration among viewers. The rumor then came that Eastern TV declined payment to the series' distributor as it claimed others had violated the airing agreement. The subsequent verbal sparring and disruption of normal programming eventually led to the intervention of SARFT and signing of a new regulation by all TV stations across the country.

Ironically, the money/rating-centric attitude of the TV stations only served to their disfavor, as annoyed viewers were deterred away causing the TV ratings to drop. The series however was very successful in DVD sales, and set records to online streaming as well as peer-to-peer downloads on major websites such as Youku and Tudou. The series' original novelized screenplay also sold exceptionally well.

The series is currently due for the 2nd-round airing by another 4 provincial satellite TV networks — Zhejiang, Shandong, Hebei and Sichuan. The 3rd-round airing will be done by Guangdong TV after the 2nd round.