BUDAPEST METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY · TELEVISION STUDIES
PROJECT 1 · BN-TELSTD-03-GY01

PROJECT 1 · TELEVISION RATINGS AND SUCCESS

What Makes a Show Successful?

A Programme Analysis of Blossoms Shanghai (China)
and Squid Game (Korea / Netflix)

A 1990s Shanghai street at dusk, the setting of Blossoms Shanghai
SHANGHAI · 1990s · A SETTING THAT BECAME A CHARACTER

TEAM CHINA 4 presenters · 8–10 min + 2 min Q&A · [DATE TBC]

THE QUESTION

Success has three meanings — but ratings pay the bills

A vintage television set showing audience-measurement graphs
MEASURING SUCCESS · WHAT THE INDUSTRY COUNTS

THE TOOLKIT · FOUR METRICS, FOUR QUESTIONS

SOURCE Course slides: 5. Audience Rating, pp. 2, 5, 6, 10 (adapted from Péter Kolosi).

THE CASE

Blossoms Shanghai: a drama that became a city event

1990s Shanghai neon-lit commercial street at night
HUANGHE ROAD · SHANGHAI · WHEN A DRAMA RESHAPED A CITY'S IMAGINATION

SOURCE China Audio-Visual Big Data (CVB); Tencent Video; Dengta; Magnolia Awards; The Paper / CNR, 2024.

WHY IT WORKED

Five drivers behind one hit

1990s Shanghai street that inspired the drama's nostalgia
NOSTALGIA AS CONTENT · PLACE, DIALECT, MEMORY

SOURCE Project brief, slide 2 (genre, format, target audience, scheduling, promotion); The Paper / Fujian Daily / CNR, 2024.

READING THE NUMBERS

Three claims: rating, share, reach

Bar chart comparing first-10-minute, peak and full-run average ratings for Blossoms Shanghai
FIGURE 1 · CCTV-8 RATINGS, CVB 2024

SOURCE Course slides: 5. Audience Rating, pp. 4–6, 8–9; CVB and Dengta data, 2024.

THE MONEY

Advertisers buy access to audiences

Bar chart comparing advertisements per episode in Blossoms Shanghai and contemporary dramas
FIGURE 2 · ADS PER EPISODE, THE PAPER 2024

SOURCE The Paper / Times Finance, Jan 2024 (ad count); course slide 9; QuestMobile comparison, 2023.

THE COMPARISON

Same success, two different rulers

Two panels comparing linear TV percentages with Netflix hours watched, separated by a not-equal sign
FIGURE 3 · TWO RULERS, NO CONVERSION
Shanghai, linear television
CHINA · LINEAR TV
Streaming screens, on demand
GLOBAL · STREAMING

SOURCE Netflix newsroom (1.65 bn hours, 2022); LA Times / IMDb ($900 m est.); CVB, Tencent Video, Magnolia Awards, 2024.

EVIDENCE ON SCREEN

The impact a rating cannot count

SOURCE CGTN English video report, 2024 (self-hosted 45s clip); course slide 10.

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Can a show succeed with low ratings?

An empty television studio auditorium under a single spotlight
IF NOBODY IS COUNTED · WHO DECIDES THE VALUE?

SOURCE Course slides: 5. Audience Rating, pp. 3, 6, 10, 11; discussion questions p. 11.

THE END

What we learned — and your questions

Shanghai neon street at night, the cultural afterlife of the drama
BEYOND THE RATING · THE STORY CONTINUES IN THE CITY

SOURCES CVB · Tencent Video · Dengta · Magnolia Awards · The Paper / CNR · Netflix newsroom · LA Times · course slides 5.