At a press conference in Beijing on Friday, Huayi Brothers Media Corp, one of China's leading entertainment companies, announced its "I Plan" project, which will see the company place more emphasis on new TV and Internet programs.
At the press conference, Huayi Bros CEO Wang Zhonglei said that the "I Plan" project aims to promote creative ideas and places more emphasis on finding talented producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors than trying to increase viewership through casting big name stars and idols.
In addition to developing new shows, a number of the company's classic films, such as Assembly (2007), Personal Tailor (2013) and Mr. Six (2015) will be adapted into TV series.
The company also plans to experiment a US model of release with its drama Zhongji de Haizi. While many Chinese TV shows consist of one season of 40 or more episodes, Zhongji de Haizi will be produced in eight- to 10-episode long seasons.
Established in 1994, Huayi Bros' early investments include Feng Xiaogang's 1999 comedy Sorry Baby, and Lu Chuan's 2002 suspense film The Missing Gun. Later, the studio switched for TV dramas such as Soldiers Sortie (2006), Dwelling Narrowness (2009), and My Chief and My Regiment (2009).
But in recent years the company returned to a focus on film works.