In the future, on the internet of China, a theory spreads like wildfire:
"American and European TV shows are good because they use a shoot-while-airing model."
"Only when the production team can immediately receive viewer feedback and directly adjust content to match public tastes can they continuously make successful global hits."
"Because Western TV teams truly follow 'people first,' 'content is king,' and 'audience above all,' they keep succeeding."
"This is the advantage of their system. It's the true face of the free market."
"And compared to that…"
"I just want to ask…"
cough cough.
Alright, let's stop right there.
Everything above is nonsense.
The production process for Western TV shows has never been fixed.
They can shoot while airing, or they can finish the whole thing before releasing it.
The former is indeed the common approach…
but not because they care about the audience. It's purely a business decision.
A movie that performs poorly at the box office can still claim "the audience just didn't understand it." But a TV show?
If ratings flop, you die.
That's it.
So, to chase ratings, they'll add anything.
As long as it doesn't cross the line.
For example: don't insult Jewish people, don't curse Saint Charlie.
The latter method is used simply when they have no choice—
When a show cannot be made while airing, the studio has no option but to film first and release later.
Like "Band of Brothers."
For a show with very high demands for costumes and sets, that needs real locations and runs over an hour per episode, it is impossible to shoot and air weekly. Even if the staff work themselves to death, they still wouldn't finish one episode in seven days.
So finishing the whole season first is inevitable.
Later, with the arrival of the internet era, Hollywood gradually abandoned the shoot-while-airing model. In the streaming era, everything is shot first, released later. The word "binge-watching" was born in this age.
As for the reason?
Business again.
Back in the TV era, the audience had no choice. Whatever the station played, people watched.
But streaming works differently.
If you don't drop the full season at once, and still release weekly like the old days?
Sorry. With so many entertainment options around, people will forget you exist.
Therefore…
There is no "art." Only business.
Back to the present.
Both "Hannah Montana" and "Nashville" could be produced with the shoot-and-air model, since both series use simple locations and costumes, making weekly production possible.
But during the contract talks, Disney still chose the "finish first, release later" model, and paid in full up front.
Then, Beaver Productions produced the entire first season of both shows in one go.
Disney's purchase terms: 45 minutes per episode, $2 million per episode.
Only for cable broadcast rights, 20-year license.
Of course, they also hold other rights, but those are priced separately.
Disney's reasoning was simple:
First, Robert Iger and Isabella are allies. Their cooperation had already gone from variety shows to animation, so even if these two dramas turned out to be a pile of garbage, he wouldn't suddenly cancel them.
So the shoot-while-airing option didn't exist for him.
Besides, the price was cheap.
In Beaver Productions proposal, "Hannah Montana" has 24-minute episodes and only 26 episodes in season one. By Disney's standard (45 minutes = 1 episode), that means only 13 episodes total. Price: $26 million.
"Nashville" is 45 minutes × 20 episodes = $40 million.
Even combined, both shows cost less than Disney pays for The Voice every year. To Robert Iger, this kind of small money wasn't even worth blinking at.
Second, he wanted "Hannah Montana" to air on Disney Channel.
He wasn't going to put it on ABC.
And the reason…
"The Voice is getting a spin-off? OMG! I'm literally shocked!"
Seattle.
July 23, 2005, evening.
A girl in her early twenties rants in her Myspace group, overwhelmed.
Myspace is the trendiest social platform of the moment. Yahoo is already being abandoned.
And one second after she posts, replies flood in like a storm.
"Yeah!!! I saw it too!!! It's called Hannah Montana, right? OMG—I was stunned when I heard it! When did Isabella even make this show? Why was there zero news?!"
"Dxxn—you all beat me to it? I just booted up my computer to surprise you and you're already talking about it? Oh—are you guys living on the internet?!"
"If you keep being this fast, I'm gonna riot!"
"But honestly, Isabella always works quietly. The Voice movie was like that, the variety show too. This time, if the media hadn't leaked that she might like Marvel, I swear she'd just drop the movie directly in our faces and leave us stunned and confused… hahaha~"
"Oh crap, I went off topic again. What were we talking about? Hannah Montana, right? Where did you guys hear about it? I heard it from the host during the state-level Voice livestream!"
"And then…"
"Wow~ I'm so hyped~"
"By the way, do any of you know the details of this show?"
"After hearing the host's intro, I suddenly had a feeling…"
"Like… this show is basically Isabella writing about herself?"
"…"
Last year, when producing Season 2 of The Voice, Disney announced that from then on, every national final would officially begin on the first Saturday of August.
Because Disney wanted to make The Voice into a cultural symbol.
So this year, Season 3's city auditions and state-round schedule was similar to last year's.
As a result, since it was now the end of July and the live finale of the state rounds was happening, Disney naturally chose this moment to officially announce Hannah Montana.
And the ratings for the state rounds of The Voice were also very high.
The 50 state finals drew 32 million total viewers.
So…
In old-timers' words, it was "the right thing with the right people."
In modern internet language, it was "when Mars crashed into Earth."
In future slang, it was "perfectly targeted traffic."
In short, the moment the spin-off became known… North America shook.
But that wasn't even the most shocking part.
After the spin-off news spread, millions of fans instantly lost their minds.
Because Disney's official description for Hannah Montana was:
"16-year-old Hannah Montana is one of the most famous pop idols of the day. She debuted at 10, blew up at 13. Her first single immediately topped the charts, and her debut album sold over 10 million copies in its first year."
"Her early fame brought her wealth and popularity. She enjoyed the admiration of the public and felt happy with her success. But an unexpected event changed her life."
"At 14, she suddenly realized that the media spotlight and public attention had completely taken away her privacy. So, to experience the world of ordinary people and find stability, she took the alias Elizabeth Hodgson and ventured into the sea of humanity to explore her true self."
"As for the result?"
"Please tune in at 8 PM, July 27, 2005, Pacific Time, on Disney Channel, to watch The Voice: Hannah Montana, starring Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the Olsen twins!"
"..."
What was the original Hannah Montana series description in Isabella's previous life?
She couldn't remember at all.
But this time, Hannah Montana's description…
Anyone who knew her even a bit immediately burst into pig-like laughter.
"Who debuted young?"
"Who blew up instantly?"
"Whose first single topped the charts right away?"
"Whose first album sold over 10 million copies in its first year?"
"Oh wait—it's Isabella"
"So this show's story… is just her writing her own life?"
"And she hired Elizabeth Olsen to play it?"
"My god—did she just not have time to act herself, so she found a professional method actor?"
"This…"
"Isabella is adorable!"
"What? It's airing on Disney Channel?"
"Alright—pay! Pay! Pay!"
Exactly. Since Robert Iger wanted Hannah Montana to air on Disney Channel, he had to choose direct acquisition, because Disney Channel is a paid subscription channel.
Its main revenue comes from user subscriptions, so even if a show is terrible and dumped in a midnight timeslot, they still have to air the full season for paying viewers.
Otherwise, they'd hurt the viewers' feelings.
That is not a small matter.
Disney Channel currently has 85 million monthly paying users.
Why could Disney+ become one of the world's big three streaming services the moment it launched?
Because Disney's fanbase is massive.
But no matter how loyal Disney fans are, they couldn't get Disney Channel into every household in North America, because it is a kids' channel aimed at ages 6 to 14.
85 million is the global user count.
So…
Why did Isabella's fans go crazy?
Because they couldn't watch without paying.
And after they paid…
"How much did it rise?"
July 27, 2005.
Morning.
The moment Robert Iger walked into the office, he called in his secretary.
Since he had already told people to monitor Disney Channel's subscription numbers…
The secretary directly gave the number he was waiting for.
"700,000."
"What??"
Robert Iger's eyes lit up.
"Seven hundred thousand."
The secretary repeated, "Within three days of the Hannah Montana announcement, Disney Channel gained 700,000 new subscriptions. The TV department was stunned."
"They really admire your maneuvering."
"Ohh… very good…"
A bright smile appeared on Robert Iger's face.
Yes.
The reason Robert Iger put Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel was because he wanted to boost its performance. That department was Michael Eisner's private domain, a fortress he personally built.
Before, when Michael Eisner was still at Disney, Robert Iger couldn't so easily stretch his hand into it.
But now…
He wasn't about to spare a single inch of land within Disney.
"Isabella's influence is still insane huh…"
The Disney Channel subscription numbers made Robert Iger very satisfied.
Not to mention that Disney Channel hadn't seen a subscriber surge like this in a long time. The price alone is something: Disney Channel costs $8.88 per month, and 700,000 new subscribers means they've already earned $6.216 million.
The show hasn't even aired yet and they've already recovered nearly a quarter of the production cost?
That's god-tier performance.
"In that case…"
"All that's left is to patiently wait for the feedback…"
In Robert Iger's view, if Isabella's fans were willing to subscribe to Disney Channel just to watch her show, and that alone brought in 700,000 new users, then Hannah Montana was already halfway to success.
From here on out, as long as the show's quality was satisfying, they'd be looking at a massive hit.
And as for that…
Time flowed like water and passed in an instant.
Close to 8 PM Pacific Time, in North America, everyone interested in Isabella's Autobiographical Series was in front of their TV.
At the same time, many also prepared fries, popcorn, M&M's, and gamer soda.
People had already reached a consensus: Isabella doesn't do gloomy or tragic projects.
So when you watch her work, you can confidently embrace happiness.
"It's starting——"
The moment the clock hit eight and viewers switched to the Disney Channel, the TV screen suddenly went dark.
Right after that, it was like the opening of a concert.
A faint lavender light descended from the sky, illuminating the whole screen.
There was a huge stage, and in the center of it, a tall figure seemed to be standing.
One second later, the camera cut to a front close-up.
In the dark, a long-haired girl was standing sideways, with a huge spotlight shining between her feet.
The focused lighting seemed to suggest to everyone that the figure now appearing was the protagonist of this show.
But the dazzling light beneath her feet was like starlight, making the shadowy figure appear enormous.
If one had to describe it, the silhouette alone looked like she was stepping on the entire void.
The overall composition gave people just one feeling:
She is the GOAT!
Ahem…
At the same time, in the lower-left corner of the screen, like an intro announcement, three lines of text appeared:
"Girlfriend"
Lead Vocal: Hannah Montana
Songwriting: Lily Zeller
When that name 'Lily Zeller' appeared, many people watching the TV instantly laughed instinctively!
Because Lily Zeller came from The Voice.
So…
"Wait, is this a crossover??"
"No… hold on—"
"Did Isabella write a new song specifically for this show???"
Within just a few seconds, the audience could already smell something odd floating in the air.
And just as they were about to comment—
The speakers suddenly blasted upbeat music——
"Hey! Hey! You! You!"
"I don't like your girlfriend~~~"
"No way! No way!"
"I think you need a new one~~~"
"Hey! Hey! You! You!"
"I could be your girlfriend~~~"
The moment the singing began—
The stage lights flared to life!
Long hair down her waist.
Wearing a white leather jacket, high-waisted jeans, and red glasses, Hannah appeared in front of all the viewers.
At sixteen, she was bursting with youthful charm.
Even though Disney Channel only broadcast in 480p, her fresh and beautiful appearance could still be described as glowing.
Unfortunately, even though she was full of energy on stage, people's focus was still on the song she was performing.
Because…
"Oh! What's this song called? 'Girlfriend'? Wow, it's so upbeat!"
"Wait! Is this rock?? Since when did Isabella play rock??"
"Seriously——this beat is so good!"
The sudden burst of dynamic music immediately caught everyone's attention!
Everyone knew that Hannah Montana would obviously revolve around music, being a spinoff of The Voice, and Disney had already advertised it as a story about a pop singer.
But——
nobody expected this surprise opening!
Because "Girlfriend" sounded so good!
Because the melody was crazy catchy!
Because… it seemed to be Isabella's new song!
Yeah…
That last reason was the most important.
Disney never said Isabella was involved in the production of Hannah Montana.
They only said it was related to The Voice.
So did Isabella participate in making the show?
Fans hoped she did.
But no one could be certain.
They could only hope.
So now, right at the opening, before the actual plot even started, her song already appeared?
Well…
That's like buying a lottery ticket and winning the jackpot with your very first scratch.
But right as the audience was excited to enjoy Isabella's new song——
"Huh? Why did it stop after just two lines?"
"Wait—what?? That was just the intro???"
"What lunatic wrote this?? Who edited this? Did the people making this drama think their lives were too smooth and wanted some difficulty? Cutting Isabella's song?? Have you never been yelled at before???"
"..."
Yep.
On the screen, Hannah had just finished the first part of the verse… and the scene was immediately cut.
Because "Girlfriend" starts with a strong beat and catchy rhythm…
This felt like the editors were doing a cliffhanger challenge.
And the reason was…
Simple.
It was tied to the core appeal of Hannah Montana.
The key theme of Hannah Montana is the contrast between "The Superstar" and "The normal girl".
Hannah Montana's character traits include both "trendy top star" and "obedient girl" who longs for a normal life.
To clearly establish that contrast and grab viewers' attention, showing it right away was necessary.
So the show began like this:
First, via a radio broadcast, they established Hannah Montana as a superstar.
Then, a real stage performance was shown to display her popularity.
After that, a TV studio appeared and the host, with loud music playing, said her concert was insanely popular and that tickets were extremely hard to get.
Then the scene cut again, now showing Hannah Montana at home.
At the same time, she was watching that broadcast live.
After hearing how much the public loved her, she even continued the broadcast's unfinished song and sang the rest herself.
Her high-pitched voice drew applause from her dad and annoyance from her brother, setting up the main plot——
Because it turned out she had a concert tomorrow.
She was extremely excited.
She was preparing for it one last time.
Her dad thought her attitude was great and uplifting.
Her brother thought she was loud and wished she'd quiet down.
But if she could get him two tickets for the concert so he could take his girlfriend, he'd gladly leave the house and let her practice in peace.
Hannah caught his not-so-subtle hint and honored his request.
At that moment, the phone on the desk rang.
She answered.
It was her friend calling.
She said something lucky happened to her and she was coming right now to share the joy.
Since she didn't know Hannah's real identity and always knew her as Elizabeth Hodgson, the sudden visit made Hannah panic.
She hurried to disguise herself, wanting to hide the fact that she was the star.
She wanted pure friendship after all.
And just as she finished disguising——
Clack—
Her friend arrived heroically.
…Fine. She skateboarded straight into the house.
After crashing into Hannah, she shouted excitedly——
"Elisabeth! Look what I got!"
She pulled two concert tickets from her pocket and screamed——
"I got tickets to Hannah Montana's concert tomorrow!"
"That Super Star Hannah Montana!!"
"How about it? I did good, right?"
"And even better, I'm officially inviting you… to go to the concert with me!"
"Surprise? Shock?"
Hannah froze instantly.
She felt both touched and distressed.
Touched because the tickets were expensive and hard to get.
If her friend was willing to share them, it meant she was considered family.
Distressed because she couldn't split herself in two!
She couldn't perform at the concert and sit in the audience at the same time!
So…
"Hahaha——"
On TV, Hannah stared at her friend in total confusion.
On sofas everywhere, viewers burst out laughing.
"So the first episode is already an identity crisis? I feel second-hand embarrassment just sitting here!"
"Man… confused Hannah is so cute!"
"They're already going big in episode one? If she messes this up they might stop being friends!"
The sudden dramatic conflict was like a net catching everyone's attention.
Just minutes ago, people were complaining about how they dared cut Isabella's song.
But now…
Everyone just wanted to know how Hannah would hide her identity.
And once that curiosity hit, many even sat up straight!
However…
The screen cut again.
A new upbeat song played, different from "Girlfriend."
The opening for Hannah Montana appeared.
Yep.
Everything before… wasn't even the real episode.
Even though it was intense and full of twists.