Audiences spend money to watch "good drama"? The 18-yuan paid easter egg in "Marrying a Golden Hairpin" sparks controversy

China News Service, Beijing, November 13 (Reporter Liu Yue) "It looks ugly, and the content of the main film has been made into paid easter eggs, resulting in an incoherent plot. If you buy SVIP, you have to buy easter eggs!"

Recently, many viewers of the costume drama "The Golden Hairpin" made such complaints on social platforms. Some viewers bluntly said that in the past, you had to watch advertisements to watch the main film, but now you have to buy a membership and have to spend additional money to watch the entire plot.

Where does this confusing "puzzle"-style viewing experience come from?

Stills of "Marrying a Golden Hairpin"

Even if I buy SVIP, I can only watch "Pinhao Drama"?

The starting point of the controversy was an "Exclusive Easter Egg Pack" priced at 18 yuan.

"Married with a Golden Hairpin" stars Tian Xiwei and Yan Eucalyptus. It tells the story of a real and fake daughter marrying in a marriage, and a fight for revenge. After the premiere, the popularity quickly exceeded 10,000. On the basis that VIP and SVIP members can watch the entire drama, the video platform Youku has launched an additional "Exclusive Easter Egg Pack" for this popular drama, which contains more than 20 pieces of content that will be unlocked one after another. According to the Youku page, the duration of each Easter egg ranges from tens of seconds to more than 3 minutes, and some Easter eggs are "only 28 seconds."

The content of the "Exclusive Easter Egg Package" of "Marrying the Golden Hairpin" ranges in length from a few dozen seconds to more than 3 minutes, and some Easter eggs are "only 28 seconds". Tuyuan video platform

What is surprising is that these clips called "Easter Eggs" are not behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with leading actors, or extra drama, but plot clips. In response, many netizens said it was "ridiculous".

"This is the first time I encountered an Easter egg that was pulled out of a feature film. It's ridiculous!"

"No wonder many plots are incoherent and incomprehensible."

"Shouldn't the easter eggs be made extra? And charge 18 yuan?"

"The main film is full of advertisements, and the easter eggs contain the main film..."

The reporter combed through and found that these "Easter eggs" are not isolated, and many of the contents are related to the motivations of the main characters and plot twists. For example, the Easter egg in the fifth episode involves the male protagonist putting a cloak on the female protagonist, which is a foreshadowing of the relationship between the two; the Easter egg in the tenth episode includes the heroine asking others for advice on the law, explaining the source of subsequent abilities. The audience is still wondering after watching the main film: Why does the heroine suddenly understand everything? As a result, relevant foreshadowing appears in separately paid Easter eggs.

What's more, there is also the magical operation of "transforming a living person". Because the character of "Fourth Uncle" almost never officially appeared in the main film, his appearance and the scenes introducing the relationship between the characters in the Wei family were all included as paid easter eggs, leading many viewers to mistakenly believe that the character had been dead for many years and that "Fourth Uncle" was widowed.

Netizen comments. Image source social media

Not only that, netizens also pointed out the details of the operation that are more "dissuasive" - even if they spend money to purchase a full set of paid easter eggs, the platform will not automatically connect these key plot segments and embed them in the corresponding playback positions of the series, requiring the audience to "piece it together" in their own minds. What VIP buys is the viewing qualification, and SVIP buys the viewing speed. Nowadays, even the "completeness of the plot" has to be paid separately. It is really outrageous to ask the audience to spend money to watch "a good drama".

For this reason, a China News reporter called Youku platform customer service. The staff responded that the main film is consistent with the content broadcast by the TV station, and the paid easter eggs are on-demand content other than the main film and are not a split of the main film.

Some viewers pointed out that if they do not purchase the Easter eggs, it will affect their understanding of the logic and integrity of the main film. Is there any disagreement between the two parties on the definition of "Easter eggs"? In response, customer service said that the issue has been recorded and will be reported back to the relevant team. As for whether purchased Easter eggs can be refunded and through which channels, they did not give a clear answer, saying that they need to be recorded and fed back to a dedicated person for processing.

The reporter also asked, how does the platform protect members’ rights to watch the entire film in its entirety? Customer service did not give a positive reply and said that a dedicated person would follow up and verify the feedback.

On the one hand, the platform emphasizes "splitting non-feature films", and on the other hand, viewers repeatedly feedback that they "cannot understand and cannot connect". With each insisting on their own opinions, doubts are obviously difficult to quell.

Lawyer’s interpretation: If true, the merchant may bear liability for breach of contract

Back to the key question: Is the "Easter egg plot" reported by the audience considered the main film or additional content? Are there any standards for identification?

To this end, a reporter from China News Network interviewed lawyer He Xindian from Beijing Xingquan Law Firm. He Xindian said that in the common consumer perception, "Easter eggs" refer to extras and tidbits that do not affect the understanding of the main plot. If the so-called "Easter Egg" assumes the narrative function that a feature film should have, such as explaining character relationships, behavioral motivations, or plot foreshadowing, then it cannot be recognized as additional content simply by being "named".

Netizen comments. Image source social media

She emphasized that the criterion for judging "Easter egg plot" does not lie in how the platform names the content. The main thing is whether not watching the content will affect the understanding of the main plot, and whether ordinary viewers will misunderstand the main plot. If the actual content carries the narrative function of the feature film, the platform refers to it as an "Easter egg", which may cause consumers to misunderstand the nature of the product and is suspected of constituting misleading publicity.

"When viewers purchase memberships, they form a network service contract relationship with the platform, and the contractual consideration is that the platform should provide a 'complete and coherent drama' viewing service. If the platform intercepts clips that are part of the feature film, destroys the integrity and continuity of the plot, and affects the audience's understanding of the main plot, this behavior is suspected of constituting incomplete performance of the membership service contract, and may be liable for breach of contract."

The "Exclusive Easter Egg Package" content of "Marrying the Golden Hairpin" charges 18 yuan. Tuyuan video platform

At the same time, He Xindian also said that the platform can provide additional paid content in accordance with the law, but new charging items should be clearly stated in advance, and existing membership rights cannot be separated and charged repeatedly. If the platform dismantles the complete series and asks viewers to pay again for key clips, this behavior is also suspected of violating the principles of good faith and fairness.

"For viewers, if they think their rights and interests have been damaged, they can first complain to the platform and ask for an explanation of the nature of the easter egg, the provision of complete content, or a refund; if negotiations fail, they can complain through the 12315 platform or the cultural supervision department."

From "advanced on-demand" to today's "paid easter eggs", the audience's patience is being consumed by new paid items again and again. The popularity of "The Golden Hairpin" should have been a win-win opportunity for the platform and the audience, rather than being dismantled into products at different price points. I bought SVIP, why can’t I watch the entire series? This question may be worth pondering by all parties.