《庆余年》热播 腾讯视频、爱奇艺超前点播争议

近日，因提供热播剧《庆余年》（Joy of Life）的“超前点播”服务，腾讯视频和爱奇艺两大视频平台被推上风口浪尖。

据了解，“VIP专享付费超前点播”服务为，在VIP会员抢先看6集的基础上，再交50元即可再多看6集，可谓VVIP，VVVIP的服务。

顺便提一句，VIP就是Very Important Person的缩写。A VIP is someone who is given better treatment than ordinary people because they are famous, influential, or important. VIP is an abbreviation for 'very important person'.

China's Netflix Struggles to Turn Profit, Piles on Additional Charges

Radiichina

The new period drama Joy of Life is a smash hit, scoring 8/10 among the notoriously rigorous reviewers of Douban. But as in past months, the question remains, will it allow its producers to draw profit?

pile on

1）表示“使迅速增加；猛增”，英文解释为“to make sth increase rapidly”举个🌰：

The team piled on the points in the first half of the game. 球队在上半场连连得分。

2）表示“夸张；夸大其词”，英文解释为“to express a feeling in a much stronger way than is necessary”举个🌰：

Things aren't really that bad—she does tend to  pile it on.

事情并没有那么糟糕，她的确有意夸张。

Don't pile on the drama!

别再添油加醋了！(不要再给自己加戏了？)

3）表示“过度施加；猛增某物”，英文解释为“to give sb more or too much of sth”举个🌰：

The German team  piled on the pressure  in the last 15 minutes.

在最后15分钟，德国队施加了强大的压力。

a smash hit

表示“轰动的演出；巨大的成功”，英文解释为“A smash hit or a smash is a very popular show, play, or song.”举个🌰：

The show was a smash hit.

演出十分轰动。

smash作为动词时，有“粉碎；打碎；砸碎”（to break into pieces violently or noisily, or to make something do this by dropping, throwing, or hitting it）、“猛撞，猛击，猛掷”（to hit an object or surface violently, or to make something do this）等意思，举个🌰：

The car smashed into the bus.

小汽车猛地撞上了公共汽车。

rigorous

表示“严格缜密的；谨慎的；细致的；彻底的”，英文解释为“A test, system, or procedure that is rigorous is very thorough and strict.”举个🌰：

The selection process is based on rigorous tests of competence and experience. 

挑选过程是建立在对能力和经验严格缜密的考核的基础之上的。

notoriously

形容词性：notorious 表示“臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的”，英文解释为“famous or well-known for something bad”，如：a notorious computer hacker 声名狼藉的电脑黑客。

Streaming services iQiyi and Tencent Video have both jacked up their advanced streaming features at the height of the Joy of Life craze. The VIP service, however, is not as luxurious as it may seem — in order to unlock the next 6 episodes early, subscribers have to shell out 50 yuan on top of baseline subscription fees, which total about $30 USD a year. And even after those fees, subscribers still have to endure ads throughout their dramas. It's truly bone-chilling stuff.

jack up

表示“大幅度增加/提高/抬高（价格等）”，英文解释为“to increase sth, especially prices, by a large amount”举个🌰：

Once the tourists arrive, the restaurants jack up their prices.

游客一到，餐馆就大幅提价。

feature

表示“正片；故事片”，英文解释为“A feature or a feature film or movie is a full-length film about a fictional situation, as opposed to a short film or a documentary.”如：the first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 第一部故事片长度的卡通片《白雪公主和七个小矮人》。

shell out

表示“付（一大笔钱）”，英文解释为“If you shell out for something, you spend a lot of money on it.”举个🌰：

You won't have to shell out a fortune for it. 

你将不必为它花一大笔钱。

bone-chilling

除了表示“寒风刺骨的”，还可以表示“引起烦恼的”，英文解释为“penetrating, disturbing, or intense in emotional or physical effect”。

These VIP price hikes are not new; back in August, Tencent Video asked subscribers to pay 6 yuan per episode in advance, and 30 yuan to view the finale of The Untamed (陈情令). 

hike

1）作名词，表示“突然上涨”，英文解释为“A hike is a sudden or large increase in prices, rates, taxes, or quantities.”如：a sudden 0.36 percent hike in interest rates 利率突涨0.36%。

2）作动词，表示“使大幅上升”，英文解释为“To hike prices, rates, taxes, or quantities means to increase them suddenly or by a large amount.”举个🌰：

It has now been forced to hike its rates by 1.36 percent. 

它现在被迫将其税率提高1.36%。

finale

表示“（演出的）终场；（音乐的）终曲；（电影的）终章”，英文解释为“The finale of a show, piece of music, or series of shows is the last part of it or the last one of them, especially when this is exciting or impressive.”如：the finale of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony 肖斯塔克维奇第五交响曲的终曲。

相关表达积累：

【序曲】 prelude

【预告片】trailer

【某一集】episode

【某一季】season

【剧透】spoiler

【票房】the box office

【前情提要】Previously on...

The hashtag #JoyOfLifeAdvancedStreamingIs50Yuan made the rounds on Weibo, demonstrating netizens' outrage at these so-called VIP services. Chinese video platforms have been losing money fast this year, and the price hikes are likely an effort to stay afloat in a highly competitive environment. In this year's third quarter, iQiyi reported a net loss of 3.6 billion RMB, about 480 million RMB more than the same period last year. 

make the rounds

make the rounds，又做go/do the rounds.

1）表示“迅速传开；迅速流传”，英文解释为“If news or a joke does the rounds , it is passed on quickly from one person to another.”举个🌰：

That story has gone the rounds in our office.

那件事已在我们办公室传遍了。

2）表示“到各处去，巡回（找工作或寻求对政治运动的支持等）”，英文解释为“to go around from place to place, especially when looking for work or support for a political campaign”举个🌰：

I've made/done the rounds of all the agents, but nobody has any tickets left.

我已经问过所有的代理点了，但是都没有票了。

stay afloat

表示“有偿债能力；维持运转”，英文解释为“If a person, business, or country stays afloat or is kept afloat, they have just enough money to pay their debts and continue operating.”举个🌰：

A number of efforts were being made to keep the company afloat.

在做多种努力以保持公司继续维持下去。

All three of China's core tech companies (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) are vying to take the lead in the online video industry, with each platform (iQiyi, Youku-Toudu, and Tencent Video, respectively) competing to keep their paid subscriber base and provide premium content. Compare this to Netflix, which managed to sustain subscriber growth amidst several price increases, all the while investing billions into quality in-house content. 

vie

vie /vaɪ/ 表示“激烈竞争；争夺”，英文解释为“to compete strongly with sb in order to obtain or achieve sth”举个🌰：

California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market. 

加州正在与各州竞争，以求在不断扩大的通讯市场上获得份额。

Screaming fans vied to get closer to their idol.

尖声喊叫的崇拜者争先恐后地涌向他们的偶像。

premium

1）作形容词，表示“高昂的；优质的；高端的”，英文解释为“very high (and higher than usual); of high quality”，如：premium prices/products 奇高的价格；优质产品。

2）作名词，表示“附加费”，英文解释为“A premium is a sum of money that you have to pay for something in addition to the normal cost.”举个🌰：

Even if customers want "solutions," most are not willing to pay a premium for them. 

即使顾客们想要“解决方案”，大部分人不愿意为此支付附加费。

In the face of extreme competition and perhaps an overly ambitious business model, China's streaming giants are hoping that additional charges could turn their luck around. But judging by the pushback on social media, it may not be so easy.

Here's to hoping that the next saga of this streaming war is a little more binge-friendly.

turn around

表示“使（企业、计划或体系）好转，使扭转，使有起色”，英文解释为“to change an unsuccessful business, plan, or system so that it becomes successful”举个🌰：

The new management team turned the ailing company around in under six months.

新的管理团队使这个不景气的公司在不到半年的时间里焕发了生机。

saga

saga /ˈsɑːɡə/ 1）表示“长篇故事；长篇记叙；一长串事件”，英文解释为“A saga is a long story, account, or sequence of events.”举个🌰：

The front page is devoted to the continuing saga of the hijack.

头版是对劫持事件的连续报道。

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