In the 9th episode of "Game of Thrones", the death of Eddard Stark, the lord of Winterfell, drove all the fans on the Internet crazy.

On the night of the broadcast, keywords such as "Baylor", "Death of Eddard Stark", and "Joffrey" quickly became hot searches across the United States.

In the Twitter trend list, "Game of Thrones" directly occupies more than half of the top 30 hot terms.

Online, countless fans have still not digested the shock brought by this episode.

"What the... Can anyone tell me this isn't true?!"

“I still can’t believe my eyes!”

"Ed died? How could he die? And die in such a humiliating way!"

"Oh my god, this is crazy..."

"Fuck! And he was executed by an incompetent idiot who had no legitimate right to inherit the throne! This is too unacceptable!"

"It's hard to imagine. The North is one of the seven kingdoms after all! If we kill Ed, the kingdom will never be able to make the North obey us. This decision is really stupid!"

"Sometimes you have to believe that it's a fool who runs the country, and in that sense, the show is quite realistic."

"You know, incestuous relationships don't produce any smart people."

"Oh my god, I always thought Eddard Stark was one of the main characters of this show, and then he dies without any warning?"

"I thought another key figure, Viserys, who wanted to restore the country, is dead. Now Eddard, the Lord of Winterfell, is also dead. It seems that Khal Drogo will not live long...Oh my God, it's all messed up. I can't guess the plot anymore."

"Really, believe me, this is the craziest TV show on the Internet this year."

“I’m obsessed with this drama!”

Not only was it a hot search, the ninth episode of Game of Thrones had a staggering 1540 million views, directly ranking among the top three in the history of TV drama views in the United States.

As soon as this news came out, even though the data from the first few episodes of "Game of Thrones" was already shocking enough, it still caused a huge shock in the industry.

The year is only halfway through, but barring any unexpected events, this drama has almost secured the honor of being the best drama of the year.

Judging from its production level and popularity, it will surely receive many awards in the future, as well as huge IP potential to be developed...

It can be said that HBO TV station, which has been in decline in recent years, has finally won. This drama alone is enough to return to the top of the industry.

However, HBO TV station, which should be celebrating its success in the eyes of outsiders, was filled with worry among its entire staff.

——Because they have not yet successfully finalized the copyright cooperation with the author Ye Zhiqiu for the second season script of "Game of Thrones"!

The first season of this drama has a total of 10 episodes, and now only the last episode has not been aired. The online audience’s discussion is incredibly heated, and it is foreseeable that the finale is very likely to set a new ratings record.

The more enthusiastic the audience was, the more anxious HBO became.

At this critical moment, if the news that the cooperation in the second season has not been confirmed is exposed, they suspect that the crazy audience may tear down the TV station!

At this time, in New York, at the HBO TV headquarters building.

The atmosphere in the conference room was somewhat heavy, and all the executives looked solemn.

“What did Jackson Ye say?” Bob, the president of the TV station, looked around at everyone below and asked, “Have you got the copyright authorization for the next few seasons?”

"Will he agree to our terms?"

"......" There was a moment of silence in the audience, and Vice President David March said: "Boss, this matter has not been settled yet..."

"We have contacted him and proposed cooperation conditions with great sincerity, but something unexpected happened..."

Bob frowned and said, "He refused?"

"Not really." David March's face flashed with embarrassment. "The other party was quite polite and affirmed our cooperation, but he said that the conditions still need to be discussed in detail by both parties. At the same time, he has been a bit busy recently and cannot spare the time."

Bob snorted coldly and said, "It's just poor negotiation skills. It's just to delay time and wait until the heat is at its highest to increase the bargaining chips in hand."

Everyone was silent. Everyone knew that Ye Zhiqiu was trying to delay time, but there was nothing they could do about it.

The party that is more anxious now is HBO TV station.

After a moment of silence, Bob continued, "What did he say?"

David March quickly said: “In fact, we have been actively communicating with him since the first episode was broadcast.”

"At first, he said he was busy promoting his new movie and didn't have time..."

"By the way, he directed and released a science fiction film in China. It seems to be called The Wandering Earth, and it has already made nearly $6 million at the box office."

When Bob heard the news, there was a hint of astonishment in his eyes, and then his brows frowned even more.

If it were an ordinary screenwriter, due to economic and other pressures, he would eventually have no choice but to cooperate with them.

But Ye Zhiqiu is too special. Screenwriting isn't even his main job, and he doesn't seem to be short of money. This makes it difficult...

"We will continue to contact him after the movie is released." A strange look flashed across March's face, and he said, "He said his wife is pregnant, and his focus recently is on the family, and he will talk about work later..."

At this point, Ma Qi looked helpless. Thinking back to what Ye Zhiqiu had said at the beginning, he couldn't help but complain wildly in his heart.

Shit! That’s a damn excuse. This person must have done it on purpose!

This is a multi-billion dollar business, what could be more important!?

Don’t even mention that your wife is pregnant. If you agree to give me the scripts for the next few seasons of Game of Thrones, I can even give birth to your baby!

OK, I am a man, and I can also find a woman in the football team who is willing to give birth to your child!

"One more thing, Boss," March continued.

"Our arch-rival Showtime is also jealous. They seem to be preparing a TV series similar to Game of Thrones called Dragonheart. They must want to get a piece of the pie."

Hearing this, Bob rubbed his slightly aching forehead and said, "An imitator is always just an imitator."

"Well, our price is definitely sincere. What other conditions do you think he has?"

Ma Qi was silent for a while, then hesitantly said, "I think the most important thing may not be money."

"Jackson Ye is a very talented and ambitious person. In addition to being a screenwriter, he is also a director, as can be seen from the science fiction film he directed."

"If it's not crazy enough, no one would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in a science fiction film outside of Hollywood."

“I think he has definitely set his sights on the Western market, but he doesn’t have the qualifications to issue it.”

"He wanted to use our channels to get his film into Hollywood."

After the words were spoken, the conference room fell into a long silence.

Bob drummed his fingers on the table, his expression uncertain.

This is a very sensitive issue. If HBO does this, it will also face tremendous pressure and risks.

However, when the benefits are great enough, all risks are worth it.

As if he had made up his mind, Bob took a deep breath.

"We have to get the rights to the later seasons of Game of Thrones."

"No matter what the conditions!"