Beijing Huatian Lawyer Yang Tao: Digitalization will bring about an era of equal rights for film and television works

On October 21, 2025, the "MIRROR 2025 High-End Forum on the Cross-Border Integration of the Film and Television Culture Industry and RWA," co-hosted by Mirror.fan and Ganxing Financial Private Board, opened at the Lumichang New Audiovisual Industrial Park in Dongcheng District, Beijing. Golden Finance was honored to have an exclusive interview with Yang Tao, an attorney at Beijing Huatian Law Firm. The biggest opportunity for the integration of entertainment and RWA lies in activating the existing assets of film and television companies; the biggest obstacle is asset valuation. The integration of film and television content with "assetization" will promote the separation of ownership and consumption rights of film and television content. If film and television works are digitized, traceable, and distributable, it will usher in an era of equal rights for film and television works. The specific content is summarized as follows: 1. What are the biggest opportunities for the integration of entertainment and RWA? What are the biggest obstacles? The biggest opportunity for the integration of entertainment and RWA is to activate the existing assets of film and television companies. If completed films are converted into RWA, monetization opportunities can be further increased. The biggest obstacle is asset valuation. Old IP has value and can be used as a benchmark, but the valuation of new IP is more difficult. 2. What new changes do you think the integration of film and television content and "assetization" will bring to the general audience's consumption experience or participation methods? It will promote the separation of ownership and revenue rights of film and television content. Although project owners develop and launch film and television content and own the copyright, they can also choose to cede revenue rights. This approach will also increase user engagement, increase user stickiness, and enhance interactive enthusiasm. 3. What industry barriers or cognitive barriers do you think need to be overcome in the cross-border integration of film, television, entertainment, and RWA? I don't believe there are any industry barriers. The cross-border integration of entertainment and RWA simply digitizes assets—a cross-border move, not a barrier. However, there is a barrier: valuation. If valuation can be resolved, the barrier will disappear. We also need to pay special attention to the regulatory risks of tokenized assets. However, if practitioners truly commit to practical implementation, the government will help resolve the issue. For example, initially placing shared bikes on sidewalks was unreasonable, but they can solve last-mile transportation problems, so they can eventually be placed on sidewalks. The government, recognizing socially beneficial initiatives, will support practitioners through policy. 4. In your opinion, what are the biggest changes facing the film and television cultural industry today? Is it in creation, financing, distribution, or audience consumption patterns? Since the rise of short videos, the threshold for film and television production has been continuously lowered, and even filmmaking can be done directly on a mobile phone. This has led to a significant reduction in film and television costs, making it easier than ever to obtain financing for small productions.

Currently, audiences prefer fast-food consumption and are basically brainwashed by the constant barrage of short videos. They may lose patience after watching a film or TV show that lasts more than five minutes. Therefore, cutting old movies into many small segments can arouse the audience's interest and better promote the circulation of film and television works.

5. If film and television works, copyrights, derivatives, and even fan rights can be digitized, tracked, and distributed, what impact do you think this will have on the industry?

I think this means the arrival of an era of equal rights. After the rise of AI, ordinary people can use AI to create film and television works and obtain copyrights and derivatives. Digitalization will usher in an era of equal rights for film and television works. In this new era, the content of film and television works will be richer and the connotations will be deeper and broader.