King of Hollywood

Chapter 113: Chapter 113 or TBS?

“No one… competing with us?!” Adrian’s brows, just relaxed, instantly furrowed again, his heart sinking at the thought of something.

“Yes,” Claude sighed, looking at him seriously, “do you know where our Blind Side is?”

“…Youth.” After a while, Adrian reluctantly spat out the word.

“Yes, our company is too young. It has been just over a year since we were founded. We don’t have many achievements to showcase and lack the heritage and qualifications of established companies. Remember when I said about ‘we’ needing nearly 20 billion for the funding? If we want to acquire, we have to offer a high price, and if another conglomerate also wants to acquire ABC, all we can do is hike the price even higher,” Claude said, shrugging his shoulders.

Adrian forced a bitter smile and said no more. The reason he proposed acquiring ABC at this time was to catch Disney off guard. In his memory, Disney should have acquired ABC by the end of ’94, and at this stage, they would probably still be planning. If he could preempt them, there might be a chance to snatch ABC from Disney’s hands.

But now, after Claude’s analysis, he realized his idea was too naive. Acquiring a massive enterprise like ABC would take months or half a year’s worth of contact and negotiations, which would give the other party the chance to hold out for a higher price—after all, if they were indeed going to sell, they should at least secure a good price for themselves.

If Adrian now made a move on ABC and Disney had no such plans, it would be one thing. But if Disney did, Michael Eisner would definitely be involved straight away. While Eisner might be considered a tyrant, he was also a shrewd businessman, and he certainly wouldn’t sit by and watch two young upstarts take ABC under their wing!

Just thinking about how ABC continued losing money for ten years after being acquired and how Disney never thought to sell it, steadfastly covering the deficit with its vast funds, made it clear how crucial the television network that spans the United States was to them. Michael Eisner was well aware of ABC’s complementary role in promotion and dissemination with Disney, so it was foolish to expect them to give up without thinking about how to raise more funds.

“It’s truly a hard pill to swallow,” Adrian sighed, pinching his fingers reluctantly.

Though Claude hadn’t said everything, Adrian was well aware that if they were determined to acquire, they might not be without a chance—just that the odds weren’t high. But by doing so, they would inevitably concentrate all their energy and resources on competing with Disney. If they succeeded in taking ABC, it wouldn’t matter, but if they failed, the loss would be devastating.

They were still not strong enough. Adrian sighed angrily to himself. If he could drag it out for three more years, he would definitely be able to raise more funds, but now, he could only watch the feast in front of him without being able to partake. Letting ABC slip through his fingers would mean there would no longer be any television networks spanning the United States available for acquisition, dealing a severe blow to the company’s development.

The influence of a media company with an extensive television network was much greater than that of companies with only print media. Modern people might go without newspapers or radio, but they wouldn’t stop watching television. Compared to newspapers and radio, television’s influence was multi-faceted, with sound, text, and dynamic images, making it easier for people to accept and process information.

Take this, for example, when people read novels, if they find a certain passage strange or forget the plot, they can stop and flip back to reread the details before continuing. But with movies, unless you’re at home, it’s impossible to ask the theater to rewind to rewatch an overlooked scene and then continue—as a result, some directors like to place many subtle details in their films as a strategy to attract viewers to watch their works multiple times, which is perfectly justifiable. And even at home, where you can rewind as you please, watching all the way from the rewind still feels odd.

One is an active gathering of information; the other is passive reception—naturally, the more influential is self-evident. Take Disney’s future TV movie “High School Musical” as an example. As a standalone film, it could at best be on par with “Step Up”—perhaps even less so—but after repeated promotion through ABC’s network, it instantly became a hot dance film, launching numerous young idols and garnering hefty profits.

Therefore, in Adrian’s plan, ABC’s television network was a must-have option from the start—it could only be ABC. However, he had not expected that, even after making a killing in the Soviet Union, achieving this goal would still be fraught with difficulties.

Of course, he could choose to buy a channel on another television network and then gradually expand to coverage across the United States, which was not difficult. He remembered plenty of high viewership series and Variety shows. Otherwise, how could he vow to save ABC? Even if he didn’t remember all the details, if a boss had prepared everything, what would he need an operations team for? Besides, he had already asked Laverne to set up a department for producing television dramas.

In addition to that, he could focus on the internet. Before his rebirth, the internet had already decimated records, and print publishing was staggering. Online television had long been on the agenda. If he seized all the opportunities he knew of, he could become a mogul in the emerging media industry.

However, both of these approaches would be subject to others for an extended period, especially the former. While the latter might have a broader horizon in the future, by that time, Adrian’s most significant advantage might no longer exist!

Damn television network. Adrian let out a long breath, pulling himself out of his thoughts, and looked at his close friend. “You’ve given me good news and then bad news, Claude.”

“Alright, Ed, don’t be like that,” Claude said soothingly, “I know television networks are important, and if you want, we might as well give it a try—or consider another broadcasting company?”

“Another broadcasting company? HBO?” Adrian spread his hands helplessly. “If we only acquire them, it might be better to simply start a new one.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, suddenly thinking of something. “I think there’s a broadcasting company that might interest you.”

“Oh?” Adrian looked curious.

“TBS!” Claude uttered the name.

“TBS?” Adrian blinked. “I think… what I need is a United States broadcasting company, right?”

“Am I not talking about a United States broadcasting company?” Claude was a bit confused.

“Isn’t TBS the abbreviation for Tokyo Broadcasting System?” Adrian was also perplexed.

“Tokyo Broadcasting System? God, what are you thinking of?!” Claude looked at him incredulously. After taking two deep breaths to calm himself down and choosing his words carefully, he asked, “Alright, do you remember which news channel stood out the most during last year’s Gulf War?”

“Of course, CNN,” Adrian stroked his chin, seemingly catching on, “are you trying to say…”

“Yes, CNN is a channel of Turner Broadcasting System,” Claude nodded, “abbreviated as TBS.”

“Turner Broadcasting System?” Adrian shook his head, beginning to recall relevant information.

“If I remember correctly, Ted Turner, the founder of TBS, used to attend my godfather’s, that is, your father’s cocktail parties, you should have met him,” Claude recalled.

“Is that so? Let me think…” Adrian propped his chin and squinted his eyes, his hand rhythmically tapping on the small round table, “A light mustache, hair always combed from left to right, eyes not big but spirited, square-faced, giving off a very rugged impression.”

“I’m surprised you still remember what he looks like,” Claude said, amazed.

“It’s nothing,” Adrian waved it off, seemingly unwilling to dwell on it, “do you think acquiring TBS is appropriate?”

“Of course,” Claude nodded, “Although TBS’s television network isn’t on par with ABC and doesn’t have as many nationwide channels, it’s quite notable throughout the country. After all, while TBS may not be as entertaining as NBC or CBS, CNN holds a solid position in the White House press corps. More importantly, TBS is much cheaper than ABC, likely only half the capital needed. Since you said you could revive ABC, why couldn’t you take TBS to the next level?”

He raised his hand to stop Adrian from interrupting, “I know what you’re going to say, Ed. Indeed, if we can successfully acquire ABC, and you can do what you’ve said, then that huge television network will elevate us several notches and give us more of a say. But have you ever considered, if our company, which has been established for less than two years, successfully acquires ABC, wouldn’t that be too eye-catching? Don’t you think our foundation is not very solid? Expanding too fast can easily leave us vulnerable to attack and then…”

Claude made a gesture: “I’ve had quite a few dealings with those guys on Wall Street and am well aware of the risks—if we do succeed in acquiring ABC, we will surely invest all our capital. If someone seizes the opportunity to spread rumors, we could easily fall into a trap and lose everything we’ve just gained. Therefore, I think acquiring TBS is more suitable. Also, even so, I don’t advise starting the acquisition immediately. We need more time and patience, cautiously approach the other side, while gathering all kinds of intelligence, making the most meticulous arrangements, and ensuring we can strike decisively when necessary!”

Claude waved his hand sharply to end his speech. Adrian said nothing, sitting quietly in his chair for a long time, his gaze fixed on something in the distance, until Claude finished a cup of coffee before he slowly began, “Alright then…”

(To be continued. For more information, please log on to www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)