Chapter 2973: Buy at a low price

Zhou Buqi said: "I guess this is a big deal. Comcast's scale is scary enough. But the scale of the current TV industry is much larger than that of the streaming media industry, and it is far from the time when the industry collapses. Whether it is Comcast It is basically unlikely that either Sturt or Charter Communications will complete the merger.”

Kilar said easily: "Whether it passes regulation or not, the impact on us will not be too great. The resistance is not with us, but whether media giants such as Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Viacom can accept it. "

If the TV operator giant Comcast or Charter Communications really merge with Time Warner, the biggest threat will not be MSI Global.

Because there are no TV stations under Ziweixing Global at all.

Reflecting on the fact that other Hollywood giants are all TV's two-in-one mechanism of "platform side + content side", once they really start a giant three-in-one model, life will not be easy for these Hollywood giants .

Therefore, they will definitely join forces to oppose it and form a group to lobby to prevent the transaction from proceeding.

Zhou Buqi nodded, "A merger of giants of this level will shock the whole of Hollywood."

Kilar smiled and said: "Let them be busy! It has nothing to do with us. Taking advantage of this stage when they are all distracted, we seized the industry's window period and launched our video streaming platform. Waiting for our peers to start from Kangli After the merger between Custer and Time Warner, we have established a firm foothold in the streaming media market.”

Zhou Buqi said: "It doesn't necessarily mean it has nothing to do with it."

"Um?"

"Comcast and Charter Communications both want to acquire Time Warner, so both parties will inevitably have to bid."

"No one is a match for Comcast."

Kilar immediately concluded.

Giants like Comcast are so rich and have unimaginable huge cash flows. Because Comcast is the operator, it collects money directly from users. After receiving the money, they will distribute the money to the major TV stations in proportion.

Zhou Buqi said: "Let's give it a try. If the authorities really don't allow it and don't agree with this kind of transaction, then forget it. If something unexpected happens and the authorities approve this kind of transaction, we'd better make a move." Come in and get a piece of the pie.”

Kilar frowned slightly, "How to divide?"

Zhou Buqi said: "When Paramount acquired DreamWorks, the transaction price was US$1.6 billion. However, Paramount simply couldn't afford that much money."

Speaking of this, everyone at Ziweixing Global knows it.

It’s not just Universal and DreamWorks’ special relationship.

Universal Pictures also competed back then.

But the quote was too low and he was eliminated.

Later, when Boss Zhou came, he changed the situation and embarked on a path of asset merger and capital expansion.

Kilar said with a smile: "Yes, Paramount used very clever capital methods to complete the merger and acquisition. Paramount was bidding with Universal Pictures at the time. The reason why Paramount dared to quote a sky-high price of US$1.6 billion was because it found With the help of the capital tycoon Soros, they sold all the film and television rights of DreamWorks to Soros in advance, and used the money to buy the films and television films that were later sold to Soros. You bought all the copyrights, and they are now in our film and television library. These film and television copyright assets are very good, they are high-quality content, and they can generate at least 120 million to 150 million US dollars in revenue every year."

Zhou Buqi said: "This is indeed a good acquisition strategy. It can be said that Paramount used capital strategy to defeat Universal Pictures. This is also a feasible plan for the weak to defeat the strong."

"You mean..." Kilar understood what he meant immediately, "You mean Chartered Communications?"

Charter Communications is much weaker than Comcast.

If the two sides compete in a normal way, Charter Communications will definitely lose. Charter Communications simply can't afford the price Comcast can afford. It doesn't have that much money.

Redstone's model when he led Paramount to acquire DreamWorks was a good example to follow.

Zhou Buqi said: "We can talk to Charter Communications and say that we can provide at least US$5 billion in cash to help them acquire Time Warner. The prerequisite is that we must obtain the content copyrights they need."

Kilar couldn't help laughing, this was indeed Boss Zhou's style.

Zhou Buqi said: "In recent years, the rise of the video streaming industry has led to a substantial increase in the price of content copyright. However, this is just the beginning. In the future, the price of content copyright will only get higher and higher. As long as there are people who buy the copyright Don’t miss the opportunity. Developing the content industry is still a long-term strategic choice for Ziweixing Global.”

Kilar said: "Content is the cornerstone of Time Warner. It is impossible for them to directly sell all the film and television rights like Paramount did."

Zhou Buqi said with a smile: "A copyright buyout is definitely not possible. No matter it is Charter Communications or Time Warner, they will not agree. We only need to win the streaming media rights of some film and television dramas. The contract will be signed for 8 years and 10 years." years, 15-year contracts.”

"Streaming rights..."

Only then did Kilar suddenly understand what Boss Zhou meant.

Zhou Buqi said: "If there is really a chance to obtain the streaming media copyright of Time Warner's film and television content, even if it is only signed for 5 years, it will be a huge help to our own streaming media platform!"

Kilar said with a complicated expression: "Time Warner's copyrights are many and very expensive. Even if it is only signed for 5 years, the fee of 5 billion US dollars may not be enough."

Zhou Buqi smiled and said, "So we have to take advantage of the situation. Charter Communications will definitely not be able to compete with Comcast. As long as their belief is strong enough and they really want to acquire Time Warner, they will definitely need our help."

Mockingjay is really boring.

This is an American-style adaptation of a best-selling book.

It has great appeal and popularity in North America, but the overseas box office is not so impressive.

Zhou Buqi doesn't like this movie at all.

I watched it vaguely.

The main thing is to talk to Kilar about some company matters.

Kilar nodded, "If the regulator can really approve the transaction, this is really an opportunity to get in at a low price."

Zhou Buqi asked, "The company has more than 20 billion US dollars in cash on its account?"

"Yes."

This is Kilar's biggest reliance, and it is the cash reserve that Ziweixing Global relies on for its video streaming business. If you want to build a video streaming business, you don't have to spend 10 billion US dollars, even with your own super copyright library as support, it is unlikely to be large-scale.

Zhou Buqi said: "In the next few years, we only need to pay 20% of our annual net profit as dividends. There will not be much cash pressure. You should first check out the situation at Charter Communications. If it is really reliable, we can invest up to $10 billion to help them acquire Time Warner! If we can monopolize the streaming rights of Time Warner's movies and TV series for 10 years, then..."

"By then, our streaming business will be even bigger than Netflix!"

Kilar was very excited.

He is a technology person, not a film person. The reason why he was able to take charge of Ziweixing Global and become the CEO is because of the important role he can play in the field of video streaming.

Zhou Buqi said: "However, I am very worried about whether the regulatory authorities can really approve it. If they really don't approve it, then you will have a hard time here. You must withstand the pressure, look further ahead, and start from the long term. When Netflix's self-made dramas have reached a certain scale and are not highly dependent on our film and television content, we will then take back the copyrights and form an exclusive broadcast effect. Don't be too anxious."

It's actually the same idea.

Ziweixing Global can go after Time Warner if it wants to develop a streaming platform, but don't go after Netflix!

Don't damage Netflix's interests just because you develop your own streaming business!

Zhou Buqi is the actual controller of Ziweixing Global, so Kilar will naturally have such awareness. Power only serves the source of power. It was not the shareholders' meeting that appointed him as CEO, but Zhou Buqi. When making a choice, he must of course care more about maintaining the interests of the big boss Zhou.