Chapter 186: I Want Fox

[Chapter 186: I Want Fox]

Montecito.

At Gaskill's villa, Ian, the old man, and Lena happily enjoyed drinks during another private celebration. Lena's belly was getting bigger; her child was about to be born.

However, today's celebration wasn't for the baby but to toast two successful deals. CBS had secured the entire NFL broadcasting contract, including the Super Bowl, for $50 million. Additionally, Ian signed a deal with Warner Bros to obtain investment rights to Harry Potter, which included some copyright and merchandising profits -- gaining film investment rights wasn't a big deal; anyone with money could get that; it was just a matter of price.

The real catch was the control over the copyrights and the huge chunk of profits from merchandising. Similar operations would be continually observed, and any potential blockbuster that could blow up would have Ian involved. In the future, no major Hollywood film could start without Ian Carr's approval.

As they sipped their drinks, Gaskill casually asked, "So what's your next move, Ian?"

"I plan to acquire Fox Entertainment Group," Ian replied.

Fox Entertainment Group included the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News, and 20th Century Fox. It was currently privately held, with an estimated value around $30 billion. However, under Barry Meyer's leadership, it was set to become one of America's most profitable media companies in the coming years, experiencing rapid growth and skyrocketing profits. They managed to outpace CNN's revenue despite only having over a thousand employees compared to CNN's four thousand.

Consequently, the value of the entire Fox Group would continuously rise, but at present, they were still smaller than Fox Film. Even though Ian often claimed he prioritized influence, he couldn't help being tempted by the hundreds of millions in yearly revenue.

Of course, influence remained the most crucial factor, but didn't making a lot of money also signify great influence? Starting from this year, Ian had set his sights globally; he needed to cover domestic news and international news.

Global news required the support of an international media group to increase his news value, similar to how he initially needed CBS' assistance. There was another reason: Fox News had consistently supported the Republican Party. Although CBS backed the Democrats, Ian didn't have any political bias. To him, he would support whoever won.

Since both parties took turns governing, he needed both tools -- there was no requirement for them to change their stances; that would result in losing clients. However, when he supported the Democrats, Fox would have a lower profile, and when he backed the Republicans, CBS would take a hit.

"That's not going to be easy," the old man laughed.

"Yeah," Ian sighed, "It'll require a lot of money."

Gaskill shook his head lightly. "Don't worry about the money; Lino will continue to support you. The key issue is News Corp; Murdoch won't let go easily."

Fox Group was founded by Rupert Murdoch himself, part of News Corp, and in his eyes, it was his child, so letting it go wouldn't happen without a fight. Ian remarked, "News Corp has consistently been spying on all officials!"

To gain top-tier news, News Corp operated covertly around the globe. What Ian did only mirrored what News Corp had been doing. Ian focused on precise strikes and qualitative breakthroughs, while News Corp covered everything -- quantity over quality.

Though the News Corp scandal broke in 2011, that didn't mean they had only begun those practices then; in reality, they had started long before. It could be said that the low standards for journalists had been set by News Corp, dragging them down to the basement level. Unlike before when Ian pursued only big stories, he now sought materials with more business needs, particularly targeting his competitors.

Throughout the past year, Ian had dug deep into issues faced by various rivals, holding onto a pile of dirt that he just hadn't revealed yet. Hearing what Ian said, Gaskill gently shook his head. "I once advised you not to rely on your skills for gambling, yet you've taken your abilities down a different path... extortion-style operations."

Ian laughed, "Are you planning to keep discouraging me?"

Gaskill immediately shook his head, "No! Leveraging others' privacy to secure necessary resources is a common business tactic; it won't affect your core principles, so I won't dissuade you."

Ian chuckled.

Gaskill continued, "But I still need to remind you that this isn't the only route, nor is it the right one. Just as no one can manage a country through terrorism and assassinations, relying solely on extortion cannot build a perfect business empire. I don't oppose your actions; I just advise against depending on this method alone. Effective business operations should be multifaceted."

Lena interjected gently, "Moreover, Murdoch isn't someone easily intimidated."

Gaskill smiled. "I usually don't like women chiming into business, but she's right this time."

Ian pointed at Gaskill, "Watch your words; that's demeaning to women. It'll get you attacked by feminist groups."

Gaskill laughed heartily, "Brilliant! Ian, you're already in a position to educate me!"

He gave Ian a hearty hug.

That day, Ian and Gaskill had an extended conversation. Gaskill didn't provide specific opinions on Ian's strategy as a banker; he was more adept at the broad strokes rather than the nitty-gritty details. Ian's media-centric mergers and acquisitions strategy was clear guidance from Gaskill.

With this strategic direction set, Ian found a breakthrough in acquiring Fox Entertainment Group -- not aiming for eternity, but for temporary possession.

...

The next day, Ian instructed his secretary to send a proposal for acquiring Fox Entertainment Group to News Corp, laying out the core conditions:

1. Carr Media Group was willing to invest $12 billion to acquire 40% of Fox Entertainment Group's shares.

2. Carr Media Group pledged to boost Fox News' market share by 80% within ten years based on current figures.

3. If Carr Media Group failed to meet the expected goals, then, per the relevant tiered clauses, News Corp had the right to buy back shares at a lower price.

4. Carr Media Group wouldn't change the core management of Fox Entertainment Group; Ian Carr himself would not take on the role of chairman, merely occupying a board seat.

5. Ian Carr would provide exclusive news to News Corp.

This array of conditions seemed splendid, almost pitching to Murdoch, "Let me borrow your business; I'll pay you a hefty rent." Essentially, it was business leasing.

Getting someone like Rupert Murdoch to sell is nearly impossible unless you offer three times the valuation. Perhaps a temporary arrangement could work.

...

For such terms, even Rupert Murdoch said something could be discussed, and Mr. Murdoch would meet him in Korea. High-profile business negotiations often needed to be veiled to avoid external fluctuations that could hurt one's operations. The Japan-Korea World Cup served as an excellent cover... Where many big names convened, they could casually chat without raising suspicion, and it wouldn't be understood that the gathering for a football match could lead to a significant business collaboration.

On the other hand, if Ian were to make a special trip all the way from Los Angeles to Delaware to meet Murdoch, once spotted, it could stir up a significant uproar -- whereas if he traveled to New York to see some arms and oil tycoon, the reaction might not be as pronounced.

The difference came from the peculiarities of the industry -- unless Ian's investment ventures reached a notoriety akin to his media influence, it wouldn't create such an uproar.

...

Ian had no problems with this. The reason he proposed these terms was that Ian never intended to fulfill the agreements; he sought to imitate the operation of the Signet Daily, squeezing out profits from Fox Entertainment Group to the maximum extent during their operational period.

Currently, the most valuable asset within Fox Entertainment Group was 20th Century Fox Film. Although the company would continue to grow, its potential for growth was limited, potentially needing to change hands in the end. The real asset with massive growth potential was Fox News, but at present, its value was not that significant.

What Ian sought were some of the copyrights of Fox Film and some core assets of Fox News, which is why he proposed those terms. Naturally, News Corp wouldn't overlook this fact; that's why Ian promised not to alter the core management -- given that they were News Corp's personnel, they would resist any actions that could harm the company.

But no one could escape Ian's control. Once a company came under his hands, many things became impossible for others to dictate.

Using his power and foresight, along with a touch of persuasion and illusion, emptying out Fox Entertainment Group's critical assets would be easy, after which he could sell them back to News Corp at a discount. Bearing a few losses from "poor management," accepting the painful infusion of billions in profit, along with the handsome profit shares accrued over these years, he could meanwhile grow LANN.

LANN was his real pride!

Of course, those details weren't critical; what mattered was that over time, his influence in the media was growing larger, leading to a hidden profit that would become even more substantial! This made Ian increasingly believe he had a gift for creating a parasitic business: he was profiting all along by exploiting "business losses!"

He was born to be a king of shorts!

*****

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