Chapter 366: Unequal Revenue Sharing

North of Miami's Palm Beach lies a long, narrow island. On Jupiter Island, near the Indian River area in the north of West Palm Beach, Charles found a grand estate covering 1150 square feet.

Surrounded by tall palm trees and stunning scenery, Charles really liked the place. The price of $10.5 million was also acceptable to him.

In Miami's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Charles was playing blackjack with Alexandra Daddario.

"Come on, blow on it, let's get a four," Charles said slowly, and Alexandra Daddario blew on the cards as hard as she could.

"Oh wow, 19! Not bad," Charles revealed a 9.

"We just won $20,000!" Alexandra Daddario exclaimed in surprise.

Charles nodded, "Let's go. We've won almost $20,000 in total. Let's go grab a drink."

Charles enjoyed small bets, but he didn't have an addiction. Anything that could get you hooked wasn't a good thing.

Just as they entered the bar inside the Hard Rock Hotel, Charles received a call from his mother. Due to the bar's noise, Charles took Alexandra Daddario back to their room.

On the sofa, Charles called his mother back to ask what was so urgent.

"You want to spend a billion dollars to buy an NFL team?" Evelyn exclaimed over the phone.

"Yep, waiting for Wayne Huizenga's response. The value of NFL teams has great potential for appreciation, and transactions are rare. It's worth holding onto long-term," Charles explained. Although his social status was now very high, being the owner of an NFL club was still a big deal.

"I also plan to buy an NBA team, but I haven't heard of any for sale yet!"

"Given the financial crisis, Wayne Huizenga is selling the Miami Dolphins. An NBA team owner might also consider selling," Evelyn knew about Charles' idea of developing CSE into an entertainment and sports alliance.

"Oh, that's what I think too. But what about the two teams in Los Angeles, are they possible?" Charles asked, placing one hand on Alexandra Daddario's thigh.

"That's tough. The Buss family has turned the Lakers into a golden brand in Los Angeles. The Staples Center's parent company, AEG, also has stakes, so the Lakers probably won't be sold," Evelyn analyzed the situation for Charles.

"As for the Clippers, Donald Sterling bought them in the '80s and moved them to LA, so if he ever sells, it would be at a sky-high price!"

"Yeah, but doesn't Donald Sterling have a reputation for being racist? Can we find evidence of his racial discrimination?" Charles inquired, thinking Los Angeles would be perfect as his base of operations and owning a team there would be ideal.

"Hah, it's not that easy. Such things need the right opportunity. I'll have someone contact Donald Sterling for now," Evelyn also wished for CSE to own a team in LA, as Capet Entertainment and ETA's influence in Hollywood would only grow stronger.

"For now, let's make contact," Charles had backups in mind, like the Warriors and Nets, as one was moving from Oakland to San Francisco and the other from New Jersey to New York.

"By the way, there's something else. DreamWorks and Paramount had a falling out, and they want to break away again," Evelyn said from her office, flipping through a file.

"Revenue sharing problems? Different visions?" Charles chuckled.

"Something like that. Steven Spielberg wants to make a CGI animated version of Tintin with a high budget and Peter Jackson involved, but Paramount isn't keen on it. Steven Spielberg feels that Paramount has interfered with his independent production. Last year, DreamWorks' Shrek the Third, Bee Movie, and Disturbia all did well at the box office, much better than Paramount's films. You know Spielberg, he doesn't like being controlled!"

Charles laughed, relieved that Transformers wasn't in DreamWorks' hands; otherwise, Paramount would be even more subordinate.

"Of course, Spielberg's revenue share is too much. Both Paramount chairman Brad Grey and Viacom chairman Philippe Dauman are very unhappy with Spielberg's greed!"

Listening to his mother, Charles realized his guess was right - it was about uneven profits. "That's it. DreamWorks' buyout won't be cheap. They'll need to repay their high debts and fund future projects."

At the end of 2005, Viacom had raised $1.6 billion in cash to acquire DreamWorks, also taking on $400 million in debt.

"DreamWorks has already reached out to India's Reliance Entertainment and JPMorgan Chase for support to complete the buyout," Evelyn quickly explained the funding source.

"Ah, so they have Indian capital backing them," Charles exhaled. Reliance was originally founded by Dhirubhai Ambani, India's largest private company. After his death, his sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani split the empire.

Reliance Industries Limited headed by Mukesh Ambani, and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group headed by Anil Ambani. Reliance Entertainment is under Anil Ambani's group.

"Yeah," Charles said, excited, while Alexandra Daddario stood up with a look of resentment, one hand over her mouth and the other pointing to the bathroom before walking away.

"Do you have business dealings with Reliance?" Evelyn asked.

"No, I just think we should pay more attention to the Indian market. Many film companies are now turning to Asia for capital," Charles casually explained.

"Didn't you have a film this year, Slumdog Millionaire, shot in India? You could use that as a breakthrough," Evelyn's words immediately cleared Charles's mind.

"Absolutely, I'll return to Los Angeles as soon as possible!" Charles had been in Miami for a few days, even buying a house, but it was time to leave.

"Okay, I also have a film project from Peter Jackson's agent for you to look at," Evelyn said as she hung up, gathering her desk documents and preparing to go home. It was project files sent by Peter Jackson's agent.

*****

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