Chapter 461: The Strategy of News Corporation

[Chapter 523: The Strategy of News Corporation]

In November, the temperature in New York wasn't high; it was much colder than Los Angeles.

By the Hudson River in the early morning, a thin fog enveloped the area.

Inside the warm room, Jennifer Aniston lay in Arthur's arms. When she saw him hang up the phone, she smiled and asked, "Is MGM's Cutthroat Island finally going to be released?"

"Yeah," Arthur replied with a hint of resignation. "Carloco is officially bankrupt and under bank receivership, and this troubled blockbuster is finally set to hit theaters."

Arthur had no expectations for this film; the $98 million production cost was daunting.

MGM's disaster film Twister had a budget of only $90 million, while another sci-fi blockbuster, Independence Day, cost just $75 million.

This year, Jim Carrey signed on to a Sony Columbia project, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, for a $20 million paycheck.

Other stars quickly followed suit, with Arnold Schwarzenegger also securing $20 million for Warner Bros.' Eraser, and Mel Gibson getting $20 million for Disney's Ransom!

Among the actresses, Demi Moore received $12.5 million for Sony Columbia's Striptease, while Sigourney Weaver was invited back to Fox's Alien 4 at $11 million.

Now, Hollywood male stars officially entered the $20 million club, while female stars stepped into the $10 million club!

...

At the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, Arthur took Jennifer Aniston to a private party and bumped into Rupert Murdoch.

Recently, News Corporation had focused on television, with Sky Television in the UK and FOX in the U.S. looking for expansion opportunities.

"Arthur, I can't believe CBS fell into your hands," Rupert Murdoch said, surprised and a bit urgent.

Galaxy had only been around for five or six years, and now it had already surpassed News Corporation. Once Galaxy went public next year, its market value would surely exceed News Corporation's.

Arthur remained calm, "Mr. Murdoch's tactics are quite impressive too. FOX in North America, Sky TV in Europe, and Star TV in Asia. News Corporation's global television strategy is a grand game; their cross-continental cable strategy is admirable!"

Fortunately, FOX was still considerably behind the big three traditional networks, especially since Galaxy had acquired CBS. In the future, the king of certain television markets would inevitably become channels led by USA Network.

CBS Children's, CBS Entertainment, CBS News Channel, CBS Women's Channel, and so on.

Moreover, TV is the channel, while film companies are the content makers; the development of 20th Century Fox films was crucial for the FOX network!

Rupert Murdoch sighed; FOX's next plans involved creating various types of cable channels covering news, sports, family, and more.

However, in the Greater Los Angeles sports market, they surely couldn't compete with CBS. Arthur Smith owned the LA Galaxy and the LA Kings, which meant they would likely broadcast on CBS Sports' LA local channel!

"You're truly a rising star," Rupert raised his glass to toast Arthur, recalling how News Corporation had recently acquired 20th Century Fox and established FOX Broadcasting, racking up quite a debt.

Compared to Galaxy's enviable rapid growth in recent years, other Hollywood studios were at a loss for words!

"The North American film box office market is nearly $5 billion, and Galaxy's film companies hold a significant share," he noted. Among the current Big Seven in Hollywood, only Warner Bros. could rival Galaxy and MGM, while Disney stayed afloat thanks to its animated films.

The other four studios weren't faring well!

Arthur smiled, "We've genuinely entered an era of economic globalization; the formation of the WTO will only accelerate the trend toward internationalism. The film market is no different; not only is the North American market expanding, but the international market is as well. This is truly a platinum age for Hollywood!"

...

After chatting with Rupert Murdoch for a while, Arthur ran into director Sydney Pollack at the party.

Pollack's Mirage Entertainment was set to release Sense and Sensibility, produced by Galaxy Concord in the next month; one of the producers was his daughter, Rebecca Pollack, who also held a position in the production department!

This year, Sydney Pollack also directed a romantic film, Sabrina, scheduled to release at the end of the year, starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond.

When Arthur heard about it, he couldn't help but grimace!

Harrison Ford was 53, and he was teaming up with 30-year-old Julia Ormond for a romantic comedy?

It reminded him of how Al Pacino and Mel Gibson had ventured into romance films -- what commercial prospects did that hold?

While he was certainly more appealing than Stallone or Bruce Willis, audiences weren't keen on watching them fall in love on screen.

If they had to act, it should be in a mature drama about love, just like this year's summer hit, The Bridges of Madison County, starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, which had been very successful.

Mature-themed love story focused on middle-aged relationships drew in a whopping $180 million globally; tough guy Clint Eastwood directed and starred in yet another masterpiece!

In recent years, Harrison Ford had gained popularity in America, driven by action films like The Fugitive, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger, igniting a strong sense of patriotism among American audiences.

Currently, Harrison Ford was quite popular among agencies like the CIA and FBI; the tough agent roles he played had significantly improved the public's perception of these organizations.

...

"Arthur, should we head back?" Jennifer Aniston found him, looking a bit bored.

Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist, "What's wrong? Is it feeling dull because it's all business types here?"

Jennifer shrugged and whispered in Arthur's ear, "It's just a bunch of old guys with young, pretty girls!"

Arthur chuckled and nodded, leading her to a nearby alcove.

"Want to stop by the bar for a drink?"

"Sure," Jennifer replied as she plopped down on Arthur's lap and kissed him passionately.

"Hmm," Arthur responded, his hand sliding to her collar, caressing her fair skin.

Before long, the two exited the Carlyle Hotel together.

*****

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