Chapter 201: A Strategic Move

Being a tabloid, both The Sun and The Sunday Sun are currently the highest-circulating newspapers in the UK.

Second in rank were The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mirror, which were the highest-circulating before the 1980s, but now the gap with The Sun keeps widening.

Chasing behind them are The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday!

Tina Brown, who took over the Mirror Group, was under a lot of pressure. "Arthur, the reform of the Mirror Group will cost millions of pounds. Next, I want to lower the price to 25 pence per copy."

"Sure," Arthur had no objection. The price could be raised later if necessary.

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, The Daily Mirror and The Sun had a price war in the future. The price of these tabloids fell to 20 pence per copy.

"This scandal about Prince Charles has pushed circulation beyond 3 million again," Arthur said, smiling at Tina Brown. "I've heard you're an expert on the royal family. There is no shortage of news about the British Queen's family. Prince Andrew and Princess Anne are no less interesting compared to Prince Charles.

Also, the United States is having an election right now. The current President's support rate continues to decline. I heard that in the Democratic primary, Governor Clinton of Arkansas has quite a good support rate.

These international news pieces are pretty good. The British people should find them interesting too!"

Tina Brown nodded, "Don't worry, I'm confident I can bring The Daily Mirror back to the top, as long as you can give me enough power. I've received dozens of invitations just three days after announcing the takeover of The Daily Mirror."

Once officially in office, Tina Brown indeed had her hands full.

"Don't journalists have the power to reveal the truth to the public?" Arthur shook his head.

"I'm heading to France soon. You'll be in charge of the Mirror Group, and Bertelsmann and PolyGram won't interfere with you. Relax!"

After Tina Brown left, Arthur's assistant Anna Walker reminded him it was time to leave for the airport.

Arthur nodded, "Is everything okay in Los Angeles?"

Anna Walker shook her head, "Everything is going smoothly. The promotion for The Bodyguard is going well. A Few Good Men and Scent of a Woman have received good reviews from test screenings. Schindler's List and Scream 2 are almost done with post-production.

If there's an issue, it's The Shawshank Redemption. We are struggling to cast the actors. Frank Darabont has confirmed Tim Robbins for the role of Andy. But for the important supporting role of Red, we can't find anyone. Neither Gene Hackman nor Robert Duvall has agreed."

Arthur rubbed his eyes. The Red in the novel is an Irish white man. "Inform the producer and director that they can consider breaking the racial boundaries. For example, casting a Black actor. Morgan Freeman, with his deep, calm, and authoritative voice, would be a good choice. Let Frank Darabont invite him for an audition."

In The Shawshank Redemption, besides the protagonist Andy, Red, who plays Andy's friend and mentor in prison, is a crucial role.

At this moment, in the office of the News Corporation building in London, the 61-year-old newspaper king Rupert Murdoch was looking at the news about the acquisition of the Mirror Group.

From the earliest News of the World to later The Sun, and then The Times, they steadily acquired the British newspaper industry step by step, turning News of the World and the left-wing The Sun into tabloids focused on celebrity privacy and scandals.

Though it earned him the reputation of being vulgar and disgusting, he reaped substantial benefits!

Rupert Murdoch had considered the Mirror Group, but another acquisition by the News Corporation in the UK would violate antitrust laws. Shaking his head, he looked at his old friend David Meyer, "It's no surprise you lost to the alliance of Galaxy, Bertelsmann, and PolyGram!"

David Meyer, also a bidder for the Mirror Group, couldn't compete with Arthur's side on the price.

"Arthur Smith, a promising young man in Hollywood lately," David Meyer smiled.

Rupert Murdoch was dismissive, "Arthur Smith, does he know how to run a newspaper? He has a knack for making movies, but newspapers? No way. Can newspapers attract him as much as Hollywood starlets?

Buying a British newspaper? Who knows what he's thinking? Aren't the luxury villas, sports cars, beauties, and champagne in Hollywood enough?"

Arthur Smith was just too young. In the eyes of media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, he should be enjoying his youth surrounded by glamorous cars and women.

Running a newspaper was all about politics!

David Meyer shrugged, "Tina Brown is not a simple figure. She's well-known in the British editorial industry and has many connections for royal news. Arthur Smith, being so young, will certainly not manage things himself. The foundation of the Mirror Group can't be underestimated!"

Rupert Murdoch waved his hand dismissively, "None of that matters. My current focus is on Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is promoting the reform of English football. The 22 teams of the old First Division formed the Premier League. The 1992-93 season is the Premier League's first!"

The broadcasting agreement between Sky Sports and the Premier League was not cheap. It was all for the sake of intense and thrilling matches.

As for The Daily Mirror, it won't affect the News Corporation's position in the UK media industry.

Moreover, both the News Corporation and Galaxy have their focus in the United States. In the US, they have 20th Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting Company. Galaxy may have invested in two TV stations, but it isn't in a position to compete with the News Corporation.

However, for Arthur, acquiring the Mirror Group was just a strategic move. Galaxy's 40% stake involved less than 10 million pounds, about 17 million US dollars at the current exchange rate.

The key point is the establishment of Galaxy UK, which can quickly invest in and develop good British scripts. Also, the distribution of Hollywood projects by Galaxy in the UK will be more convenient.

Compared to the UK, France, Germany, and Italy are more complicated as non-English-speaking markets among European major powers. Establishing distribution offices there is significantly challenging.

Besides, France is also the center of European art films, requiring serious attention.

*****

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