Chapter 347: Snapple

Orange County, Honda Center, Anaheim.

It was the third game of the Western Conference playoffs first round, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets. With the Clippers trailing 0-2 from the previous games, this night was a do-or-die battle for them. The first round of the playoffs follows a best-of-five series format, meaning if the Rockets won again, the Clippers' playoff journey would come to an end!

In the Honda Center suite, with the game concluding, Arthur and Jennifer Aniston breathed a sigh of relief.

The Clippers secured a victory in the third game with a score of 108-104, avoiding a sweep.

"The Rockets have a shot at the championship this year," Arthur pointed to the Rockets players on the court.

Jennifer Aniston flicked her long hair, "The SuperSonics led the regular season in the West, and the Suns had a decent record too."

"The Knicks and Bulls are still strong contenders in the East as well!"

Arthur stuck out his tongue, "Trust me, I have a good eye."

If memory serves correctly, the SuperSonics were upset by the Nuggets, right? In the East, the New York Knicks led by Ewing weren't bad, and the Bulls played well under Pippen's leadership. However, Olajuwon's performance this year was flawless.

"Let's head back to the hotel," Arthur wasn't interested in going to the locker room. Head coach Larry Brown would leave at the end of the season, and Gregg Popovich would join the new Los Angeles Galaxy!

Honda Center is situated by the Santa Ana River, not far from Anaheim Angels Stadium.

For Arthur, though, Anaheim was a bit too far from Los Angeles and the Honda Center was not suitable as the home court for the Galaxy.

Soon, they headed to the nearby Sheraton Hotel, observing quite a few fans leaving the Honda Center along the way.

Arthur rubbed Jennifer Aniston's thigh and commented, "Seems like there aren't many people. Michael Jordan's retirement really has a big impact!"

"The Clippers have always been underdogs. Even when they played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, attendance wasn't great," Jennifer Aniston glanced outside the car window.

"Now in Anaheim, despite making the playoffs, they still don't have as many fans as the Lakers!"

After Michael Jordan retired last year, he joined the MLB's Chicago White Sox this February. Like the NBA's Chicago Bulls, the White Sox were owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and Jordan signed a minor league contract with them.

Passing by a cinema, Arthur noticed a huge poster for Forrest Gump.

With a production budget of $60 million, the Galaxy had high hopes for Forrest Gump. Plus, Tom Hanks had just won an Academy Award for Best Actor for Philadelphia.

The marketing budget for Forrest Gump was nearly $25 million!

Compared to another movie, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump had better treatment. Pulp Fiction didn't have a high investment but had great word-of-mouth within the industry.

Next, it would be crucial to see how Pulp Fiction performed at the Cannes Film Festival.

In May, the Hollywood summer season would begin, but Arthur traveled to New York and then Boston. Thomas H. Lee's THL Fund and Arthur's California Pacific Investment Company sold Snapple Beverage to Quaker Oats Company.

Over two years, Snapple's sales had increased nearly eightfold, and it was finally sold to Quaker Oats for $1.7 billion.

Arthur owned half of Snap's shares, turning a less than $70 million investment into about $800 million in two years!

In the Langham Hotel in Boston, after signing the sale agreement with Quaker Oats, the THL Private Equity Fund held a grand ball.

Numerous New England socialites were invited to the ball.

Guests included Abigail Johnson, daughter of Fidelity Investments Chairman Edward Johnson III, Peter Lynch, manager of Fidelity's Magellan Fund, and John Bogle, founder of Vanguard.

Thomas H. Lee's strategy made a big splash, causing Arthur to regard him with great admiration.

Arthur, having maintained good cooperation with Fidelity Investments at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, engaged in a lively chat with Abigail Johnson, "The Beverly Hills Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Los Angeles will open next March!"

"I plan to build two new Ritz-Carlton hotels in Miami and Chicago," Arthur shared his plans. "The Caribbean and Cannes, those famous tourist cities are also on our list!"

...

"Congratulations, Arthur, you now have the funds to acquire MGM," John Malone looked at Arthur with envy. The THL Fund's maneuver was incredibly impressive.

Arthur smiled, "Even without this windfall, Kirk Kerkorian would find it tough to reacquire MGM. As long as the price is within a controllable range, I wouldn't mind competing with him!"

Previously at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Arthur received a call from Kirk Kerkorian and understood his sentiments. Kirk indeed had no real interest in film, only speculative investments.

If a Hollywood studio owner couldn't outcompete a casino hotel operator, there's only one reason: a significant disparity in capital!

John Malone nodded and then reminded Arthur, "Starz needs eye-catching movies and TV shows for its launch. Directly competing with HBO and Showtime for exclusive rights to hit movies might not make Starz stand out!"

Arthur was prepared, "Don't worry, Starz will develop original TV movies and series. Also, as a premium cable service, Galaxy TV will create some boundary-pushing shows for Starz.

Not only Showtime, but I'm confident about competing with HBO as well!"

John Malone smiled, "Your confidence is reassuring. I'm fully supporting Galaxy's acquisition of MGM."

John Malone currently oversaw TCI Group, the largest cable TV operator in the US.

He was indeed qualified to say this!

*****

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