Chapter 345: Acquisition of Universal Pictures

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Rebecca nodded, and after a moment of silence, "Boss, I believe in your absolute control and wise decisions over Enron Pacific. But India is not the right place for companies to make a big splash here. ”

"I know. But it's a market we can't give up, especially Dabor. After a pause, Guo Shouyun continued, "Rebecca, how much do you know about the history of China?"

"Not much. In American textbooks, there is not much space to introduce the history of China. ”

"What about the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period?"

"I know a few things like the Opium War, the Sino-Japanese War, and the warlord melee in China. Although she didn't understand why Guo Shouyun asked this, Rebecca still answered as best she could.

"Actually, in my opinion. Today's India is like the Qing Dynasty in China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Officialdom is corrupt, the people are dark and hierarchical, and the people are ignorant and uneducated. In order to make money in such an environment, Westerners at that time used three methods. First, the strong authority and deterrence brought about by strong national strength. Second, they are willing to pay money to bribe the officialdom that controls political power. Thirdly, let the 'people' who are familiar with the local situation, commonly known as the 'compradors', run the local business for them. ”

"Even though the times are different now, the countries are also different. But we can use these tools as a reference. So, for India's development strategy. My thoughts are: First, make more use of the background of our American companies and strive for better investment opportunities and conditions. Second, as long as it can protect our interests and provide us with convenience, then don't mind spending more money on officialdom. Third, nurture our Indian agents. The core goal is only one, as long as it can make us money, then we are willing to do anything in India. ”

After pondering for a long time, Rebecca Mark nodded slowly.

"I couldn't agree more with your three proposals for the Indian market. But in many cases, the actual difficulties encountered will be more complex and more than imagined. ”

"I understand. Nothing is set in stone. Our strategy will also be adjusted as the situation in India and the world situation changes. After a pause, Guo Shouyun's gaze suddenly became deeper, "This world is too complicated, and sometimes we have to prepare in advance to ensure that we don't deviate from the track when we make decisions." ”

After more than a year of getting along, Rebecca Mark also has a certain understanding of the young boss. Obviously, he had something in mind.

"Rebecca, there are still many elites among India's billion-person population, do you know any?" After a moment of silence, Guo Shouyun suddenly asked.

"During the three years that the Dabor project has been launched, I have met many Indian entrepreneurs, academics and politicians. Although many of them are mediocre people who rely on their families or opportunistic tricks to rise to power, there are also many elites with real talents and real learning. Rebecca nodded.

"When I got to India, I was introduced to some of these people. ”

"You want to get acquainted?"

Rebecca was a little surprised. Isn't this big boss the most hateful to socialize?

Guo Shouyun, who could guess some thoughts from her expression, said with a smile: "I once heard a saying: When you can't change the world, the best way is to adapt to it." I don't like socializing and socializing, but sometimes I have to adapt. ”

After savoring Guo Shouyun's words in her heart, Rebecca Mark nodded.

After looking at the time, Guo Shouyun stood up.

"Let's talk about 'India' first. Let's go, it's time for lunch. ”

Rebecca followed Guo Shouyun downstairs. After lunch, take a break. After sorting out the materials needed for the negotiation and the acceptable bottom line of the negotiation, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the two went out on time with their assistants.

Guo Shouyun, who has been here twice, is not familiar with Vivendi's headquarters, but he is also a little familiar. Welcomed by Jean-René Fortu, the two sides sat down again.

"Mr. Guo, meet again!"

"Yes. Hopefully, this time we will be able to reach an agreement that will satisfy both parties!"

"Of course, that's what I expect!"

After a brief greeting, the two sides tacitly entered the topic.

“… Regarding Vivendi Games, we think $1.8 billion is an appropriate number. ”

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fortu. We think $1.8 billion is too much. First, Vivendi Games has two main brands. The R&D division has been closed, leaving only the distribution department, which is worth no more than $300 million. The game rights under Xueleshan can be valued for $150 million. Second, Blizzard. I admit that both Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft are very popular games. But with that alone, I think $800 million is an appropriate number. ”

"Mr. Guo, the purchase price of $1.25 billion is too exaggerated. Vivendi Games has an annual revenue of 150 million euros and sells an average of 4 million game discs per year. Selling to Matrix for $1.8 billion is already a difficult choice we made on the basis of Mr. Guo's very worthy cooperation. Sorry, we don't agree!"

"Monsieur Fortu, we are all smart people. The true value of Vivendi's games, we all know in our hearts. $1.8 billion is too high. ”

"But Mr. Guo's $1.25 billion offer is too low!"

The two looked at each other without showing weakness for a while, and then suddenly smiled separately. Both sides understand that the person sitting across from each other is not easy to deal with.

"I have a proposal, Mr. Fortu. ”

"Please!"

"We can reduce our stake in Veolia as appropriate. In exchange, you agree to our offer for Vidiwang Games. ”

Veolia is a new company formed by the merger of Azuricos Water, a subsidiary of Enron Pacific, and Vidiwang Environment.

"Oh, how much is Mr. Guo willing to give up?"

“2%！”

Jean-René Fortu's eyes flashed. After the merger, Veolia is valued at around $18 billion. 2% is $360 million. Coupled with Guo Shouyun's previous offer, it is in line with the actual value of Vidiwang games in his heart.

I have the heart to add a few more numbers. But seeing Guo Shouyun's expression, after hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded.

"Yes!"

Coming to Canal+ next, the two sides had no objection to the $1.5 billion offer. But when it came time for Universal Pictures, the biggest disagreement broke out.

"Mr. Guo, I am very sincere to talk again, but your offer of $9.4 billion for Universal Pictures is really not in line with the value of the world's second-largest film company and the second-largest theme park operator, and the gap is huge. ”

"Yes? But I think $9.4 billion is a good price. As for the second largest theme park operator, apart from the two Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood, and the two Universal Studios in Spain and Japan, you don't even have the right to operate them, except for the shares. And how high is the value. In addition, Universal Music Group, which originally belonged to Universal Pictures, has been stripped out of negotiations. Without this asset, $9.4 billion is my final offer for Universal Pictures. Guo Shouyun said without backing down.

"No way. Universal's U.S. box office performance in the past three years has exceeded $1.2 billion, and it has produced classic films such as "Shakespeare in Love", "American Pie", "The Mummy", "Jurassic Park", "Gladiator" and "Spy". If you include the world box office and peripheral revenue, it has reached an astonishing level of 3.5 billion US dollars per year. So, even excluding Universal Studios, the actual value of Universal Pictures is $9 billion. Combined, $11.2 billion is already a manifestation of Vivendi's sincerity. ”

The two argued for a while, but neither of them took a step back. Just when the negotiations reached an impasse, Rebecca Mark, who was sitting next to her, spoke.

"Boss, Mr. Fortu, may I make a suggestion?"

The two looked at her at the same time, and Guo Shouyun nodded.

"Of course!"

"Yes!"

After receiving permission, "I feel that what Vivendi needs most now is liquidity. So, if we accept your total offer of $11.2 billion for Universal Pictures, will Mr. Wiltu be willing to concede on shares?"

was reminded by Rebecca, Guo Shouyun's eyes suddenly lit up.

With the blessing of the future hit Marvel Universe, as well as a series of popular copyrights such as "Harry Potter", "Fast and Furious", and "National Treasure", the future of Universal Pictures can be described as bright. Compared to the current billions of dollars, there is no doubt that the shares are more valuable.

The same is true for Jean-René Fortu. However, he is obviously not as confident in the future of the world as Guo Shouyun, who has the memory of later generations. And as Rebecca said, what Vivendi needs most now is liquidity to balance his finances.

In order to avoid being too anxious, he fell into Fortus instead. Therefore, Guo Shouyun was not in a hurry to express his opinion. The expression on his face was also relatively calm.

After examining the young man sitting across from him for a while, Fortu hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

With compromise terms, the next negotiations went much smoother.

In the end, the two sides reached terms that the value of Universal Pictures and Universal Studios was set at $11.2 billion, including $7.5 billion for Universal Pictures and $3.7 billion for Universal Studios. Vivendi owns 20% of Universal Pictures and can have the supervisory powers conferred by the shares, but cannot interfere with the Matrix Group's operations of Universal Pictures. As for Universal Studios, the entire stake was sold to the matrix.

In the end, Veolia's stake was also settled. Enron Capital holds 32 percent, with the remaining 68 percent belonging to Vivendi. Similarly, Enron only had the right to supervise and could not interfere with Vivendi's management of Veolia.

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