They upgraded the glossy stage, gorgeous lighting, bigger venues, and more audiences, all of which were invested in money and manpower, but finally created a "deformed" competition show that lasted for 4 hours a week.

ABC's new version of "Who Can Become a Millionaire", if there was a small surplus last year, then since the end of January this year, the ratings have deteriorated, directly causing the overall ratings of ABC to fall to the fourth place in the big TV network in the United States!

If the history of ABC's "Who Can Become a Millionaire" is to let them make money first and then lose money. So this time, ABC didn't enjoy any benefits at all, and was directly lost by "Millionaire"!

Although it is still the first quarter, according to the current ratings trend, ABC internally predicts that this year's loss is very likely to exceed $300 million!

This not only made Michael Eisner feel like he was vomiting blood in a pit, but also gave birth to more dissatisfaction within Disney.

Since 1995, Disney, which was at its peak at the time, acquired the ABC television network for a whopping $19 billion under the command of Michael Eisner. The nearly $20 billion deal is one of Hollywood's largest acquisitions, even historically.

You must know that in 93, Hollywood tycoon Barry Diller and Viacom's Lei Shidong, in order to compete for Paramount Pictures, finally speculated the transaction price to $10 billion, which shocked the world.

And just two years later, Disney swallowed the ABC television network at nearly twice the price, leaving many people wondering whether the deal was worth it.

Subsequently, the ABC network made great strides in the mid-to-late '90s, but it remained in journalism and was no match for its peers, CNN, NBC and CBS.

And now, ABC has inevitably incurred losses because of "Who Can Be a Millionaire", which has aroused a wave of doubts within Disney.

After all, "This is what you got Michael Eisner in exchange." "A lot of people think that way.

"Didi—" As he was thinking, the intercom at the head of Michael Eisner's desk rang.

His assistant's voice came, "Boss, Mr. Peter Murphy has arrived. ”

Michael Eisner couldn't help frowning slightly, it seemed that the Disneyland case had also come out, and he immediately pressed the intercom: "Let Peter in." ”

Peter Murphy, a senior vice president at Disney, is a veteran he brought over from Paramount to Disney in the 80s. In terms of seniority, even Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former chairman of Disney Studios, is not as old as him.

Peter Murphy is a mild-mannered, middle-aged man who looks more like a college professor than a Hollywood executive. After greeting Michael Eisner, he sat across from his desk.

"This is an update on the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' case. Peter Murphy handed over a thin document, although the case was not big, but because it involved Hollywood upstarts like Sid, Michael Eisner still sent a veteran like Murphy to take charge.

Michael Eisner watched, and Peter Murphy paraphrased lawyer Okro's words, "Leonhardt's lawyer has produced witnesses to prove in court the connection between the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and the water sport." The situation is not very favorable for us. ”

Hearing his old partner's words, Michael Eisner felt a pang of anger in his heart, but he still asked angrily, "What advice do those lawyers have?" ”

Peter Murphy glanced at his old partner, he knew that Michael Eisner was already a little angry, and he couldn't help but say: "They suggested that we either settle with Sid Leon and pay a settlement fee to get the right to use 'Pirates of the Caribbean'." ”

"These bastards, they want me to reconcile so soon, what am I raising them for!" Michael Eisner cursed through gritted teeth.

Then he turned to look at Peter Murphy, "And Peter, what do you think?"

Hearing Michael Eisner's question, Peter Murphy couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart, but his face remained unchanged and said: "I suggest that otherwise, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' project and related links will be eliminated, and then they will be compensated a one-time settlement fee." ”

In fact, this proposal is definitely not good, because this is obviously detrimental to the current interests of Disneyland, and after adding the pirate fighting link, the attendance of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" project has increased significantly.

Moreover, even in the autumn and winter of last year, which was not a season that was too conducive to water sports, the attendance of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was very good.

It turns out that Disneyland's revenue has increased after adding the performance link according to Sid, but why did Peter Murphy suggest turning it off directly?

Because "Great! We're not going to make that much money, damn fire lion boy. Michael Eisner cursed Sid while nodding in satisfaction with Peter Murphy's proposal.

Although Peter Murphy's proposal reduced Disneyland's income, it could hit Sid's "arrogance", so it can be said to be in the hands of Michael Eisner.

"Sid Leonhardt, what an irritating little guy. Michael Eisner said and handed Peter Murphy the ratings and revenue of the latest "Who Can Be a Millionaire".

Peter Murphy looked up in surprise after a quick look: "The ratings of "Millionaire" have dropped so much?"

He remembers that last year, the ratings of "Millionaire" were still good, although it did not reproduce the glory of the Fire Lion era, but it was already a good program for ABC, which had not improved all year round.

But how did you end up at the beginning of this year, and you dropped me to the last place in the national television network?

Only then did Peter Murphy understand the reason why Michael Eisner was so disgusted with Sid just now, and while sighing, he was also secretly glad that he had just stood decisively in the case of "Pirates of the Caribbean".

After Michael Eisner kicked out of Katzenberg in the 90s, the originally wise and martial godfather of Disney gradually became stubborn, and many company executives were scolded by him on the spot because they didn't agree with him, and even punched him angrily.

This has caused Disney to lose a lot of talent one after another, so tumblers like Peter Murphy naturally have their own unique skills.