Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 547 Sell it at a good price

As December arrives, countless Christmas celebrations have begun across the United States, and Los Angeles' extravagant lifestyle has reached its peak!

Los Angeles, Bel Air Hotel, Aaron just met with Peter Jackson; the Lord of the Rings trilogy is about to begin filming.
The film set in New Zealand has been set up, and the cast has been confirmed.

"The first Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring should be released in 2001!"

Christina Yeri, who was standing nearby, smiled and reminded Aaron.

"Ha, it's not that it should be released, it's that it must be released. With such great support, Peter Jackson can't let me down."

Not only was the filming done in his native New Zealand, but the special effects were also handled by Weta Digital, the company he founded!
"I heard that Warner Bros. has finished filming the sci-fi film 'The Matrix,' directed by the Wachowskis, right?"

Aaron suddenly asked.

"Yes, I heard it received a lot of positive reviews from film critics at the preview screening;"

"Aaron, you seem quite interested in Warner Bros.' 'The Matrix'?"

Aaron nodded. "Never mind, has there been any news about Viacom's acquisition of BET?"

"Yes, there is, but Robert Johnson's asking price is a bit too high, and Viacom doesn't want to accept it!"

"Sigh, he really is useless, he can't even handle a black man?"

Aaron shook his head again as he spoke. Didn't Viacom just sell its USA shares to Liberty Media?
Even if it's 50% of the USA cable television network, it's still not comparable to BET Channel!

“Alright,” Christina Yerry squeezed Aaron’s arm, “we’ve got word that Viacom is going to compete with us for CBS Television.”

"They are assembling a team to prepare for an assessment of CBS Television Group's assets."

Aaron had long known that Sumner Redstone had big ambitions, having acquired Viacom and Paramount, and now he was eyeing CBS.
However, within Viacom, Paramount is no longer considered a priority by Aaron; their most valuable asset is still MTV, the music cable television network!
Meanwhile, at a beachfront villa in Malibu, Lawrence Tish of the Loews Group made a special trip to visit Sumner Redstone.

"Reports from Pittsburgh indicate that, following Aaron Anderson and Michael H. Jordan, he also met with Richard Mellon Skev, a representative of the Mellon family."

"It seems that Westinghouse Electric's shareholders are willing to sell the new CBS television group to Dawn!"

Lawrence Tish didn't know much about Aaron, but he was also a shareholder of Westinghouse Electric and had known Sumner Redstone for a long time.

After selling CBS Group a few years ago, the Loews Group, in addition to developing its hotel business, has also been investing in industries such as oil drilling and pipeline transportation!

Sumner Redstone took a puff of his cigar. "A national wireless broadcasting network like CBS involves more than just capital interests."

"We also need support from Washington. Aaron is a major financial backer of Clinton, and Westinghouse is a Republican supporter. I don't believe they will accept Aaron Anderson so easily."

Lawrence Tish thought for a moment and then said, "When Clinton's sex scandal broke this year, it caused a national sensation. Besides Wall Street financiers, the Republican forces represented by the Mellon family also played a significant role."

"Since Aaron Anderson is a major donor to the Democratic Party, can he really persuade Westinghouse Electric's shareholders so easily?" Of course, the Mellon family is a conglomerate based on Mellon Bank, and is certainly one of Wall Street's financial giants!
Sumner Redstone glanced casually at Lawrence Tish. "Dawn's current market capitalization exceeds $400 billion, and Aaron Anderson's personal wealth is at least $250 billion."

Are you underestimating him?

While the Lawrence Tish brothers are also American billionaires, can they compare to Aaron Anderson?

Even the gap between Sumner Redstone and Aaron Anderson is significant, considering that National Entertainment's stake in Viacom is less than 20%.

In all of Hollywood, only Rupert Murdoch can be compared to Aaron Anderson, after all, the Murdoch family owns nearly 40% of News Corporation.

“Clinton is undergoing impeachment, and hopefully he won’t give Aaron too much support,” Summer Redstone said. He knew his own company best, and the Dawn Group was just too dazzling right now.

It has become one of the most dazzling new stars in Hollywood, and Universal has become the top of the seven major Hollywood film studios.

The Redstone family used National Entertainment to acquire Viacom, and then acquired Blackboard and Paramount with debt, resulting in Viacom's high debt ratio.

The acquisition of CBS Television Group was also intended to help Paramount escape its predicament through mergers and find a wider distributor for its content.

"Aren't there many Jewish executives at CBS Television?"

"Aaron Anderson is no ordinary man. During his years in Hollywood, his attitude towards Jews has been quite peculiar!"

Sumner Redstone stood up as he spoke, “You need to find a way to get those higher-ups to buy me time. I need to assess CBS’s assets and then raise funds.”

Lawrence Tish nodded. "Understood..."

On the other side, at Mellon Estate in Pittsburgh.

Michael H. Jordan is meeting with Richard Mellon Skev. "Viacom also wants to acquire CBS and is preparing to send a team to conduct an asset valuation!"

Richard Mellon Skev waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. Westinghouse is shifting its focus to industry and energy anyway, so of course we'll sell the media business for a good price."

Sumner Redstone initially supported the Republican Party, but unfortunately, he received support from some Jewish financial tycoons during the acquisitions of Viacom and Paramount.

"These people all support the Democratic Party and are Jewish, just like Sumner Redstone, so it's quite reasonable for them to switch parties."

Michael H. Jordan smiled and said, "Actually, Viacom is currently no match for Dawn Group."

Richard Mellon Skev nodded. He knew, of course, how powerful Dawn was now. Viacom was lagging behind Dawn in both cash flow and stock value!
"Ha, the new CBS Television Group is, after all, a large media group. Since both Dawn and Viacom want it, then there will be a bidding war."

"Give them more time to prepare properly, especially Viacom. If they don't compete with Dawn, how can we get a good price for our CBS?"

From Richard Mellon Skev's words, Michael H. Jordan understood that this was an attempt to slow down the pace of CBS's acquisition!

(End of this chapter)