America: My Time

Chapter 64 Asian Strategy
Chapter Sixty-Four: Asian Strategy
After finalizing the arrangements for Pacific Investment, John and Huang Xizhao sat down for a detailed discussion: "We need to accelerate our film industry strategy, especially in Southeast Asian cinemas. This is something we cannot stop. Only by controlling cinemas can we continuously expand our market and strengthen our own capabilities."

"Please rest assured, boss. Our cinema expansion is ongoing. We've already acquired quite a few cinema chains in Southeast Asia, and it won't be long before we have our own cinema company there. However, we still lack a sufficient number of films, which is affecting the cinema's profits to some extent!"

"Right now, we're not overly focused on our own profits. Expanding our theater chains is the most important thing. Once we control the theater chains, people will naturally come to help us make films. If we don't have enough manpower, we can contact and communicate with Nikkatsu Japan to cooperate and share resources. Similarly, RTV can also exchange resources with TV Tokyo! As for talent, you'll need to work hard to recruit people. Hong Kong has plenty of talent right now."

"Okay, boss, I understand. But things aren't going too smoothly in Taiwan. Our resources there are limited, and we've encountered a lot of trouble and resistance in the acquisition of the cinemas!"

Compared to Hong Kong and Japan, Phoenix Media Group's influence in Taiwan appears extremely weak. It lacks its own television station and media outlets, and Taiwan's overall development lags far behind Hong Kong and Japan. The main reason for this is insufficient resources, which is not something that can be resolved in a short time.

The expansion of the cinema chain has been hampered by local forces, many of which have ties to organized crime. Fortunately, these individuals haven't dared to go too far, given that Phoenix Media is a media company and its owner is American, and they have all received warnings from the authorities!

"As long as they don't go too far, let's ignore them. Our priority is to establish our own cinema chain. Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia—we need our own cinema chains. We can't be controlled by others! If we only have one cinema chain in Hong Kong, not many films will be willing to join our Phoenix Cinema chain. When we have a chain covering the entire Asian region, everything will be completely different. Now, cinema chains are the priority. As for the film industry, we shouldn't worry about gains and losses. This is the golden age for Hong Kong cinema; we can't fall behind. The television industry also can't lag too far behind TVB, otherwise we'll only find ourselves in an even more passive position!"

The cinema chain is king; this is the foundation of the Hong Kong film market. Without its own cinema chain, it's impossible to succeed. Most film companies can't achieve the level of Phoenix Group, which can have a presence throughout Asia. At most, they just cooperate with other cinema chains, since they are focused on profits. Phoenix Group, on the other hand, is expanding in all directions and doesn't care about short-term gains.

Hong Kong is the hub of Phoenix Media Group's control over entertainment across Asia, with RTV (Rediffusion Television) and Phoenix Cinemas being of paramount importance. Phoenix Cinemas is rapidly expanding, and RTV needs to prepare for how to further increase its influence.
"I'm afraid things won't be easy for the boss regarding the TV station. Resources in Hong Kong are limited, and we'll be facing competition from TVB, which will put considerable pressure on us to expand our influence!"

"Hong Kong is indeed too small, and its limited population makes it difficult to support two television stations. However, we can change our mindset and develop satellite television. We need to expedite the application for qualifications, and TV Tokyo will do the same. Once both major television stations have obtained satellite television qualifications, we will combine the strengths of both stations to launch a communications satellite. Chinese people are spread throughout Southeast Asia, so RTV needs to be prepared to change!"

Only by upgrading to satellite television could Rediffusion Television maintain its influence in Asia. If it were only targeting Rediffusion Television and TV Tokyo, this wouldn't be difficult; satellites could be leased, and there would be no need for its own communications satellite. However, John wasn't just thinking about Rediffusion Television and TV Tokyo; he was considering his entire entertainment plan.

What they need is not a single satellite, but a satellite communication network—a satellite network that can connect all their television stations and enable their stations to broadcast globally.

From the very beginning, Phoenix Media's entertainment media strategy has been global. Previously, financial constraints prevented a full-scale rollout, but these are gradually being resolved. This necessitates advance preparation, and Phoenix Media is currently focusing on its Asian expansion. Once Legendary Entertainment completes its acquisition of the US public television network, it will also need to begin preparations for building a satellite communications network. This is a long-term strategy requiring substantial funding, which no single television network can afford.
A complete satellite communication network requires several communication satellites, which in turn requires the cooperation of multiple television stations. Hong Kong's RTV and Japan's TV Tokyo alone are far from sufficient. The United States needs its own television stations, Canada needs to complete its network layout in North America, South America also needs to build television stations, and Europe also needs to do so. Achieving all of this requires enormous funding and planning.

After thinking for a moment, John continued, "If the time is right, Taiwan also needs to have its own television station. In terms of personnel, RTV needs to make preparations in advance, after all, Hong Kong and Taiwan are both part of the Chinese-speaking world."

ATV alone is not enough to meet its needs in the Chinese-language television market. By acquiring ATV, it wants not only influence in Asia, but also influence in the global Chinese community. If it relies on ATV itself, it is obviously impossible to achieve this. As mentioned before, Hong Kong's market is too small and its population is too small!
If a breakthrough can be achieved in Taiwan, everything will be different. Combining the talent and resources of Hong Kong and Taiwan will give us the ability to influence the media in the global Chinese community. This is also one of my plans for global expansion! Now everything starts in Asia, starting with Phoenix Media Group. After all, there is less resistance in Asia, and Hong Kong's influence in Asia is not weak. The transformation of RTV is the beginning. As for North America and Europe, there will probably be many problems, and we will have to wait for the right opportunity.

At this moment, Huang Xizhao was also shocked by his boss's ambition and finally understood why his boss would invest so much money in RTV and Phoenix TV!

If RTV can break free from the constraints of Hong Kong first, it will inevitably grow rapidly and TVB will no longer be their rival. After all, compared to Hong Kong, Asia has richer resources and a larger population base.

Although her boss didn't say anything, Huang Xizhao knew that RTV needed to poach talent to expand, and TVB was the best target.

If one's plan can be realized, a complete global media network will play a crucial role in controlling one's discourse power, and possessing such power will be of great help in any investment.

If John hadn't spoken up about his plans for satellite television, no one would have believed that an eighteen-year-old boy would have such ambition and such terrifying aspirations.

It's too early to discuss Taiwan's television network development, as Taiwan lacks the foundation of Hong Kong. Such an important media platform as a television station is subject to investment restrictions and hasn't been fully liberalized. However, this doesn't affect John's plans in other areas. While Taiwan's cinema chain is important to Phoenix Media, it's not a major component of its overall strategy.

Compared to movie theaters, John values ​​the semiconductor industry more. Taiwan is currently developing the semiconductor industry vigorously, making it a good investment choice.

John's large-scale investment in Hong Kong this time naturally attracted a lot of attention. Although he himself didn't care, it didn't mean that other forces in Hong Kong didn't care. How could the various forces in Hong Kong ignore such a large investment by an American?

HSBC was furious that John had ruined their plans. As the local power in Hong Kong, HSBC couldn't remain silent. Soon, an invitation appeared in John's hands—an invitation to an HSBC charity gala.

Looking at the invitation in his hand, John couldn't help but show a slight surprise. HSBC's reaction was indeed unexpected, choosing this time to invite him to the charity gala.

HSBC's invitation extended not only to John, but also to the Phoenix Group and Yuan Tianfan, CEO of Taipingdan Investment. Faced with this sudden invitation, everyone had different feelings. John couldn't refuse, and neither could the Phoenix Group; to refuse would mean they were afraid of them. Whatever HSBC's intentions or calculations, John had to confront them.
Although it is just a charity gala, it is of great significance, and many people will definitely pay attention to their every move at this charity gala.

(End of this chapter)