American winner takes all

Chapter 226 Top Players (12)

A strange voice suddenly entered the conference call, and Ethan turned his head and looked at Grace.

Both of them realized who this sudden stranger was.

"For the record, this gentleman is my boss. Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, Chairman of Twentieth Century Fox, Chairman of Fox Television, Chairman and Founder of Fox News Channel, The Sun, News of the World Mr Rupert Murdoch, owner of The Times, The Australian and The Australian." David Hill rattled off a long list of titles.

Even without the titles, Ethan and Grace knew who he was.

After all, as the mastermind of a news empire, his name is a title in itself.

All in all, he controls almost all major news channels in Australia, has more than fifty shares of the media industry in the UK, and further radiates into Europe. In the United States, he is also an important player in the media field.

That he is considered a rival by Tate Turner, Disney, and the New York Times Company just illustrates his vast territory in the media field.

In terms of revenue, News Corporation may not be the highest, and it may not even be among the top three. There are Disney, Comcast, Time Warner, and Viacom in front of it, but News Corporation has a distinct presence— —Rupert Murdoch himself.

He is the absolute real power controller of his media empire, and his will penetrates every corner of the company.

From being appointed to take over two local Australian newspapers that were on the verge of bankruptcy on a stormy night at the age of 21, to becoming the leader of the Australian news industry at the age of 34, entering London at the age of 37, entering the American continent at the age of 42, and acquiring the 52th Century Fox Film Company at the age of 54. [-]-year-old established Fox Television Network...

Steady business strategy, keen news vision, and broad vision.Of course, there is another unavoidable title: the first media person to bring "tabloids" into the mainstream.

However, it was precisely because of his deep personal imprint, his personal strength and the mediocrity of his two sons that 20 years later, News Corporation faced a situation where there was no successor.After a series of business reorganizations, the entertainment business was divested, which is a later story.

Now, after continuous siege in the fields of news and entertainment, Murdoch will focus more on the field of sports.

In 1994, he spent a huge amount of money to buy the broadcast rights of the NFL. This cooperation lasted until 2033.His Sky TV station is also the main broadcaster of the Premier League. In 1998, he was extremely close to acquiring Manchester United, but was stopped by the British authorities.

Thinking about it this way, it is not difficult for Ethan to understand why he would "condescend" to join this TV rights deal at this moment.

This is a critical time for Fox Sports to enter college football.

"With 2000 million W, I can produce a "Home Alone" or "The Silence of the Lambs", which can bring me a cumulative return of hundreds of millions of dollars. Tell me young people, how much can your game bring to me? ?" Murdoch's voice came from the other end of the phone, with a slight sense of oppression.

"More than 1000 million viewers watch during prime time? This is just a game. How many of these people can be converted into regular viewers of Fox Sports? Can these 1000 million viewers cover my costs?" Murdoch continued to throw out multiple a question.

These questions also explain why he is not interested in college football.

"Most of Fox Sports' viewers are concentrated on the East Coast and the North. These viewers tend to pay more attention to professional football games, that is, the NFL. A simple college football bowl game cannot retain viewers." David Hill Also followed the emphasis.

"Maybe we are not talking about one game, but multiple games. The Southeastern Conference is already ready for the NCAA to start war. By then, ABC, which has a good relationship with the NCAA, may not renew its contract with the SEC. Your viewers will gather in the west and Up north, just because the audience in the South pays more attention to college football."

Ethan responded calmly.

As we all know, the history of NCAA football is much earlier than that of the NFL. The "historical background" is here, but the Fox TV Network is the latest among the major TV stations to appear. When FOX Sports appeared, ABC had already cooperated with the NCAA for 20 years.

Therefore, Fox Sports could only seek cooperation opportunities with the NFL, which merged with the American League and the American League at the same time.

Over time, this resulted in obvious geographical differences in the audience base of the two sports stations.

Since the 80s, when each university was able to negotiate with television stations in person, the gap between the five major conferences and the NCAA has become increasingly serious. This year's Alabama is a flashpoint. If the Southeastern Conference still has concerns about other sports If so, as Ethan reveals the key legal weapon NIL rights to Roy Kramer, there is a high probability that the two parties will completely break up next year.

Will ABC, which has a good relationship with the NCAA, renew its contract with its common enemy, the Southeastern Conference?
Even if ABC wanted to, the NCAA would be the first to refuse.

"Think about why Alabama was forced not to participate in the bowl game this year? Think about some of the debates about me that are going on outside, and you will know what will happen next year. And if you look at it from the perspective of investment income, investment Southeastern Conference football is undoubtedly a good deal, after all, Southerners are die-hard spectators of college football." Ethan analyzed.

Ethan had hinted to David Hill before, and now in front of Rupert Murdoch, Ethan made it clear.

For an ordinary person, this information is of no use at all, but for a high-ranking media boss, such an information gap is worth thousands of dollars!
Under normal circumstances, Murdoch might not know the news until two or three months later. The extra few months would be enough for him to do a lot of things.

"Relying on the Southeastern Conference's football games and completely establishing a foothold among the southern audience, how much profit can this bring you? NBC's offer to us is 2300 million, considering that I have maintained a long-term cooperation with FOX TV station. As long as If you offer the same price, I am willing to continue to cooperate with FOX and let FOX retain the priority to renew the contract."

Ethan put forward his own offer, but he couldn't raise it higher. After all, how could Murdoch, an old fox, not know the media rights offer for these bowl games?

After a brief silence, Murdoch spoke: "I can agree to your conditions, but the contract must be signed for three years without continuous premiums."

In other words, starting from this year, the broadcasting within three years will be borne by Fox, and it will pay 2300 million W every year.

Generally speaking, contracts signed by a TV station and an event are multi-year, ranging from three to five years. Most of them involve additional price negotiation terms, such as how much the price will increase next year based on this year's price.If certain betting conditions are not met this year, the price will be lower next year.

Murdock said this, obviously fancying the potential of the Independence Bowl, and he has already begun to place his bets.

The bet is that the ratings for the Independence Bowl will be higher in the next two years.

"No problem." Ethan agreed.

No one can guarantee that Alabama will continue to participate in the Independence Bowl next year. From Eason's own eyes, this is the better choice.

"In addition, in the field of media and news, I hope you can continue to cooperate with related businesses under FOX." Murdoch made a second request.

This is considered mutual benefit and has no legal effect. It is just a verbal commitment.

Ethan also chose to agree.

"Finally, I hope you can help me make an appointment with the chairman of the Southeastern Conference. I believe you can do this." Murdoch continued.

Ethan originally thought that the old fox would think about it for a while, but he didn't expect him to act so decisively.

As for why he was approached, it was probably just a casual request.

Ethan also agreed.

"David, tell Ethan about Nancy's call later. I have something else to do, that's it." Murdoch hung up the phone directly.

"Nancy is the boss's personal secretary..." David said helplessly. Within the group, he did not even have the right to take the initiative to call Nancy.This guy can actually communicate directly with Nancy.

"As for the specific details of the contract signing, I will arrange for the lawyers within the group to contact you." David continued. "Contact Grace directly then." Ethan will not get involved in such details.

And it wasn't until he hung up the phone with David Hill that Ethan let out a long breath and realized that his back was already wet with sweat.

This is the first time he has had contact with top players since time travel.

Grace on the side also seemed frightened.

"I think Murdoch is very impatient, otherwise he wouldn't be on the line personally." Grace looked at Ethan.

"It's impossible to tell." Ethan will not speculate on the thoughts of these top players. He just thinks about the Independence Bowl being held as scheduled.

·
December 12th, Christmas, is 25 days before the official start of the Independence Bowl.

As if to heighten the festive atmosphere, God cooperated with the sudden heavy snowfall in the south this morning.

At this time, the Independence Stadium has been completely renovated. Workers have replaced the outer walls of the building with huge Independence Bowl posters. Passers-by stood in the corner of the square outside the stadium and looked up, feeling extremely shocked.

At this time, the square is covered with snow, and feather-like white snowflakes are slowly floating in the air. Two lines of deep and shallow footprints can be seen extending from the roadside to the stadium gate...

Ethan, wearing a coat, was looking up at his portrait on the huge poster.

The moment in the portrait was taken from a certain game, and his expression is resolute with a bit of confidence and decisiveness.

"One day, I will have my own stadium, my own club, my own league, my own media, and my own agency." Ethan suddenly said.

"So your ideal is to be an evil capitalist." Grace said at the side.

She was wearing a camel-colored windbreaker and a light red woolen scarf tied around her neck. Her blond hair was disheveled, and her face was slightly red from the cold.

Ethan burst out laughing: "There are already so many evil capitalists here, I don't mind one more."

"Then don't forget to leave me a place in your company." Grace smiled. Although she was no longer as young as a flower, her smile was sweet and gentle like a girl. clear.

This is probably related to her life experience. Before meeting Ethan, she was a quite pure person.

My only hobby, my only life is cheerleading.

As for why she transformed from a cheerleading coach to her current manager, it more or less stems from the man standing next to her.

Ethan turned around completely and looked at Grace. When he saw that she was rubbing her hands together due to the cold, Ethan took a step closer, then grabbed her hand and put it into his coat.

"Of course you have your place. Don't forget that you are my right-hand man. I will exploit you for the rest of my life." Ethan teased.

Without Grace helping out, the entire bowl game would have been impossible.

Grace felt the warmth from Ethan's waist, and she didn't know whether it was because she was cold or because she felt embarrassed, and her cheeks instantly blushed even more.

But he didn't let go, but held him tighter.

The relationship between the two may no longer be limited to lovers. Grace has been expressing her love in her own way, that is, silently supporting Ethan behind his back.

Grace had already gotten into Ethan's coat. She closed her eyes and pressed her face against Ethan's warm chest.

"Tonight is Christmas, what do you want to eat? I can cook it for you, but my cooking skills are terrible." Grace said.

"Then you have to study hard with Catherine."

"Okay, stop talking nonsense." Grace raised her head.

"It's time for you to kiss me."

She closed her eyes, just as Ethan also lowered his head.The rapid ringing of the phone ruined the atmosphere between the two.

"Who is it? Calling at this time?" Grace opened her eyes with some displeasure.

The atmosphere has been heightened to this point, and I don’t know who the damn guy is interrupting.

"It's our old friend, Simone." Ethan looked at the caller ID and said.

It was Simone, the Wilson marketing manager who first met in Grace's office.

"Then forgive him." Grace shook her head.

After all, I came here to give money, so I won’t do it again!
Wilson was the first sponsor to contact the Independence Bowl, and Wilson had previously sponsored Ethan in high school, which was a special coincidence.

Ethan and Grace held hands and walked on the soft snow back to the car parked on the roadside. Ethan drove to the local parking lot.

Compared with the last time they met, Simone was obviously fatter, his body became more round, and he changed from the original penguin to an oversized hamster.

"Merry Christmas."

The first time they met at the airport, Simone took out the gift carefully wrapped in colored paper that he had prepared for the two of them before departure.

"Thank you, Simone." Grace smiled cordially. Seeing her old friends again on Christmas Day, thousands of miles away from home, made her feel a touch of the warmth from Los Angeles.

"You are still as careful as before, no wonder you were promoted, marketing director." Ethan joked.

In just two years, Simeone has also transformed from the original marketing director of the Los Angeles area to the marketing director of Wilson North America.

"Hey, don't make fun of me. The marketing director is just a hard job that no one wants, and only I, the bastard, are willing to do it. No, I have to fly over on Christmas Day to discuss work with you." Simon Ni smiled and shook his head.

He is the only one who has such a hard time.

(End of this chapter)