America: My Time

Chapter 338 The Spread of Influence
Chapter 338 The Spread of Influence

It's true that Rockefeller had his own self-interest, but it's also incorrect to say he paid no price. Pan Am, West Airways, oil refineries, and natural gas fields were all costs Rockefeller paid. It's just that, because of their vested interests, these companies deliberately turned a blind eye. This is the nature of cooperation between conglomerates; profit dictates everything.

"Alright, who among you is willing to come with me to meet this little fox, John? I don't want to suffer such accusations again. Since everyone thinks Rockefeller hasn't done a good enough job, we'll make all the decisions together from now on. Rockefeller will no longer be in charge!" At this moment, Rockefeller used a strategy of retreat to advance, launching a counterattack.

When Citi felt its own interests were being harmed, cracks appeared in their cooperation. These old guys all understood that this was the beginning of the breakdown. It was only because of the lure of profits from Dreamworld and Nvidia that they were barely holding on. But it wouldn't be long before this cooperation came to an end.

Even a small dream world has such conflicts of interest; how many more conflicts of interest will the enormous profits of Japan cause? Most importantly, the reason they're even sitting down is simply to put pressure on the White House and ensure their plans are implemented. If problems arise on the White House's side, perhaps even more changes will occur.

Rockefeller originally wanted to discuss countermeasures with everyone, but now the meeting ended in discord. The most serious conflict is the clash of interests. In the face of interests, their cooperation is extremely fragile. Everyone has different ideas and different interests, so such cooperation is destined not to last long!
Soon, with Rockefeller's intervention, the cooperation was successfully completed. Rockefeller and his group obtained the shares they wanted from John in exchange for the hospital and Paramount Pictures. However, after this transaction, Rockefeller had different ideas, and their group began to collapse.

Although only an agreement has been reached, the completion of the transaction will still take time and Phoenix Group needs to be prepared. After all, Phoenix Group is under considerable pressure right now, as it needs to take over AMC Theatres from Morgan Stanley. It can only take over Paramount Pictures after it has gained full control, so as not to cause chaos within Phoenix Group.

The acquisition of AMC Theatres was not handled by Phoenix America, but by Phoenix Cinemas in Hong Kong. This was to avoid giving anyone a pretext for objection, as Phoenix Cinemas is registered in Hong Kong and exists independently from Phoenix Comics (which acquired Paramount Pictures in Japan). This prevented any apparent issues from being raised. As for the television stations, the acquisition was handled by Phoenix America. While they appear to be part of the Phoenix Group, they are actually three separate entities – John's strategy. If problems arise, they can be easily separated, leaving the other party with no grounds for complaint!

After the agreement was signed, those who weren't giving up were also plotting how to use the acquisition to stab John in the back. Unfortunately, after carefully understanding the details of the acquisition, they couldn't help but sigh. This little fox was too cunning, giving them absolutely no chance to make a move.

After meeting John, although an agreement was signed, the old men like Rockefeller sensed a change in him—a hostility hidden beneath his calm demeanor. Clearly, their many schemes had been exposed, and their betrayal had aroused the cunning John, a hostility that wouldn't be easily resolved.

Although Rockefeller wanted to sit down and talk with everyone again to discuss countermeasures, seeing their expressions, he could only sigh and abandon the idea. This wasn't just a matter for the Rockefeller family. If these guys could ignore him, Rockefeller could ignore them too.

When Phoenix Cinemas acquired AMC Theatres, the Hollywood guys were worried and scared. They hadn't stopped attacking Legendary Entertainment in secret, just more discreetly. Now that Phoenix Cinemas had taken over AMC, it made them afraid. After all, AMC was one of the three major cinema chains in the United States, not to mention that Phoenix Cinemas already had a global presence.

Before they could even recover from the acquisition of the theater chain, the change of ownership of Paramount Pictures shocked them even more. Phoenix TV had completed the acquisition of Paramount Pictures and had already signed an agreement, which made other Hollywood giants tremble. But it wasn't over yet. Soon, Phoenix TV completed the acquisition of dozens of independent television stations and announced that it would soon form Paramount Television.

"Damn it, isn't John, that little fox, just fooling himself? Phoenix America acquiring a TV station and combining it into Paramount Television is just insulting everyone's intelligence!"

"Yes, that little fox is too hateful. What's worse, this guy actually wants to reorganize the Phoenix Group after gaining control of several companies, which is clearly an attempt to avoid all pressure."

"So what if we know? It's useless for us to object now. The deal is done, and the White House hasn't said anything. Most importantly, on the surface, Phoenix Group's acquisition is flawless. Even if we know that John, that little fox, is orchestrating everything behind the scenes, there's nothing we can do!" "Do you have any news about what Phoenix Group will look like after the restructuring?"

"I don't know, there's absolutely no news. However, after the merger, it will clearly be another media giant, perhaps not as powerful as Legendary Entertainment, but definitely no weaker than Warner. Anyone who wants to challenge Legendary Entertainment should consider the severity of the consequences; they will face the combined strangulation of two major media and entertainment giants! To be honest, I really sympathize with those ignorant guys. They offended Legendary Entertainment, and now they are also suffering from Phoenix Media's strangulation. With the strangulation of two Hollywood giants and two major American media giants, it's impossible for them to develop further."

"This has nothing to do with us, but I've heard that Paramount Pictures will also undergo changes and follow in Legendary Entertainment's footsteps, with many restrictions on the use of actors and screenwriters having to re-sign agreements, all in line with Legendary Entertainment."

"He's a madman! That kid is insane! Once he develops Phoenix Media further, he'll be the true king of media and entertainment, and no one will be able to compare to him! I just don't understand how Paramount Pictures could have been acquired like this!"

"You're right not to understand. There must be some shady dealings involved that we're unaware of. Paramount Pictures is acting very calmly now, as if they already knew about this deal, but we guys were kept in the dark. Originally, everyone was resisting that guy Murdoch, but Phoenix Media stole the spotlight and completed this series of acquisitions. Now some people are going to regret it. Industrial Light & Magic finally has a backer, with Paramount Pictures as their support, they no longer have to worry about being suppressed!"

"Without Industrial Light & Magic's special effects support, the entire Hollywood landscape will undergo a dramatic change. Special effects will become the biggest weakness for those giants who want to make blockbusters. They used to have Industrial Light & Magic as a backer, but now they're completely out of luck. I wonder if other Hollywood giants will join forces to establish a special effects company to solve this problem!"

"It's difficult. Special effects aren't something you can just assemble on your own. You need talent. Right now, all of Hollywood's special effects talent is in the hands of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media. As for poaching people, that's even more impossible. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media are giving them strong support, so those guys simply won't pay any attention to it!"

"Isn't there Silicon Valley? There are plenty of talented people there!"

"Heh, it seems you know nothing. Silicon Valley? You're dreaming that Hollywood can poach talent from Silicon Valley. The demand for talent in Silicon Valley is even more insane. And John isn't just a media and entertainment tycoon, he's a Silicon Valley tycoon. Dreamworld and Nvidia are giants in Silicon Valley! Most importantly, do you think those Hollywood giants are willing to invest heavily in special effects research and development? Do they have the capability? Without professional technology, don't even think about professional servers and workstations. And most importantly, there are rendering factories, which require even more investment! Unless other Hollywood giants follow Legendary Entertainment's lead and shift their focus to blockbusters and series films, but if they do that, they'll probably have to learn from Legendary Entertainment and restrict actors. If they do that, they'll be slapping themselves in the face."

"We don't know what changes will happen in Hollywood next. If Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures join forces, unless other film studios join forces, they will be strangled by these two studios. This will seriously affect the development of Hollywood!"

"Enough! Don't say things like that. It's fine if you want to die, but don't drag me down with you. I didn't hear anything!"

At this moment, the entire Hollywood was shaken. Many people were shocked and uneasy about Phoenix Media's rampant expansion. Actors who had once been enemies of Legendary Entertainment were dumbfounded. If they could not be forgiven, they would simply disappear from Hollywood. The stranglehold between the two major media and entertainment groups and the two Hollywood giants left them with no hope.

Originally, Phoenix Media had limited influence in the United States and didn't have any significant strength. But things are different now. The emergence of Paramount Pictures and the acquisition of AMC Theatres have brought about a qualitative change for Phoenix Media. Perhaps the Paramount Television Network, which is currently being established, won't have much of an impact in the short term, but no matter how weak a television station is, it shouldn't be underestimated!
Why has NBC been able to grow so fast? It's because they have the TV series and various programs provided by John. If Paramount Television has such a source of talent in the future, it won't be long before it becomes the fourth largest television network in the United States and has its own voice!
(End of this chapter)