My American magical life
Chapter 615 - 615 104 So you are the Forbes right

615: Chapter 104: So you are the Forbes, right?

Check!

Just check!

615: Chapter 104: So you are the Forbes, right?

Check!

Just check!

Benny’s luck wasn’t great today, but after all, it kept him safely out of harm’s way.

CEO Cheng understood Benny’s thoughts, but he still wanted to know more details about what Benny had encountered today.

“So you didn’t see how many people there were?”

“Chan, their car windows were opaque.

I only saw someone sticking their head out from an open door.”

It seemed like Gru’s people were either dead or had pulled off a Houdini, and even Cheng Daqi, as one of the planners, couldn’t see the whole picture, let alone Benny.

“Well, buddy, have a couple more drinks, go back to sleep, and it’ll be a new day when you wake up.

These nightmares will pass.”

The two didn’t interact much, but they were acquainted, so Cheng Daqi continued to chat with Benny.

“The cross-border travel company FT you introduced to me last time, I contacted its founder, and she told me they didn’t need funding.

Chan, have you got any other good projects recently?”

“Not many, after all, my areas of focus are all closely related to MCNs, and it’s a bit impolite to talk about MCNs with someone who’s from Disney.”

This statement sounded empathetic, yet somewhat jesting, and Benny played along with a laugh.

“Hahaha, Chan, the Maker Studios acquisition was an exploration of Disney’s expansion in the content distribution sector, and it only lost a few billion dollars.

Inside Disney, we’ve long moved on from that.”

“Just a loss of a few billion dollars”

This statement sounded ridiculous, but from the perspective of a supercarrier like Disney, it was normal—what’s a few billion dollars loss to a hundred-billion-dollar group?

Disney’s annual revenue is tens of billions, and a loss of one percentage point really isn’t much.

Compared to these losses, most of the acquisitions operated by Robert Iger were incredibly successful.

Marvel, Pixar, 20th Century Fox, etc., these were mega-acquisitions starting from a few billion dollars up to a few hundred billion dollars—in 2018, Disney spent a whopping $71.3 billion to acquire Fox, securing the top spot in the global media and entertainment industry.

“A niche area of content distribution?

Ha, I didn’t expect your thoughts to be so clear.

Disney doesn’t lack IP and content, so it’s very wise to keep exploring new media forms under such circumstances.”

Giants often risk becoming complacent, but clearly Disney hadn’t, CEO Cheng sighed reflectively.

It’s not that they just make money; they are indeed smart.

“The outside world always assumes that a company like Disney should naturally be great, but actually, from 2008 to now, our media channel revenue has been in decline, and Iger is anxious.”

Benny, a few drinks in, was more relaxed and had a candid talk with CEO Cheng.

“The rise of internet media has squeezed the traditional TV giants, and the internet itself has an anti-authority nature that favors the spread of multi-cultural content.

America’s Generation Z also likes more personalized content.

The relative shrinkage of media channel revenue is not Disney’s fault; the times have changed.”

CEO Cheng, working in content and media, was quite sensitive to the changes in the industry.

Of course, times have changed, but a super media and entertainment empire like Disney wouldn’t easily fall.

The IP and copyright they held, and the various media channel resources, were very valuable and profitable.

“You’re right, so in 2018, we made our internet media business a focus and established the ESPN+ streaming platform (similar to a subscription video site), integrating internet businesses like streaming media to reshape Disney’s competitiveness in the new competitive landscape.”

Speaking of which, Chan, last December, I even recommended your MAS to Iger, but Disney’s DTCI (the new independent online media business group) had already completed its integration, and Iger was hesitant.”

Benny, slightly tipsy, mentioned this to boast and aggrandize himself, but CEO Cheng was not drunk.

He understood Benny’s logic, but his MAS was just a small player; what was there to recommend?

Could it be that Benny saw potential for MAS to be acquired again?

CEO Cheng suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked curiously.

“Recommending to Robert Iger, Benny, are you joking?”

Disney’s acquisitions are typically in the range of billions; they had just spent $71.3 billion to buy Pixar—an act of sheer extravagance.

This kind of opportunity meant, for CEO Cheng, that he could immediately achieve financial freedom if he sold, allowing him to enjoy a silky smooth life for the second half of his life.

“Of course not, I find the model of MAS quite interesting.

Chan, you might not be aware of some opinions inside the industry, but financiers like Disney have gradually realized something in recent years—Hollywood is unsustainable and will definitely fall in the future.

American values of diversification will completely overturn the movie market structure, and the big Hollywood blockbusters won’t be accepted by many people anymore; it’s inevitable.

And your MAS has a bit of a low-end Hollywood vibe, a low-end version, don’t think that I’m…”

These were words only someone from Disney had the right to say, and understanding Benny’s exaggeration, Cheng Daqi humbly replied.

“Of course, Benny, we’re friends, I get what you mean, and I even think this praise is a bit too much; MAS still has a long way to go.”

Benny Donz received another drink from the bartender and continued to shoot the breeze with CEO Cheng.

“MAS focuses on betting on diversified content; the diversity of content is important.

Putting all your eggs in one basket can lead to disaster; only diversity can last long.

Just look at the state America is in now, who knows where it’ll go in the future, nothing is certain, sigh.”