"Brother Sheng, should you deal with the backlog of notices in Xiangjiang first, or rush back to the company headquarters?"
Wang Yaoyang turned over his schedule and asked.
"Let's postpone these for now. I'll meet with the CEO of Star Media tomorrow. I heard that Murdoch is back."
After filming, Du Sheng couldn't rest.
The New Year and the holidays are the busiest time for artists, and they will most likely be in a non-stop state.
However, relative to the company's long-term plans, these announcements have to be postponed.
Because the acquisition of Phoenix TV shares from Star Media is probably now the most suitable time.
"Brother Sheng, would you like to contact Mr. Zheng?"
Wang Yaoyang asked thoughtfully after hearing this.
Du Sheng thought for a while and said:
"He is working on the idea of STAR Newspaper, a company owned by Star Media Holdings. It would be a good idea to contact him."
I wonder if the Zheng family is also aware of the importance of mouthpieces. At the same time, in order to expand publicity channels, it has now begun to lay out related industry chains.
The Jinlilai Group, where Zheng Zetao works, is currently taking advantage of the problem of STAR newspaper and its stock price is at a new low, and is stepping up its efforts to attract funds.
At this moment, Du Sheng, who had just gotten off the car, saw a news report from TVB being played on the large outdoor screen:
“Dear viewers, we just received a reporter’s report that a large number of investors gathered outside the door of STAR Newspaper, a company owned by Star Media Holdings.
They are conducting a collective protest!
Next, we will connect with reporters on the front line to bring you the latest on-site situation..."
As the camera cuts, a group of people gather in front of an office building.
"Hello everyone, we are currently at the headquarters of STAR Newspaper.
Many Xiangjiang citizens came here to express their dissatisfaction.
Now, let’s interview a few random participants.
Hello, may I ask why you came here to protest today? ”
"We are here to denounce Pat Murdoch, the street boy!
He actually purchased STAPlus (Tianzhu TV Station) at twice the market price. It was extremely stupid!
The company lost billions and was heavily in debt, but he was still partying every night?
Such an idiot is actually the nephew of newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch? Go to hell!
He still holds the position of general manager. How can such a waste lead STAR Newspaper out of its predicament?
Unless Pat Murdoch is removed, we will never have peace! ”
Suddenly, a drunk man broke into the camera and shouted:
"Fellow leeks, don't be oppressed anymore and call for the removal of Pat, this bastard!"
"Pat, will you please give me back my coffin copy!"
Then, everyone clenched their fists, raised their arms, and responded in unison.
These investors have suffered over the past few months as stock prices have continued to fall.
Now that I have finally found a channel to vent my emotions, I am extremely excited!
The scene was chaotic and the security personnel clearly had no control over the situation.
"Dear viewers, STAR Newspaper has not received any response from its senior management. Angry investors have already begun to rush to the company headquarters!"
The camera returned to the host in the studio again:
"Oh! It seems that the investors of STAR Newspaper have really accumulated too much dissatisfaction.
Mr. Xu, what do you think Star Media needs to do about this situation? ”
"The most effective way is for his father to return to Xiangjiang as soon as possible and personally solve the problem!"
Mr. Xu, a securities analyst, said seriously:
"Jared Murdoch is the core figure of Star Media. Although he is sixty-six years old, if he can stand up again, the market will still respect him."
The host nodded in agreement and continued:
“Dear viewers, now it’s time to open, let’s see how the market performs today.
First up is today’s hot topic, STAR Newspaper!
It fell 13% at the opening. Investors are indeed expressing their dissatisfaction with practical actions! ”
Mr. Xu nodded and agreed:
"Indeed, the future of Star Media Group looks very uncertain."
"Mr. Xu, is it possible that Jared Murdoch operates the company remotely from Australia?"
Mr. Xu shook his head:
"Leave aside the issue of management costs, Jared Murdoch is like the commander of Star Media Group.
If he is not on the front lines, morale will be low.
Moreover, the market is currently losing confidence in the STAR newspaper it controls!
If stock prices continue to slide, the banks that provide loans will not sit idly by.
Once banks start to collect loans, Star Media Group's capital chain may be broken! ”
Speaking of this, Mr. Xu added:
"In fact, these problems have already emerged last year. If it were not for the expansion of overseas media business in recent years,
As well as the forced acquisition of advertising companies in the mainland and the excessive expansion of the scale of Star TV, the situation of Star Media Group may not reach this point. ”
The host shook his head helplessly:
"Alas! I didn't expect that the subsidiaries of such a huge empire as News Corporation would face such a serious crisis..."
At the same time, in the exclusive trading room, Zheng Zetao leisurely issued trading instructions:
"Wow, there was an 18% drop immediately after the opening!"
"If I continue to sell short, I will see a drop of at least 30%, which will make those lending banks restless!"
As a group mainly engaged in newspapers and media, Star Media has a relatively high debt ratio.
Coupled with a series of bad decisions made by Pat Murdoch last year, the holding company was saddled with huge debts.
If it is not controlled, the stock price will fall to the point of insolvency!
"Master Zheng, Mr. Du is here and you made an appointment with him to talk about something."
"A Sheng is here! Take him to the conference room first, I'll be there right away."
………
Xiangjiang International Airport, in a luxury car.
Jared Murdoch, who had just returned to Hong Kong, stared at the stock price trends on his portable screen.
It fell 18% in the first ten minutes of trading.
Then it went all the way down until it reached a 20% drop before temporarily stabilizing.
This is actually a support point that he arranged in advance.
However, after only half an hour, the stock price was hit by a large sell order.
Subsequently, retail investors also began to panic sell, and the stock price plummeted to 25% or 30%, with almost no resistance!
At this moment, Jared already knew that his company had become the target of the evil wolf.
It is absolutely impossible for ordinary retail investors to cause such a large drop in stock prices!
Ever since he returned to Australia to handle the breeding business there, the situation here has gotten out of hand.
He even began to wonder if his elder brother had gone back on his word and planned to conspire with short sellers to regain control of Star Media.
Just thinking about it, it’s unlikely.
Although his eldest brother Rupert Murdoch spent HK$800 million to acquire Star Media ten years ago, his focus has long since shifted to New York.
That is, it acquired 19.9% of the shares of DirectTV parent company Hughes Electronics held by General Motors in an attempt to build a sky empire.
This acquisition requires the allocation of up to 7 billion US dollars, and Rupert Murdoch must always keep an eye on it.
As for the business in Asia, management was delegated to him five years ago.
It’s just that Jared had been in charge of animal husbandry in Australia before, and he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable when he suddenly crossed over to the media industry.
In addition, the layout in the entire Asia is too large, involving Southeast Asia Channel, Singapore Telecom, the three major Tianzhu TV stations, Star TV and Chinese Media in the Mainland...
No, this is a big step forward.
Not long ago, executives from several banks called him one after another.
Just for one purpose, debt collection!
If the debt cannot be repaid in time or the stock price cannot be increased, the bank will have to auction the mortgage assets of STAR Newspaper, Phoenix TV, etc.!
It's true that misfortunes never come singly.
At this time, the assistant hurriedly entered the car.
"Is the investigation clear?" Jared asked.
The assistant shook his head:
“Several securities lending companies refused to disclose the identity of the borrowers, claiming that it was a business secret.
The other shareholders are very nervous, and I think some of them may know something, but they clearly don't support us anymore. ”
Jared sneered.
These yellow people are all able to adapt to the changing circumstances!
If it were in the past, the Murdoch family would have a shitty business secret in front of them!
The assistant hesitated and said:
"But I found a clue. Du Sheng, the boss behind the "Metropolitan Entertainment News" who broke the scandal about Bert, seems to be closely related to Zheng Zetao, the son of the Zheng family, one of the top ten families in Hong Kong!"
Jared muttered Zheng Zetao's name silently, watched the stock price stop at a 32% drop, and closed his eyes.
The other party's motives are already obvious.
"Contact Zheng Zetao and invite him to the manor. I want to talk to him in person."
………
Standing at the entrance of STAR Manor, Du Sheng couldn't help but feel emotional.
I originally thought that the meeting would be held in a high-end and private business club, but unexpectedly, I was directly invited here.
The two followed Pat Murdoch to the living room in the manor.
I saw Jared Murdoch, CEO of Star Media, sitting in a chair reading a newspaper.
When he saw Zheng Zetao coming in, he did not get up to greet him.
Instead, he pointed to the seat opposite, motioned for Zheng Zetao to sit down, and then said:
"Pat, you go out first."
Pat Murdock nodded, walked out slowly, turned around and glanced at Du Sheng.
Jared's eyes turned to Du Sheng, who was still standing, and then looked at Zheng Zetao, as if asking the entourage if they would avoid it?
Zheng Zetao answered with a smile:
"Mr. Jared, this is my partner, Du Sheng." Jared Murdoch looked at Du Sheng carefully.
Indeed, he has an outstanding temperament and is very impressive.
As for whether he is handsome or like a star, it is completely outside his consideration.
When Du Sheng saw Jared nodding to him, he didn't take it seriously and sat down next to Zheng Zetao.
"Young Master Zheng, your methods are amazing. Even people outside the court help you cooperate!"
Jared looked directly into Zheng Zetao's eyes and said.
He even speculated that the protesters outside the newspaper headquarters today might have been secretly arranged by Zheng Zetao.
"Mr. Jared, if this is today's topic, then there may be no need for us to continue."
Zheng Zetao answered with a smile.
To communicate with ghost guys, of course, it’s in English.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
Jared asked pointedly, realizing that the test was fruitless.
"Mr. Jared, I want STAR newspaper, will you give it to me?"
Zheng Zetao looked directly into Jared's eyes.
"Young man, you have such a big appetite and you are not afraid of choking?"
Jared deadpanned.
"I can't help it. It's good to be young. I wonder if Mr. Jared can still eat?"
Zheng Zetao kept smiling.
Jared was silent for a moment, took a slow sip of coffee, and said:
"Young Master Zheng, you Chinese value mutual benefit and win-win results when doing business!
I can promise you to become a shareholder of STAR Newspapers, but you must give up your voting rights. ”
"Mr. Jared, I respect you as my father's friend, but please don't treat me like a child's play!"
Zheng Zetao laughed and said:
"Let me join STAR Newspaper as a decoration. It will not only allow you to continue to control the overall situation, but also use the reputation of my Zheng family to boost the stock price and scare away other potential competitors. This is a good plan!"
< br>
He is here as a representative this time, so he is naturally fearless.
Du Sheng looked at the confident Zheng Zetao. If he hadn't understood his true intentions, he might have been frightened.
"So, you Zheng family are determined to win?"
Jared frowned.
"Mr. Jared, don't forget, after the financial crisis, your group is frantically allocating funds to acquire Hughes Electronics. Where is the excess liquidity?
Two years ago you might have been able to raise billions of Hong Kong dollars with just one sentence, but what about now?
Don't say I look down on you Star Media, you are lucky if you can raise one billion Hong Kong dollars now! Is one billion enough to fill this hole? ”
Speaking of this, Zheng Zetao looked at Du Sheng:
"A Sheng, do you know how much debt Star Sky Media has now?"
Du Sheng knew what he meant and said with a smile:
“I don’t know much about Star Media as a whole, but I still know a little bit about STAR Newspaper.
Three years ago, its stock price peaked at 13 yuan, but now it has dropped to 2 yuan, with a market value of only over one billion yuan.
But last year, Pat acquired the three major media companies in Tianzhu for tens of billions of rupees, causing its debt to exceed US$1 billion.
I heard that the performance of the three major media companies in Tianzhu is now declining instead of rising. I wonder how much they can get from the bank auction? ”
Zheng Zetao laughed, turned his head and said:
"Mr. Murdoch, I'm not in a hurry to take over. I have plenty of time. I just don't know if those creditors will give you this window period."
"Don't threaten me with the bank. The most they can do is talk. If they really want to force STAR Newspaper to go bankrupt, they won't receive a dime."
Jared was noncommittal and remained calm.
His last name is there, and with News Corporation at his back, it won't be difficult to get back on defense.
It's just that he doesn't want to rely on his family for everything, as that would make him appear mediocre.
"Okay, Mr. Jared, let's see you at the shareholders' meeting!"
Zheng Zetao said with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
Jared asked with a frown.
Zheng Zetao ignored his question and looked at Du Sheng:
"A Sheng, do you know why Liu Lianxiong always made a fortune in the stock market back then?"
Although Du Sheng guessed the reason, he shook his head in cooperation.
“Because in Xiangjiang, many major shareholders want to gain control of the company at the lowest cost.”
Zheng Zetao smiled faintly:
"Just like STAR Newspapers, several companies under Star Media hold shares in each other, and the Murdoch family's actual controlling stake is only 35%."
"In other words, the Murdoch family does not have absolute control over STAR Newspapers!"
"A Sheng, if you were a minority shareholder, who would you favor?"
"Of course I'm leaning towards your Zheng family, they are local snakes after all."
Du Sheng smiled slightly:
"Although News Corporation is famous, many of its subsidiaries have gone bankrupt, not to mention that Star Media is not its core asset."
"You are right. When I contacted those shareholders in the past two days, they were all dancing with joy."
Zheng Zetao was quite contented.
Jared Murdoch remained calm and noncommittal:
"Young Master Zheng, if you can really obtain absolute controlling rights, you don't need to come to see me at all. You'd better tell me your true purpose!"
Zheng Zetao answered with a smile:
"As expected of the core figure of the Murdoch family, he is full of confidence.
But if you really think that I can't obtain absolute controlling rights, you are totally wrong!
If I didn't want to waste manpower and material resources, and I didn't want to have too much trouble with your Murdoch family, I would have a great opportunity today. ”
When it came to business, his face became serious:
"As long as you are willing to sell half of your shares, our Zheng family can promise that we will not take any further action against the other two listed companies of Star Media."
Jared Murdoch became serious and said calmly:
"Why, didn't you just reduce the STAR newspaper to nothing?
I still say the same thing, if you want to become a shareholder and make money together, I welcome it. ”
Although STAR Newspapers' current stock price is sluggish, it has control over many high-quality projects.
For example, Jordan Plaza, STAR Factory, Star Hotel, etc.
"Star Media's current focus has shifted to Southeast Asia. STAR Newspaper will only become more and more devalued in the hands of your Murdoch family, but it will be different in my hands."
Zheng Zetao is full of confidence:
"Mr. Jared, if you don't agree, then we can only fight a protracted war to see who can persist to the end."
Jared Murdoch turned a deaf ear and drank his coffee.
He naturally knows the current plight of the STAR newspaper industry. Even if he takes action personally, it will be difficult to turn the tide.
The general environment is there, so we can only wait until policies and markets pick up.
If you don't let go, you will still have to face the Zheng family who are staring at you eagerly.
More importantly, his current focus is indeed on Southeast Asia and Australia. Over time, shareholders who originally supported him may also switch sides.
Thinking of his useless son, Jared shook his head.
I feel it is better to get out as soon as possible and focus on other business of the company.
He pondered for a moment and asked:
"How much can your Zheng family afford?"
Zheng Zetao showed a hint of joy on his face and began to negotiate the price with Jared.
Du Sheng looked on, feeling that the two people were like vendors and customers haggling in the market.
It’s just that the transaction unit here is in the hundreds of millions.
Although the current market value of STAR Newspaper is only more than one billion, this is not the full value. The key lies in its control over those properties.
The reason why the Zheng family is interested in STAR Newspaper is because at this stage, it is more necessary to convert capital into influence.
One side wants to streamline its business, and the other side wants to expand marketization.
In the end, the Zheng family negotiated the deal with a large sum of cash + partial shares it held in the other two companies.
After it was confirmed, Zheng Zetao was in a happy mood:
"Mr. Jared, if we fail to negotiate this time, we may have a head-to-head confrontation next time!"
Jared looked calm:
"So, your Zheng family still gives me face?"
Zheng Zetao chatted a few words and suddenly said:
"Mr. Jared, does Star Media still have insufficient funds to acquire Singapore Telecom?"
"Why, your Zheng family also wants to expand into Southeast Asia?"
Jared Murdoch narrowed his eyes, and the other party had indeed hit his mark.
Zheng Zetao shook his head and smiled, then looked at Du Sheng beside him:
"Mr. Jared, this time it's not my Zheng family who wants to buy it, but Asheng who wants to give you money."
Jared then carefully looked at Du Sheng, who had been sitting next to Zheng Zetao, thoughtfully:
"Tell me why you came."
"Mr. Jared, don't you Star Media want to streamline your business in Hong Kong and the Mainland? I am very interested in this aspect."
Du Sheng smiled faintly:
"You have spent a lot of money on Phoenix TV in an attempt to compete with TVB,
But over the years, not only has the goal not been achieved, but it has been forced to increase investment, causing the business to become bloated...
Now why not get rid of the burden of Phoenix Satellite TV, and you can completely free up your hands to spread out in Southeast Asia. ”
"You want to buy Phoenix TV?!"
Jared Murdock was a little surprised when he heard the other party's purpose.
He didn't expect that this mainland star would dare to get involved in this industry.
In Xiangjiang, whoever dares to run a TV station is not an industry leader?
Whether it is Shao Yifu, Qiu Degeng or himself, they are all well-known figures.
If the Zheng family wanted to take advantage of Phoenix TV, he wouldn't be surprised at all.
But who is this Du Sheng?
………(End of this chapter)