Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 940: Continue to Add Sand to America Entertainment Investment Company
"why?"

After hearing Hanyu Hideki's answer, Karl Map asked with a puzzled look on his face.

He felt that he was not as good as a genius like Hideki Hanyu in business.

But as a Jew, I think I have some talent.

Before coming to Washington, I had achieved some success.

But even so, he did not understand Hideki Hanyu's business logic.

Shouldn't Blockbuster, which is so profitable and still growing rapidly, be kept in hand?

Why do you want to sell it actively?

Although the largest investor behind America Entertainment Investment Company is Hideki Hanyu, this is nothing more than transferring funds from one hand to the other, and control has not been lost.

But after all, it still involves other investors, so the profits are bound to be lost by half.

Facing the puzzled Carl Map, Hanyu Hideki asked with a smile, "Have you forgotten that you are also an investor of America Entertainment Investment Company? Aren't you happy that I sold such a profitable industry to you?"

Karl Mapp admitted honestly, "I am happy, but I am also very curious."

Facing the honest Karl Map, Hanyu Hideki said, "I am not giving Blockbuster to you for free. The valuation of 8.2 billion US dollars is my true psychological price."

Karl Map said, "But if Blockbuster stays in your hands, it will help you make more money."

Hanyu Hideki asked, "Do I need money?"

“There is definitely no shortage.”

Karl Map simply shook his head.

Will Hideki Hanyu be short of money?

Are you kidding? This is the world's richest man known to everyone.

There are several Fortune 500 companies under its umbrella.

Hanyu Hideki asked again, "Do you think that the biggest pursuit of my career now is money?"

Karl Map thought about it, then shook his head and said, "I will definitely pursue money, but it is definitely not the biggest pursuit."

Others don’t know that as Hanyu Hideki’s partner in Washington, he knows very well that the money Hanyu Hideki spends every year just to maintain his personal connections in Washington or to promote policies that are beneficial to his company is an astronomical figure.

Since its establishment, Hexi Information Consulting Company has also developed many other clients.

But to be honest, the biggest financial backer behind the scenes is actually Hideki Hanyu.

Many of Hideki Hanyu's careers have actually touched the ceiling of this planet.

When development has reached this point, even if Hideki Hanyu is unwilling, capital will push him to touch other things.

The purpose may be for better capital development or for self-protection. In short, no matter what, Hideki Hanyu will never be short of money.

In fact, let alone Hideki Hanyu, even for Karl Map, his first purpose in doing things is often not for money.

After asking the two questions, Hanyu Hideki seemed to stop there. Suddenly his tone changed and he spoke with some emotion.

“Blockbuster is in a delicate situation right now.

Although Blockbuster's revenue is not small, it can only be said to be within a normal range.

What the outside world values ​​most is not its revenue, but its terrifying cash flow.

Without taking into account Blockbuster's revenue, just counting the rental deposit, membership fees, late payment fees... these liquid funds temporarily deposited with Blockbuster are increasing every moment.

The total amount of this money last year was around US$6 billion.

But this year, according to Blockbuster's internal forecast, this part of the funds is likely to exceed 8 billion US dollars."

"I seem to understand what you mean."

As a broker who once raised investment for the Israeli sovereign fund, Karl Map knew exactly what Hanyu Hideki meant.

In the business world, money is everything.

Blockbuster is just an ordinary video rental chain store, but it has such a huge amount of liquid funds that can be used freely to a certain extent.
This is simply a small, unregulated bank.

With such a huge amount of liquidity, there are so many things that can be done.

There are so many places that can be manipulated.

Hanyu Hideki continued, “So, Sumner Redstone has set his sights on Blockbuster.”

Sumner Redstone, better known in China as Ray Stone.

Founder of American entertainment and media giant Viacom.

In later generations, companies such as CBS, Paramount Pictures, MTV Music Network, etc. all belong to the Viacom Group.

"Redstone has always wanted to acquire Paramount Pictures, but he lacks sufficient cash. Does he want to acquire Blockbuster and use Blockbuster's cash flow to acquire Paramount?"

After a little thought, Karl Map guessed what Lei Shidong was thinking.

Hideki Hanyu thought to himself that he was worthy of being his partner as he could easily understand Lei Shidong's thoughts.

In another time and space, Redstone did exactly that, relying on a merger with Blockbuster and eventually successfully acquiring Paramount Pictures.

In this time and space, Blockbuster attracted Lei Shidong's attention in advance because of Hideki Hanyu's accelerated ripening, and obviously wanted to do the same thing as in the other time and space.

So long before Hideki Hanyu wanted to sell Blockbuster to America Entertainment Investments, Viacom Group had already frequently contacted Genie Entertainment regarding the merger of Blockbuster.

Hanyu Hideki nodded and admitted, "Leishitong does think so."

Carl Map frowned slightly and asked with a hint of confusion, "But what does this have to do with you selling Blockbuster to America Entertainment Investments?
Don't tell me you are afraid of Lei Shidong?"

In Karl Map's opinion, it is true that Redstone is an entertainment and media tycoon.

But this tycoon also depends on who he compares himself with.

Compared with Hideki Hanyu, whether it is film investment, theater distribution, or other aspects, Lei Shidong lags behind in all aspects.

As for wealth, if I remember correctly, the value Forbes gave to Lei Shidong seems to be less than one-fifth of Hideki Hanyu.

Redstone has developed Viacom to its current state by relying on large-scale acquisitions. His control over the company is even inferior to that of Hideki Hanyu.

After all, if Lei Shidong really had the ability, he wouldn't have struggled for so many years and still failed to take over Paramount Pictures.

In contrast, Hideki Hanyu directly bought MCA Universal, which is larger than Paramount Pictures.

So in Karl Map's opinion, Hideki Hanyu has no reason to be afraid of Lei Shidong.

“Of course I’m not afraid of Lei Shidong, but since Lei Shidong, a hound with a keen sense of capital, has discovered Blockbuster, I’m afraid others will soon pay attention to it.

Elf Entertainment is very important to me, and I don't want it to receive too much attention because of Blockbuster. Moreover, others can use Blockbuster's advantages, so why can't we use them?"

When Hanyu Hideki said this, Carl Map immediately asked, "Do you mean to let America Entertainment Investments use Blockbuster's funds?"

Hanyu Hideki nodded, "Yes, in my plan, America Entertainment Investment Company can do more things, but it cannot do so due to lack of funds.

Just like the acquisition of Abovecloud TV and then the merger with the British satellite company, if it weren't for my loan, this matter would not have been possible from the beginning.

But the problem is that I can't pay every time, and even if I am willing, the board of directors will not agree.

Once Blockbuster was established, the financial problem would be easily solved.

Moreover, compared with Universal Pictures, which does not have much liquidity in its account, Blockbuster's abundant cash flow makes it easier for us to leverage and leverage more capital."

Carl Map became interested and asked eagerly, "What do you want to do with America Entertainment Investment Company?"

Hanyu Hideki smiled mysteriously and said, "I haven't made up my mind yet. I will let you know as soon as I make up my mind."

Karl Map immediately said with a disappointed look on his face, "It's really boring."

"I really haven't thought about it yet." Hanyu Hideki said innocently.

Karl Map, however, said "huh" with a look of disbelief.

Karl Mapp has great respect for Hideki Hanyu's foresight in business and his long-term vision for the future.

That's why he didn't believe that Hanyu Hideki had made such a big fuss without thinking about what to do next.

Hanyu Hideki did not explain, but changed the subject and said, "I think it is time to hold a formal meeting of the board of directors of America Entertainment Investment Corporation."

Karl Mapp asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

Hanyu Hideki replied, "Raising funds, expanding the size of the board of directors, and adding new investors."

Karl Mapp asked, "Why?"

"why?"

Hanyu Hideki looked surprised, "You don't think I would give Blockbuster to America Entertainment Investments for free, do you?
The valuation of 8.2 billion US dollars is not something I said casually. Even if Elf Entertainment does not sell all its shares for the game cartridge rental business, the amount that America Entertainment Investment Company should pay will not be a small number.

This money can be partly financed by loans, but American Entertainment Investments must also raise the rest of the acquisition funds.”

Karl Mapp felt his scalp tingling when he thought about that number, and immediately said, "It is not easy to raise such a large amount of funds."

Hanyu Hideki said, "That's exactly what I want to see, because it will make it easier for us to manipulate new friends to join, and it will also make it easier for me to continue to interfere with the board of directors of America Entertainment Investments."

Karl Map, who understood Hanyu Hideki's intention, asked, "When are you going to hold it?"

Hanyu Hideki raised his finger and shook it. "It's not me, it's you and Joseph Stern who convened this kind of meeting, which is bound to take a long time. I don't want to waste time."

Karl Map knew that Hanyu Hideki was very busy, so he didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Then tell me what we need to pay attention to in this meeting and what goals we need to achieve."

"need……"

Next, Hideki Hanyu began to explain to Carl Map in detail what should be paid attention to and what goals should be achieved in this formal meeting of the board of directors of America Entertainment Investment Company.

Afterwards, Hideki Hanyu stayed at Hexi Information Consulting Company until the afternoon.

Of course, the two of them not only talked about America Entertainment Investment Company, but also some other topics, and they talked about a lot of aspects.

After all, it is a rare opportunity for Hideki Hanyu to come here, and Karl Mapp does have a lot of work that requires him to communicate with Hideki Hanyu.

The conversation between the two finally came to an end when the beautiful secretary named Parvin knocked on the door and informed them that Olivia Hurley was visiting.

After Karl Mapp agreed, Olivia Hurley was brought into the office by the secretary.

This beautiful lady did not shy away from it and sat next to Hideki Hanyu in an intimate manner in front of Karl Mapp.

Seeing this, Karl Mapp could no longer help but understand what was happening.

He has ideas about Hurley's private club and wants Hideki Hanyu to help him get closer to Mrs. Hurley.

But he didn't expect that in such a short time in the UK, Hanyu Hideki had managed to bring their relationship so close.

Karl Map secretly gave a thumbs up and looked at Hanyu Hideki with envy.

But there is no point in being envious. Hanyu Hideki's appearance is enough to drive any woman crazy. Unless he is reborn, he will never catch up with him in this life.

While Karl Map was full of admiration, Hanyu Hideki asked Olivia Hurley, "Didn't you say you would come at noon?"

Olivia Hurley replied, "The Donkey Party recently held a national conference in Washington, and some old customers came to the club and introduced me to some new customers. It took me some time to deal with the new guests."

Hanyu Hideki said casually, "I heard that the Donkey Party is not peaceful recently."

"This is normal. The mid-term elections are coming up in November, so of course many people will be looking for opportunities at this time."

This time it was not Olivia Hurley who spoke, but Karl Map.

After that, Karl Map asked somewhat unexpectedly, "When did you become interested in the American election? Do you want to abandon the capitalist principle of neutrality?"

Hanyu Hideki pretended to be puzzled and asked, "When have the capitalists in this world ever been neutral?

Moreover, in many cases, betting on certain aspects is itself an investment for capitalists.”

There is a deep meaning behind Hanyu Hideki's words.

Carl Map knew a lot about Hideki Hanyu, such as his investments in Arkansas and the governor's rise in the Democratic Party.

However, since Olivia Hurley is here, Karl Map is not in a position to discuss these issues in detail.

Moreover, in his opinion, Hanyu Hideki has little interest in participating in American politics, and due to his identity restrictions, it is not convenient for him to do anything publicly.

However, Karmap did not say anything, but Olivia Hurley explained, "The turmoil within the Donkey Party is probably because of Gary Hart."

Hanyu Hideki asked, "Is this the one who was supposed to run against the current president in 1988 but lost his candidacy because of a sex scandal?"

Olivia Hurley nodded, "Yes, it's him. If it weren't for his scandal, he might be the one living in the White House now.

Now he is making a comeback and intends to compete for the candidacy in two years, but because of the previous scandal, many people in the Donkey Party are not optimistic about him. "

Of course, Hideki Hanyu is well aware that the Democratic Party did not ultimately choose him as its candidate, but instead chose the governor of Arkansas.

Although he thought so in his heart, he made a joke on the surface, "If I were an American, I would definitely not be suitable to run for president, otherwise there would be endless reports of sex scandals during the entire election period."

After saying that, he looked at his watch and stood up.

"After chatting all day, it's time for us to set off.

Mrs. Hurley, I heard that the chef at the Hurley Club makes very good steaks, so I decided that you would treat us to dinner tonight."

Olivia Hurley bowed gracefully, "I am very honored to be recognized by Mr. Seraphim."

(End of this chapter)