America’s Road To Wealth

  Chapter 283 The Acquisition of Quick Knives

   Aiden Barkley felt that tonight's negotiations were a bit shaky.

  Because it's too fast, it doesn't sound like you're talking about an expensive media conglomerate worth £350 million.

   On the contrary, it is as simple as buying a potato in the vegetable market.

  But in fact, in the negotiations with Aiden Buckley tonight, Abel's advisory group has done a lot of work in private.

  Including research and real-time observation of the value of BT Media Group, as well as the value of several newspapers under the group.

  The only real valuable thing under this company is the "Daily Telegraph".

  The Daily Telegraph is an influential national newspaper in the UK.

  It was founded on June 29, 1855. In 1937, it merged with the "Morning Post" in England, called "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post", and later changed to its current name.

   It is the largest-selling of the four national "premium" daily newspapers in the UK.

  The newspaper has a compact layout and extensive content, but its news is shorter than other national newspapers. In 1994, the newspaper became the first online newspaper in Europe.

  Like its counterparts in the United States, the Internet appeared and entered the new century.

  The originally well-developed British newspaper industry has also been gradually shrinking.

   "Daily Telegraph" at its peak period, the daily sales record is 2.45 million copies.

  It was the day of the victory of World War II, and it published news about the victory of World War II.

  On that day, the sales of newspapers in the UK and even the world almost doubled compared to usual.

   This is the highest sales volume in history, and the gold content is a little bit low.

  However, during the long period of forty years from after the war to 1990.

  The "Daily Telegraph" can almost maintain a sales volume of about 1 million+ copies.

  When the new era comes and the Internet appears.

  The Daily Telegraph, like its peers, is suffering from declining sales.

  As of 2001, the average daily sales volume of The Daily Telegraph is only about 800,000+.

   Even with this sales volume, it still allows the "Daily Telegraph" to secure the top spot in the daily sales volume of British newspapers.

  The Times in second place and The Guardian in third, their scores are even worse.

  The key is that these newspapers are more serious and cannot allow too many advertisements to affect sales. In recent years, they have even had problems making profits.

   Like the "Daily Telegraph", it has been losing money for two years. The Times has been losing money for almost three years.

  The worst is the "Guardian", which is said to have been losing money for more than five years.

   "The Times" is okay, behind it is the British News Corporation, which is Murdoch's News Corporation.

   With the "Times" backed by a super tree, that little loss is not a problem at all.

  The "Daily Telegraph" and "The Guardian" with no thighs behind their backs gradually became a little bit unbearable.

   As the largest newspaper, the "Daily Telegraph" has a relatively thick blood bar.

  The "Guardian" side, since last year, there have been frequent news of bankruptcy and liquidation.

  In the current era, the fate of these overlords in the era of paper media is like the fate of the empire on which the sun never sets.

  Growing old, only the glory of the past remains.

   Aiden Buckley is a little uncomfortable. Abel's fast and concise negotiation style is too inconsistent with the rules of the business world.

   This is what Aiden Buckley didn't know. The background of the Telegraph Media Group and the "Daily Telegraph" had been searched by Abel.

  Even the group's possible offer, the advisory group also gave a reference.

  Aiden Barkley's offer of 350 million pounds is included in the reference price.

  Abel Tonight, there are still many negotiations to be carried out.

   Make sure this quote comes after psychological expectations.

  Abel cut the mess quickly, and quickly resolved the matter with the Telecom Media Group in Aiden Buckley's somewhat messy mood.

Of course.

   After Aiden Buckley returns, he will have a meeting with the family and shareholders.

   It is finally determined whether to sell the British Telecom Media Group for 350 million pounds.

  Not to mention Aiden Buckley's messy mood.

   This is the Savoy Hotel.

  Abel has started the next negotiation immediately.

  The second person is sitting next to Aiden Buckley who just left.

  The second businessman's name is Kerry Kirsch.

  Kerry Kirsch is not British, he is a German, and he just arrived from Germany today.

  Kerry Kirsch is one of the members of the Kirsch family, and the Kirsch family is the founder of the Kirsch Group.

  As for the Kirsch Group, it is one of the largest media groups in the world, the largest media company in Germany, and the top three media companies in Europe.

  Kirsch Media, a subsidiary of the group, monopolizes the broadcasting rights and advertising industry of the Bundesliga.

  Abel's purpose in finding Kerry Kirsch is simple.

   "Mr. Kirsch." Abel said:

   "To be honest, I want to buy the shares of SELC held by the Kirsch Group."

  Kerry Kirsch is the same as Aiden Buckley.

  Being able to come here, I have negotiated many times with Abel's advisory group.

   Those who can come to the scene are basically the ones that have been agreed on in terms of price and various terms and conditions.

   It can be said that they all have transaction intentions.

  These people in front of me are all there. They came here to make final contact with Abel.

  As long as both parties have no doubts, the next step is to formally sign the contract.

  Kerry Kirsch looks at the young over-the-top Abe.

  The German businessman, already in his fifties, sighed and said:

   "Okay. I'm here to sell SELC shares. The Kirsch Group has no objection to the offer."

  Abel smiled and said: "We have already agreed, haven't we? Since we have mutual intentions, it will be good for both parties to confirm as soon as possible. Time is money, my friend."

   "You're right. Mr. Smith. Time is money!"

  Kerry Kirsch, who is already in his fifties, agrees very much with this sentence.

   "Then it's like we said. 800 million euros, 75% of SELC's shares." Abel smiled.

  Kerry Kirsch nodded in agreement.

  Before the old man comes.

  The Kirsch Group headquarters and shareholders have already agreed to this price.

  The old man came here, basically for a cutscene.

  Seeing Abel's hearty look with Aiden Buckley and himself just now.

  Kerry Kirsch, who had no extra thoughts, couldn't help but said:

   "By the way, Mr. Smith. Are you interested in the Kirsch Group?"

   "Kirsch Group?" Abel smiled and said, "As far as I know, your current situation is very bad."

  Kerry Kirsch's face sank, but he also knew that what Abel said was true.

   Now everyone knows that the Kirsch Group has a big problem.

  As the largest media group in the world, the situation of the Kirsch Group at this time is very bad.

  Currently, the total debt of the entire Kirsch Group is as high as more than 6.5 billion euros.

   It is not terrible to have too much debt, what is terrible is the sharp decline in profitability.

  From 2001 to now, Kirsch Media is the only company within the integration, and the pre-tax profit has dropped by 9%, reaching only 178 million euros.

   As of now, the debt of a subsidiary of Kirsch Media Company has reached 2.2 billion euros.

  Even in Germany, the local media used the word "cancer" to describe the spread of the debt problem within the Kirsch Group.

  The Kirsch Group claimed to the outside world that Germany's Bavarian State Bank, Mortgage Union Bank, Commercial Bank and DZ Bank will all participate in the action to help the Kirsch Group.

  These banks will also jointly decide who will take over the Kirsch Group.

   None of this is a secret in Europe.

   It is also because the situation is very bad. The Kirsch Group will have to start selling some of the high-quality assets that are wanted.

   In order to obtain new capital injections to save the dying parent company.

   It’s just a drop in the bucket, and at the same time some drinking poison to quench thirst.

   "The hard days will pass." Kerry Kirsch can only say so, "My brother always told me so."

  Kerry Kirsch is the younger brother of the founder, chairman and CEO of the Kirsch Group, Leo Kirsch.

   "Then I wish the Kirsch Group to get through this difficult day as soon as possible." Abel smiled.

  Kerry Kirsch sighed inwardly.

  The old guy knows the American tycoon in front of him and doesn't want to take over the mess of the Kirsch Group.

   But Kerry Kirsch can't blame Abel, because it's not just Abel.

   Even the local banks in Germany, and even the German government, do not want to lend a helping hand to the current situation of the Kirsch Group.

  The reason is very simple. The Kirsch Group is in the current predicament because it asked for it.

  This media group company is a typical example of wanting to pretend without money.

  It is the Kirsch Group, which abruptly increased the price and cost of the Bundesliga broadcast rights by two times in five years and three times in ten years.

  The exaggerated broadcast fee allowed the Kirsch Group to monopolize the broadcast rights of the Bundesliga, which made the Bundesliga teams very happy.

  It’s just that what you eat will eventually be spit out

  In parallel time and space, the Kirsch Group will be liquidated next year.

   Then the Bundesliga, which has lived a good life with the Kirsch Group for several years, is all unlucky except for Bayern, which was suspected of insider trading and took a sum of money from the Kirsch Group in advance.

  The big teams are okay and can survive. Those small and medium-sized teams almost followed suit after the collapse of the Kirsch Group.

  The contract amount of 800 million euros between the Kirsch Group and the Bundesliga has come to naught. Many small-scale clubs are on the verge of bankruptcy. Kaiserslautern and Nuremberg even need donations from players to maintain their operations.

   It was later that the German banks and local governments stepped up to provide loan support, which allowed the Bundesliga to continue.

   Only after that, after a few years of fun in the Bundesliga, they went from extravagance to frugality again, and the hard days passed.

  In the parallel time and space, the Kirsch incident caused Berbatov and other stars to leave the Bundesliga one after another.

  This crisis has even spread to faraway Italy.

  Before the start of the 2002-03 season, the Italian National Television greatly reduced the broadcast fee paid to Serie A, from 88.5 million euros to 45 million euros.

  The sharp drop in broadcast revenue has put a large number of small and medium-sized clubs in trouble, and the Fiorentina team, one of the Seven Sisters of Serie A, directly declared bankruptcy.

  The same example is the World Cup.

   It is exaggerated that the Kirsch Group can build up so much debt.

   It is related to Leo Kirsch, the founder and chairman, who insisted on buying out the global TV broadcast rights of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups at a sky-high price of 1.67 billion US dollars.

  Leo Kirsch's series of wise operations since the 1990s have almost ruined the German No. 1 media group.

  Kerry Kirsch saw Abel's "rich and powerful" at this time.

   The desperate Kirsch Group, if it can get funds from Abel.

  Or if Abel is allowed to take over the Kirsch Group, Kerry Kirsch feels that there is hope to bring the Kirsch Group back to life.

  Who is the name of Abel Smith, who has already crossed the Atlantic Ocean and passed it to Europe?

  Maybe in that way, the turnover can be maintained and the company can last longer.

   It's just that Abel's advisory group has already reflected these situations to him.

   Even suggestions are given.

   That is, the Kirsch Group is not worth owning. It is too heavily indebted and has become insolvent.

   What's more troublesome is that Leo Kirsch's wise judgment has gone wrong.

  The profitability of most of the things under the Kirsch Group does not match their costs.

   Like Kirsch Media, the average annual pre-tax profit in the past three years is only about 200 million euros.

  If corporate tax is paid, the profit of 150 million euros may be lost.

  The profit of 150 million euros is only enough to pay off the interest on the debt, and this year's situation does not even seem to be enough.

  In addition, within a few years visible to the naked eye, it is impossible for its income to increase significantly.

   This means that Kirsch Media will continue to lose money for at least five years.

  With a debt of 2.2 billion euros and continuous losses, few people can bear it.

  Subsidiaries like this can be said to spread throughout the entire Kirsch Group.

  The description from the local German media is the most appropriate. At this time, the Kirsch Group is covered with cancer, and the cancer cells have spread to the whole body.

  It is good to only have two or three taels of flesh left all over the body, and the rest are all cancer cell proliferation.

   This made Abel, who was quite interested in the Kirsch Group, back down.

   It is true that Abel is not short of money, and it is also true that he wants to let the world hear the voice of Smith Media.

  But even he would not jump into such a huge pit.

   Fortunately, the advisory group also gave him advice.

  The advisory group suggested that Abel may not take a stake in the Kirsch Group.

  But if the Kirsch Group wants to borrow money, it can be lent out with some terms.

  In that case, the Kirsch Group really has a chance. With the priority clause, Smith Media may have the opportunity to acquire some high-quality assets of the Kirsch Group.

   It's just a pity that everyone thinks so.

  Those banks and companies that lend money to the Kirsch Group have already divided up the high-quality assets of the Kirsch Group.

   Unless the Kirsch Group can survive, it will not be able to mortgage high-quality assets that can be disposed of to Abel.

   In other words, even if Abel wanted to take out a loan, the Kirsch Group would not be able to produce the high-quality assets he wanted.

  SELC's shares are already the only high-quality assets that can be sold.

   Everything else has been mortgaged.

  Kerry Kirsch did not mention the loan, but directly asked Abel if he was interested in shares.

   That is naturally not there.

  Kerry Kirsch had to leave with regret.

  Abel was also a little bit sorry.

  The Kirsch Group is undoubtedly a large piece of fat, but unfortunately, this piece of fat is full of cancer, which makes people daunting.

   Fortunately, it is not without gains, at least bought 75% of the shares of SELC.

   After Kerry Kirsch was settled, Abe talked to everyone else.

   As said before.

  These people who can come here have already negotiated with Abel's advisor in advance.

   Coming here is just a formality, to make a final confirmation.

   Among the remaining guests were the bosses or representatives of several newspapers such as the British "Daily Mail", "Daily Star", and "Daily Express".

   Don't look at these newspapers, each has a "Daily" prefix.

   They actually have nothing to do with Telemedia Group. Just like the "Daily Telegraph", there is a "Daily" in front of the name.

  The "Daily Mail" is a "high-end newspaper" similar to the "Daily Telegraph", which is similar to the Times and the Guardian, mainly serious international and financial news.

   "Daily Express" is a middle-level newspaper, famous for its short, concise, easy-to-understand articles, and most of its readers are middle and lower class.

  As for the "Daily Star", it is a pure tabloid, and its status in the UK is similar to that of the British "Sun".

   This newspaper includes gaming, weather forecasts, girls and sports news, entertainment news and more.

   is also one of the most famous paparazzi newspapers in the UK.

   For the bosses of these newspapers or the representatives of the bosses, Abel also cut the mess quickly.

   If you have no problem with the price, start preparing the contract and transfer agreement.

  If there is a problem, let people leave first and talk to their own advisory group.

   In this way, it only took him about an hour to deal with the first five guests.

   After seeing off the five guests, there was only one old man in his seventies left in front of Abel's eyes.

   Allen continued to introduce Abel, "BOSS. This is Mr. Kerry Landzer. He is the chairman and CEO of Landzer Entertainment Media Company."

   "Hello, Mr. Landzer." Abel smiled.

  He cut through the mess quickly, and in a short period of time, he reached many deals.

  He is now very glad that he has set up this advisory group similar to the "Military Aircraft Department".

  Otherwise, if you bring people by yourself, go and talk with these people in detail one by one.

  He felt that he would not have to do other things in the future.

   It is estimated that the negotiations are going on all day, and the time spent on the way to the negotiations is terrible enough.

   Fortunately, there is this "Military Aircraft Department" now, and most of the trivial matters and preliminary preparations can be entrusted to them.

  I just need to be cautious and make a judgment.

  The only thing to worry about is that the internal members of the advisory group may collude with the outside world.

  Abel had thought of this, but now he is still negotiating with the last guest.

  Kerry Landzer shook hands with Abel, and the old man said with a smile:

   "Mr. Smith, this is wonderful. I have never seen anyone buy a company like a potato, and buy a bunch of them"

  Abel thought to himself, do you Europeans really not know how to make metaphors without potatoes?

   "It's okay." Abel smiled: "After all, they are some inexpensive companies."

  Kerry Landzer couldn't help but twitched the corners of the old man's mouth when he heard his answer.

  While the old man was still muttering in his heart, Abel said:

   "Mr. Landzer, let's be straightforward. I want the shares of MUPLC held by Landzer Entertainment Media."

   "Of course, of course." Kerry Landzer smiled back at Abel, and the old man said:

   "I came here to sell you these shares. One hundred million pounds, right?"

   "No mistake." Abel smiled.

  The old man stood up directly, and stretched out his hand to him: "I am willing to sell, sir."

  Abel got up and shook hands with him, and said with a smile, "Have a nice cooperation, sir."

  (end of this chapter)