Simon had started investing in General Electric stock early on, and Cersei Capital's BlackRock Asset Management currently held more than 5% of GE shares, earning them a seat on the board. Thanks to his previous friendly relationship with Steve Ross, he also held a small amount of Time Warner stock. Additionally, with the success of the DC Movie Universe and the close alliance between Time Warner and Daenerys over the years, Simon felt no sense of crisis regarding GE's acquisition of Time Warner.
On the contrary, Simon hoped that Time Warner would thrive under GE's wing, creating a two-way rivalry with Daenerys Entertainment in Hollywood.
Competition breeds progress.
Though a common saying, it rings true in its simplicity.
GE's acquisition of Time Warner was one of the major impacts Simon's actions had on the American media industry. With the deal concluded, it essentially marked the completion of the U.S. media landscape. The major television networks and Hollywood's seven major studios had all found their respective owners. Even if there were further changes, it would merely involve one big owner shifting to another.
At the core was oligopoly.
Next would come Simon's planned strategy of shifting strengths.
The landscape of the three major traditional networks plus the emerging FOX network would be hard to change. The focus was on Hollywood's seven major studios.
Daenerys Entertainment had already solidified its status as a giant in the industry. Time Warner was the only studio capable of competing with Daenerys, and they were allies. As for the other five studios, particularly the ones Simon was targeting, they were expected to decline gradually, potentially even going bankrupt and being liquidated.
After all, once-prominent Hollywood studios like RKO Pictures had long since vanished.
Nothing lasts forever.
In New York, as the merger was approved and the two companies officially merged, a celebratory party was held the following weekend. Simon was invited to attend and used the opportunity to handle some East Coast business.
He spent the week before the Oscars on the East Coast.
Mainly for preparations related to next month's trip to China.
It wasn't about the itinerary but rather the business deals that would be signed during the visit.
First up was a telecom project in China.
Entering the 1990s, China's telecom industry entered a fast track. By the end of 1995, China had over 50 million landline users and more than 3 million mobile subscribers, along with 25 million wireless paging users. Although these numbers couldn't compare to those of the U.S., the industry had seen growth rates of over 100% per year for the past five years, signaling enormous potential.
The rapid expansion of the market brought a serious problem.
A lack of funds.
Telecom is a capital-intensive industry. Whether it's landline infrastructure or mobile networks, it's not something small companies can easily manage. In China, while the telecom industry was monopolized by state-owned enterprises and was highly profitable, the rapid pace of development meant that domestic telecom giants lacked the funds to meet market demands.
For the past several years, the Chinese government had been pondering how to solve this issue.
The country's finances were tight, and securing enough bank loans or fiscal funds was nearly impossible. While corporate bonds were being issued, the amount couldn't be unlimited. Thus, the government began considering overseas listings.
After a year of discussion in 1995, they finally decided.
The Westeros system had been closely monitoring China's industrial changes, and Simon noticed this development last year. He had the Cersei Capital China Economic Research Institute team follow up.
With Simon's upcoming visit to China, an agreement was quickly reached.
Technically, it was a tripartite agreement.
The company planning to list was China Telecom, the precursor to China Mobile. Due to the state-owned structure, however, the telecom sector lacked a clear entity for listing. To go public, business restructuring was needed.
This fell under the expertise of Apollo Management, a Cersei Capital subsidiary.
In the original timeline, China Telecom (Mobile) went public in 1997, with 25% of its shares sold, raising $4.2 billion. This initial capital injection allowed China Mobile to become the dominant telecom company in China. At that time, Goldman Sachs handled the deal, and both China Mobile and Goldman reaped significant benefits.
While Cersei Capital wasn't getting involved in investment banking, Apollo Management could still make money by helping restructure China Telecom and collecting consultancy fees.
As for the IPO itself, Simon arranged for First Boston to handle it, paving the way for Grace Spolet's husband.
Thus, the cooperation involved China Telecom, Cersei Capital, and First Boston.
In the past, most foreign investment banks didn't have high hopes for China Telecom's IPO, not even Goldman Sachs. During the IPO, the Asian financial crisis occurred, and if not for the support of several key overseas Chinese investors, the deal might have fallen apart.
In short, this was not considered an attractive opportunity.
At least for those without Simon's foresight, it seemed like a major risk.
After all, the IPO involved raising billions of dollars. If it resulted in losses for investors, both Cersei Capital and First Boston would face significant blame. Bill Spolet, who championed the project, might even be fired, his career ruined.
It was a gamble.
But Simon had no such concerns.
He knew that, in hindsight, all the companies and individuals involved in the project would make a fortune—not just financially, but in political capital as well. In the uncertain times of 1997, those who stepped up earned a great deal of goodwill in China.
Goldman Sachs, for example, went on to lead a series of major IPOs for Chinese state-owned enterprises, building on the trust it had earned in 1997.
With Apollo Management and First Boston leading the IPO this time, both firms would open the doors to China's financial market. Cersei Capital would profit through consulting fees and stock purchases, while First Boston would earn substantial commissions from the IPO. Afterward, both companies could expect more business from China. Bill Spolet could potentially secure his position as First Boston's next leader, and even rise to the top of parent company Credit Suisse.
It was a win-win.
Given the importance of opening up China's financial market, Simon personally attended meetings, outlining his vision for Apollo Management.
The key was to take a long-term view and avoid making a quick profit.
Wall Street had a history of bad behavior in this regard.
If Simon didn't personally oversee things, it would be hard to say whether the two teams would resist the temptation to exploit the situation.
No one is foolish.
If you take advantage of someone once, they're unlikely to trust you again, and China Telecom's IPO was only the beginning.
Thus, both sides needed to cooperate in good faith.
They could set high consulting fees and commissions since the project carried significant risks, but they also had to maximize benefits for the Chinese side. After all, the Chinese government was the client, and it wouldn't do to sit on the wrong side of the table or collude to sell assets cheaply.
In addition, there was a major commercial real estate project.
This was another key deal to be signed during next month's trip to China.
Westeros' Levison Group planned to invest $1 billion in building a large commercial center in Beijing.
This decision came after careful evaluation within the Westeros system.
The main reference point was the Beijing World Trade Center project, which began in 1985 with investment from Malaysia's Guo family. Since its opening in 1990, it had been a huge success. According to Cersei Capital's research team, the World Trade Center was expected to fully repay all bank loans this year, three years ahead of schedule. Going forward, it would generate pure rental income.
With the success of Phase One, preparations for Phase Two were already underway, with construction expected to begin by the end of the year.
In the original timeline, even 20 years later, the Guo family was collecting more than 5 billion yuan in annual rent from the World Trade Center, making them Beijing's largest landlords.
With the success of Phase One and the imminent start of Phase Two, some might think it unwise for Westeros to enter the commercial real estate market now, as it would likely compete with World Trade Center Phase Two. What if the market became saturated?
But Simon knew these concerns were unfounded.
China's future development far exceeded the expectations of many.
Just like in telecom.
With the global boom in mobile communications, although China had only 3 million mobile users at the time, with annual growth rates of over 100%, many industry analysts predicted that China's mobile user base would surpass 100 million within the next decade.
In reality, a decade later, that number had reached 400 million, more than the total population of the U.S.
Thus, with proper management, the $1 billion real estate project would be profitable—how profitable was the only question.
Levison Group had primarily focused on residential real estate in the past, with limited experience in commercial development. For this project, Simon integrated a team from a real estate company that the Westeros system had taken control of. This company had significant experience in commercial real estate.
Following the integration, the original owners of the company were sidelined. They could continue to enjoy their wealth and dabble in media and entertainment, like producing reality shows.
If they caused trouble, Simon wouldn't hesitate to crush them entirely.
After addressing these matters, Simon stayed on the East Coast for a week, returning to Los Angeles on March 25.
That was the day of the 68th Academy Awards.
Simon was interested not only in the results of this year's awards but also in the ratings for the Oscar broadcast. For decades, the Oscars had been broadcast by ABC, but this was the first year after the ABC Group had been acquired by Daenerys Entertainment.
However,
despite the organizers' best efforts to invite him, Simon chose not to attend the ceremony.
Instead, he stayed home with his family to watch the live broadcast.
After all, the Westeros system was already omnipresent, and Simon didn't want to be everywhere himself.
It was inevitable.
Just like in South Korea.
Why is it called the Samsung Republic?
Because Samsung is omnipresent in the lives of Koreans, from birth to death. Later, in China, the most popular career option became the civil service exam, but in Korea, it was the Samsung exam. Samsung job training centers were everywhere, and getting into the Samsung system instantly elevated a person's status.
The Westeros system in the U.S. was becoming similarly omnipresent, primarily due to the industries it was involved in.
If it were in utilities or healthcare, it might not be so obvious, but the focus was on technology and media.
The world was now captivated by the new wave of technology, a revolution that the Westeros system was driving.
And in media, it was even more evident—movies, TV shows, music, the internet—almost everyone interacted with these daily. Names like Daenerys, Egrit, Melisandre, and Cersei were iconic, and the market values of these companies dominated the media landscape. It would be unusual not to see them take up a large share of the headlines.
In short, it was like Tencent or Alibaba in later years—you couldn't avoid them even if you tried.
The awards ceremony began promptly at 6 p.m. on the West Coast.
This year's host was once again Billy Crystal. His entrance, riding in on a Batcycle, was a clear sign of things to come.
There were no surprises.
Within the first 10 minutes, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took home its first Oscar out of its nine nominations, winning Best Original Score.
The music in the DC Movie Universe had always been outstanding, but superhero films were naturally looked down upon by the Academy. This was the first Oscar for the franchise, a long-overdue recognition.
With the Best Score award, the rest of the night was effectively locked in.
Over the course of the three-hour ceremony, aside from the acting categories, which Batman v Superman couldn't claim—superhero films rarely offered much room for actors to shine—the film took home several key awards.
In the end, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and four other Oscars, becoming the biggest winner of the 68th Academy Awards.
As the results came in, the film's domestic box office saw a resurgence, and in several international markets where it was still in its early stages, the film's Oscar success sparked a new wave of interest.
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