London.
BBC.
At that moment, three men sat in a spacious office.
All three were men.
None of them was young. The oldest was already sixty. His name was Klaus Tang, and he was in charge of BBC's variety programming department. The other two men were also management-level employees in the department.
"Gentlemen, what do you think of Got Talent? Could it get high ratings?" Klaus Tang asked.
One of the men, who was about thirty and named Cindy, spoke up. "Minister, I think it could be a hit. We should acquire the rights."
"Oh? Go on," Klaus Tang said.
Cindy nodded. "Minister, Got Talent is a variety show built around ordinary people competing. At its core, it's about people from all walks of life who are part of our everyday world, yet aren't ordinary at all. They have skills that most people lack, or are far better at them than the average person. That will absolutely draw in a large audience among ordinary people. So I strongly recommend that we acquire the rights to Got Talent. Even if we have to pay twenty million pounds, it'll be worth it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, laughter suddenly interrupted the meeting.
"Cindy, you've got to be joking!"
"Who are we? We're the BBC, with our long history!"
"And who owns the rights to Got Talent? A little Hollywood company, that's who."
"Are you suggesting that we professionals need a bunch of amateurs from across the Atlantic to tell us what to do? What could they possibly teach us?"
"All because of the rights to Got Talent?"
"Come on, that's ridiculous!"
"And you'd pay whatever it takes? Even twenty million pounds? Cindy, have you lost your mind?"
The man who had spoken was also middle-aged. His name was Lawrence Dacorta.
Lawrence Dacorta and Cindy held equivalent positions at the BBC, but they seemed to have been born enemies. Neither could stand the other. The reason was that Lawrence Dacorta came from the British nobility and was an elite graduate of a prestigious university. And Cindy?
Cindy hadn't just failed to attend university; he'd dropped out before finishing high school.
How could an aristocratic elite with a prestigious degree possibly respect a poor, self-made kid who now stood on equal footing with him?
Now, Cindy was strongly recommending that they acquire the rights to Got Talent, even if it meant paying through the nose.
Lawrence Dacorta seized the opportunity to oppose him.
"You—!"
Cindy glared angrily at the smug Lawrence, then continued, "Minister, Wald Pictures may be a small company, and it may never have produced a variety show before, but we shouldn't look down on it. In my view, the concept behind Got Talent is excellent."
"Well..."
Klaus Tang hesitated.
One of his right-hand men supported the idea, while the other opposed it. For a moment, he didn't know whose advice to take.
The main reason was that he was about to retire and didn't want to stir up trouble at the last minute.
Seeing this, Cindy continued, "Minister, don't forget Teletubbies. Its rights also came from Wald Pictures!"
Klaus Tang's eyes lit up.
That was true. Wald Pictures might lack experience, but since Teletubbies had started airing recently, it had been unbeatable across the United Kingdom! Its ratings had soared, much to everyone's delight at the company.
"All right, then we'll—"
Before Klaus Tang could finish, Dacorta cut him off. "Minister, don't forget that Wald Pictures took a huge share of the profits from us at the BBC over the rights to Teletubbies! They nearly made the BBC a laughingstock among our peers. Do you really want that to happen again?!"
Klaus Tang shuddered.
Teletubbies had made Zucker a fortune!
It was all because the BBC hadn't taken it seriously at first, letting Zucker make a killing. Now that he was close to retirement, Klaus Tang certainly didn't want to tarnish his reputation at the very end.
Klaus Tang made his decision at once. "Dacorta, you're in charge of negotiating for the rights to Got Talent."
"Don't worry, Minister. If the rights cost more than three million pounds, I'll resign!"
Dacorta made the promise with absolute confidence.
Afterward, he looked smugly at Cindy and said, "Cindy, I've beaten you again. Twenty million pounds? No way! Those country bumpkins in America will get three million pounds at most!"
Cindy held back his anger and gritted his teeth. "Dacorta, this isn't about our personal feud. The rights to Got Talent really are valuable. Don't let your grudge cloud your judgment."
"Hmph! This is my assignment. Stay out of it."
After saying that, Dacorta left in high spirits.
Meanwhile.
Zucker, along with Sister Martha and two other company employees, arrived in the United Kingdom by plane.
For the next three days, Zucker represented Wald Pictures in negotiations with the BBC over the rights to Got Talent.
The results, however, were far from ideal!
The BBC's representative, Dacorta, was extremely forceful. He acted as if he had no interest in the rights to Got Talent at all, and his words were full of contempt. The man nearly drove Zucker mad.
"Three million pounds?!"
"To hell with that!"
"I'm not selling anymore. What? You say that's my loss? Go to hell!"
Furious, Zucker cursed Dacorta to his face, and the negotiations naturally fell apart.
Zucker didn't want to negotiate with the BBC anymore.
Just as Zucker and the others left the BBC's broadcasting building and returned to their hotel, a man suddenly showed up at their door.
Cindy!
That's right. The visitor was none other than Cindy, a member of the management team in the BBC's variety programming department.
When Zucker saw that another BBC employee had come, he snapped, "I already said I'd rather leave the rights to Got Talent gathering dust in a warehouse than sell them to you. Why are you here now?"
Zucker was still fuming, so he was in no mood to be polite.
Cindy didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled and said, "Mr. Wald, let me introduce myself. My name is Cindy Lockard. I left the BBC two days ago, so I'm not the ideal person for you to take your anger out on."
He'd resigned?
"Oh, then come in."
Zucker's anger faded, replaced by a hint of interest.
How interesting. Very interesting!
The negotiations with the BBC had fallen apart, and now a former BBC employee had come to see him. Why?
After talking with Cindy, Zucker finally understood.
Cindy had never gotten ahead at the BBC. Because of his humble background, he'd often been pushed aside. When the dispute over the rights to Got Talent arose, Cindy had angrily resigned and joined ITV, another broadcasting company that had invited him to work for them several times before.
"So you're here to negotiate with us on behalf of ITV?" Zucker asked.
Cindy nodded. "That's right. I have the ITV president's approval to handle the negotiations for Got Talent."
Two days later.
Cindy, who was quick and decisive, offered Zucker a price for the UK rights to Got Talent that he couldn't refuse.
—Twenty million pounds!
With an offer that high, what could Zucker possibly have to complain about?
They reached an agreement on the spot.
ITV paid twenty million pounds for the rights to Got Talent in the United Kingdom and Australia for six years.
Zucker's net worth soared once again!
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