Might As Well Sell It to the Opponent

London.

BBC.

At this moment, inside a spacious office, three men were seated.

All three were men.

None of them were particularly young; the oldest man was sixty years old. His name was Klaus Tang, and he was the head of the variety show operations department at BBC. The other two men were also members of the operations department's management team.

"Gentlemen, what do you think of the show Got Talent? Can it achieve high ratings?" Klaus Tang asked.

One of the men, who was about thirty years old and named Cindy, spoke up: "Minister, I think it has the potential to be a hit. We should acquire the rights."

"Oh? Go on," Klaus Tang said.

Cindy nodded and said: "Minister, Got Talent is a variety show based on civilian competition. Its core is a group of ordinary people living among us, yet they aren't truly ordinary—they possess skills that most people don't have or that far exceed those of the average person. This will absolutely attract a massive base of grassroots viewers. Therefore, I strongly suggest that we must acquire the rights to Got Talent, even if we have to pay twenty million pounds for it!"

As his voice fell, the meeting room was suddenly interrupted by a burst of laughter.

"Cindy, you're hilarious!"

"Who are we? We are the BBC, with our long and storied history!"

"And who holds the rights to Got Talent? They are nothing more than a small company from Hollywood."

"Are you suggesting that we, as professionals, need guidance from a bunch of laymen across the Atlantic? What qualifications do they have to guide us?"

"Just based on the rights to Got Talent?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"And 'at any cost'? Even paying twenty million pounds? Cindy, have you lost your mind?"

The man speaking was also middle-aged; his name was Lawrence Dacorta.

Lawrence Dacorta was at the same rank as Cindy at the BBC, but the two seemed to be natural-born rivals who couldn't stand each other. The reason was that Lawrence Dacorta came from a British aristocratic background and was an elite graduate from a prestigious university, while Cindy?

Forget about university; Cindy hadn't even finished high school before dropping out.

One might ask, how could an aristocratic elite who graduated from a top-tier institution look up to a self-made, poor young man who was now his equal?

Now that Cindy was strongly suggesting they acquire the rights to Got Talent, even at the cost of a fortune, Lawrence Dacorta seized the opportunity to disagree, of course.

"You!"

Cindy glared at the smug Lawrence with resentment, then continued: "Minister, Wald Pictures is indeed a small company, and they have never produced any variety shows, but we shouldn't discriminate against them. After all, the concept for Got Talent, in my view, is exceptionally brilliant."

"Is that so?"

Klaus Tang began to hesitate.

With his right-hand men divided—one in favor, one against—he didn't know whose advice to follow.

In truth, the main reason was that he was nearing retirement and didn't want to invite trouble during his final stretch.

Seeing this, Cindy continued: "Minister, don't forget Teletubbies; that copyright also came from Wald Pictures!"

In an instant, Klaus Tang's eyes lit up.

That was true. Wald Pictures might lack experience, but since Teletubbies began airing recently, it had been invincible across the UK! The surge in ratings had made everyone in the company overjoyed.

"Alright then, we shall..."

Before Klaus Tang could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Dacorta: "Minister, don't forget that because of the Teletubbies copyright, Wald Pictures snatched a massive amount of profit right out of our hands at the BBC! It nearly made the BBC a laughingstock among our peers. Now, do you really want to see that happen again?!"

Klaus Tang felt a jolt of alarm.

Teletubbies had indeed made Zucker a fortune!

It was precisely because the BBC hadn't taken it seriously enough at the start that Zucker had walked away with the lion's share. Now, nearing retirement, Klaus Tang certainly didn't want to tarnish his legacy.

Immediately, Klaus Tang decided: "Dacorta, I am putting you in charge of the negotiations for the Got Talent rights."

"Rest assured, Minister. If the licensing fee exceeds three million pounds, I will resign!"

Dacorta promised with absolute certainty.

After speaking, he looked at Cindy smugly and laughed: "Cindy, I've beaten you again. Twenty million pounds? Impossible! Those country bumpkins in America will be lucky to get three million pounds!"

Hearing this, Cindy suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth: "Dacorta, this isn't about our personal conflict. The rights to Got Talent are truly excellent; please, don't let your ego cloud your judgment."

"Hmph! This is my assignment; stay out of it."

After saying that, Dacorta left in high spirits.

On the other side.

Zucker and Martha, along with two other staff members from the company, arrived in the UK by flight.

Following that, for three consecutive days, Zucker represented Wald Pictures in negotiations with the BBC regarding the rights to Got Talent.

However, the results were far from ideal!

Dakota, the lead negotiator for the BBC, acted with extreme arrogance, as if he had absolutely no interest in the Got Talent copyright, and his words were filled with disdain. This guy nearly drove Zucker to the point of rage.

"3 million pounds?!"

"To hell with that!"

"I'm not selling anymore. What? You say this is my loss? Go to hell!"

Enraged, Zucker lashed out at Dakota, and naturally, the negotiations collapsed as a result.

Zucker had no desire to continue negotiating with the BBC.

Just as Zucker and his team left the BBC Broadcasting House and returned to their hotel, a man suddenly came to visit.

--Cindy!

That's right, the person who arrived was none other than Cindy, a member of the management team from the BBC's variety operations department.

Seeing yet another person from the BBC, Zucker immediately snapped, "I already said I'd rather let the Got Talent copyright gather dust in a warehouse than sell it to you people. Why are you here now?"

Having been filled with pent-up anger, Zucker was naturally in a foul mood.

Cindy was not offended, but instead smiled and said, "Mr. Wald, let me introduce myself. My name is Cindy Lockard. Two days ago, I resigned from the BBC, so I am not the ideal target for your venting."

Resigned?

"Oh, then come on in."

For a moment, Zucker's anger vanished, replaced by a look of interest.

Interesting, this is far too interesting!

The negotiations with the BBC had fallen through, and now a former BBC employee had come knocking—what was the reason for this?

During the ensuing conversation, Zucker finally understood the cause.

Cindy Lockard had never been successful at the BBC; because of his humble background, he was frequently ostracized. Coinciding with the Got Talent copyright incident, Cindy resigned in anger and turned to another broadcasting company that had invited him to join many times—ITV.

"So, you've come this time to negotiate with us on behalf of ITV?" Zucker asked.

Cindy nodded and said, "That's right. I have received permission from the president of ITV to take full charge of the Got Talent negotiations."

Two days later.

With a decisive and swift style, Cindy offered a high price for the UK copyright of Got Talent that Zucker could not refuse.

--20 million pounds!

With such a high price on the table, what else could Zucker possibly be dissatisfied with?

Immediately, the two parties reached an agreement.

ITV paid 20 million pounds to secure the copyright for Got Talent in the UK and Australia for a period of six years.

Zucker's net worth surged once again!