The Aftermath of the Contract

"To be honest, ITV's offer of £20 million completely exceeded our imagination."

After the contract signing ceremony, Zucker returned to the hotel and confided in Martha, his words still filled with shock!

£20 million!

Although this price was nothing compared to the later licensing fees for shows like The Voice and American Idol in the UK, there was a crucial prerequisite: high prices only came after a show had aired. Currently, Wald Pictures had no experience producing variety shows, nor had they completed any broadcasts.

Under these circumstances, ITV's willingness to offer such a high price of £20 million demonstrated their boldness.

Martha said solemnly, "Boss, no wonder ITV is called the second-largest television station in Britain and the largest private broadcaster. They truly are very capable."

"Mm, that's right."

Zucker agreed.

In fact, Zucker thought to himself, 'Holy crap! In my original timeline, Britain's Got Talent was produced and broadcast by ITV. After going in circles, it's back in their hands. But this middleman, me, made £20 million.'

ITV indeed had immense influence in the UK!

Whether it was the past Mr. Bean or the future Downton Abbey, both were produced and broadcast by them.

They were the biggest competitor to the BBC, and every move they made attracted attention from all sides.

As expected, not long after the contract signing ceremony ended, news about the copyright of Britain's Got Talent was already spreading like wildfire across the British Isles.

University College London.

Christopher Nolan, resting in his dorm room, was also looking at a report in the Evening News, utterly shocked.

"Brother, is the Wald Pictures mentioned in the report Mr. Zucker Wald's company?" his younger brother, Jonathan Nolan, exclaimed.

Although Christopher Nolan was in shock, he nodded heavily.

"Wow~!"

"Mr. Wald is truly amazing!"

"Just the copyright for one variety show, and only for the UK and Australia, sold for £20 million. This is too shocking!"

"If this money were used to make a movie, it could definitely fund a medium-budget film!"

His younger brother, Jonathan, chattered excitedly.

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

Bang~!

Klaus Tang, the head of the Variety Operations Department, was furious, slamming his desk. "Damn Wald, damn Cindy! They actually took Britain's Got Talent, which rightfully belonged to us, to ITV!"

He paused, then looked at Dakota and cursed, "You idiot. Didn't you say you could complete the copyright acquisition after I handed it over to you? But what happened now?"

Dakota felt extremely frustrated.

He had never expected the prize that was almost in his grasp to vanish into thin air.

The most crucial point was that the ones who snatched Britain's Got Talent away were the BBC's biggest competitor, and the person who made the move was Cindy, with whom he had a long-standing grudge.

The combination of these two factors made Dakota even more resentful.

"Wald Pictures, you just wait. I will definitely make you pay. Don't think I don't have connections in Hollywood~!"

As soon as the Evening News report came out, it shocked the major media outlets in Britain. By the time the next morning arrived, this storm had swept through the public.

The Daily Telegraph reported: "ITV Strikes a Heavy Blow, Teaming Up with Hollywood Company to Create the Latest and Strongest Variety Show."

The Daily Mail reported: "A Sky-High Copyright Deal of £20 Million Makes Us Eagerly Anticipate the Broadcast of Britain's Got Talent."

The Guardian reported: "ITV Lives Up to its Reputation as Britain's Largest Private Broadcaster; its Bold and Daring Spirit is a Symbol of the New Era."

London Evening Standard: "Wald Pictures? It's not a company without any reputation. The copyright for Teletubbies, which was broadcast on the BBC earlier and caused a sensation, originated from this company."

The above reports were, strictly speaking, positive, relatively fair, and neutral.

However, some newspapers were more sensationalist.

The Sun reported: "Sky-High Copyright Deal?! It's Just a Gimmick."

Daily Express reported: "ITV Becomes a Laughingstock! Their Stupidity Will Plunge the Entire ITV into a Quagmire."

Daily Mirror reported: "Britain's Got Talent, a low-brow show designed to grab attention, will inevitably become a ridiculous clown due to the arrogance of ITV and Wald Pictures. Their ending can only be failure!"

The reports from the major newspapers, whether positive, neutral, or negative, paled in comparison to the public's reaction in the British Isles.

"Oh? What do you think of ITV's sky-high copyright deal?"

"What can I think?"

"Of course, I'll wait until it airs before I watch it. Are you stupid?!"

The words of a young man facing the interview camera left the street reporter dumbfounded.

The reporter smiled on the outside, but cursed inwardly.

Holy crap!

I've spelled it out as clearly as I possibly could, yet you respond with "we'll see when it airs."

You illiterate fool!

Fine, never mind that the UK and the US are developed nations with high literacy rates and plenty of intellectuals; they have even more illiterate people—a bunch of roughnecks.

"You're asking me about Got Talent?"

"Of course, I saw the report on ITV last night!"

"What? You say ITV are idiots?"

"Buddy, have you lost your mind!"

"Got Talent is such a brilliant show concept! It's a stage for discovering grassroots talent, and of course, I'm going to participate. I believe I'll be the champion!"

A young, beautiful girl kept rambling to the interviewing reporter about her future after joining Got Talent, giving the reporter, who had been wanting to leave for a while, an even bigger headache.

During his time in the UK, after finishing the contract signings, Zucker took the initiative to call the Nolan brothers and invite them to dinner.

Zucker's efforts to win them over left the excited Nolan brothers wishing they could fly to Hollywood immediately to begin their lives working for him.

With business in the UK concluded, Zucker and his team returned to Los Angeles.

"Right, how much is the box office for Hard Candy at the moment?"

The moment he saw Victor, Zucker asked about the box office for Hard Candy. That's right, even though the budget for Hard Candy was small—negligible compared to what Zucker had earned on this London trip—that wasn't the point.

Whether the money was a lot or a little was secondary.

Ever since he transmigrated, Zucker understood that his film company was his foundation; it was the industry he was most familiar with, not to mention his passion.

He couldn't lose it!

And he didn't want to abandon it!

"Boss, Hard Candy has been in theaters for 10 days, and the box office has reached 3.1 million dollars. We expect the final total to land around 5 million dollars," Victor replied.

Zucker nodded and said, "Regardless of where the final box office for Hard Candy lands, you must make sure to keep Zack Snyder on our side. We're counting on him to make great films for us in the future."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," Victor agreed.

A single Hard Candy might not make much money, but securing a future super-director was a massive win no matter how you looked at it!

<> First update delivered.