March 1, 1998.
UPN Television Network.
On this day, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and UPN Television, a subsidiary of the Golden Dawn Entertainment Group, officially signed a broadcasting contract in the presence of a group of American media reporters.
The contract content is as follows:
First, from now on, every episode of WWE's in-ring wrestling entertainment will be broadcast entirely by UPN, and UPN will have the right to edit and comment on the program before and after it airs.
Second, the contract is for a period of 6 years;
Third, UPN will pay $9 million in copyright fees in the first year and will pay additional copyright fees at a 10% annual rate for the next five years.
Fourth, UPN Television Network owns half of the image rights of WWE program players;
...
The following dozen or so articles limit the penalty for breach of contract and other related regulations.
There was nothing confidential about the contents of the contract. After it was exposed to the media reporters, it was time for the on-site reporters to ask questions.
Well, there are quite a lot of media reporters here to witness this today, including those from more than 30 media outlets and newspapers.
After all, UPN, which owns "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "America's Got Talent", is no longer a small player. It has a place on all the television platforms in the United States.
On the rostrum, representatives from both sides were WWE President Vince McMahon and UPN President Donna Langley.
"Hello, Ms. Donna. I'm Lilister Emmons, a reporter for the Global Times Entertainment Section. Your company is one of the top ten cable pay networks in the United States. What are your considerations behind this collaboration with WWE?"
A female reporter asked the first question.
Upon hearing this, Ms. Donna immediately laughed.
"Ms. Emmons, and fellow journalists, although UPN is one of the top ten cable pay networks in the United States and boasts excellent shows like America's Got Talent, that doesn't mean we won't innovate."
Donna smiled and said, "Since the founding of our UPN television network, most of its variety shows have been self-produced. This collaboration with WWE is the first time that UPN has brought in an external company, and it carries extraordinary significance."
After a pause, he continued, "Of course, WWE itself is an excellent program. I'd also like to inform all film and television variety show production companies across the United States, and indeed around the world, that as long as your creativity is truly astonishing and your program is exceptional, we at UPN Television Network will welcome you and offer you a chance and a platform to broadcast it."
Afterwards, several reporters from various newspapers asked Donna questions.
There are praises;
Some are disdainful;
There are even more difficulties.
Facing these media reporters with different styles, Ms. Donna was not at all nervous and answered all their questions very smoothly and tactfully.
Man, think about it!
In the original time and space, Donna Langley was the president of Universal Pictures Group, one of the six major Hollywood studios. Could she not handle the reporters' trivial questions?
Don't take it easy, man!
Of course, the reporters' questions were not limited to Donna. As another protagonist at the signing ceremony, WWE President Vince McMahon, naturally had to be questioned by reporters.
"I, Vince McMahon, am deeply honoured to be working with UPN," Vince McMahon said solemnly.
Honored?
——This is true!
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), founded in 1954, is a world-class sports entertainment (professional wrestling) and media integrated public company. Its operating income comes from professional wrestling competitions.
It also includes related industries such as film, music, copyright, and marketing.
Annual turnover exceeds US$600 million!
It has more than 70,000 employees worldwide and an audience base of 2 billion people in countries around the world. Each episode of its program attracts tens of thousands of viewers. In 2009, the average number of viewers per episode was as high as 20 million.
Its market value at its peak was as high as US$7 billion.
But!
But remember, this is the WWE of the future, not the present!
Today's WWE is just one of the many entertainment projects in America.
WWE, the full name is World Wrestling Entertainment.
Wrestling is different from wrestling!
It's not a competitive sport, it's just a form of "entertainment" where the players' actions and the outcome of the match are all scripted and have predetermined winners and losers. Well, similar to an action movie, remember that it's not a combat sport, and it's very different from wrestling.
So, let alone in early 1998, even at its peak, its ratings were far lower than those of sports programs such as football and basketball. After all, it is just a performance-based entertainment program.
"Besides, the current WWE is not invincible in this event!"
"It has competitors!"
WCW (World Championship Wrestling), founded in 1995, is the biggest competitor of WWE!
Each Monday night, the two shows aired simultaneously on different channels, employing various tactics to attract viewers, a phenomenon known as the "Monday Night Wars." Each side fought tooth and nail to defeat the other, and the choice of broadcast platform became a crucial battleground.
Due to the limitations of the performance programs themselves, American public television stations such as NBC, ABC, and CBS did not look down on WWE and WCW because they had many high-quality and inexpensive programs to choose from.
UPN TV is indeed not as good as these TV giants, but compared to WWE's previous broadcasts which could only be broadcast on small local TV stations, it is already far superior.
As the president of WWE, how could Vince McMahon not be excited?
In fact, he was overjoyed!
To defeat WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and to obtain the full support of UPN, Vince McMahon, as the president of WWE, even took the initiative to propose to Ms. Donna that he was willing to sell part of his WWE shares at a low price to deepen the cooperation between the two companies.
"hehe!"
After hearing the news, Kyle laughed and said, "There's no reason not to eat the fat meat that's been delivered to your door. However, 10% of the shares is too little. Tell Vince McMahon that it's at least 35%."
It's too dark!
In the end, Vince McMahon had no choice but to agree, but after some bargaining, Kyle took over 20% of WWE's shares and paid $20 million.
That's right!
Today's WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) has a low market value of just over $100 million, and it is not listed on the stock market. It is far from the $7 billion market value it will reach at its peak in the future.
In the original time and space history, WWE eventually defeated WCW and successfully acquired it.
There is no doubt that Kyle succeeded in picking up the bargain again.
In fact, Kyle, who is now worth nearly 2 billion US dollars, doesn't really care how much money he makes. He just enjoys the feeling of finding a bargain.
....
March 2nd.
The selection of the male and female protagonists of "300", as well as the second male lead, third male lead and other related roles, has officially begun.
Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix, Viggo Mortensen (who played Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings), Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie and more, as many as hundreds of male and female actors, came to the role selection site.