The immense popularity of "The Walking Dead" naturally drew significant attention from the outside world.
Many television viewers were absolutely crazy about "The Walking Dead."
This was evident from its high rating of 9.1 on IMDB.
Of course, this 9.1 rating would likely decrease as the show continued to air, but a conservative rating of 8.5 was absolutely no problem; at the same time, "The Walking Dead," which had only aired for one day, already had over 100,000 comments on its official website, making it even more popular than the premiere of "Prison Break."
The next day.
Kyle had just woken up when he received a call from Donna Langley, the president of the television group.
"Boss, since the data for our 'The Walking Dead' came out in the early hours of the morning, UPN network has received as many as 20 calls. They were either from overseas TV stations or sales agents for DVDs and videotapes; just now, we even received calls from Dark Horse Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics, seeking the rights for a comic series adaptation of 'The Walking Dead' TV show."
Kyle's lips curved into a slight smile.
This was all money, damn it!
"Ms. Donna, how are those overseas TV stations doing in their pursuit of 'Prison Break'?" Kyle asked.
"Boss, they certainly won't give up on 'Prison Break,' after all, it's a flagship drama watched by 20 million people."
That's right, Kyle didn't directly mention "The Walking Dead," but instead brought up "Prison Break."
In fact, more than ten days ago, when "Prison Break" started to become a hit, the television group had already received calls from seven overseas TV stations.
Their purpose was self-evident!
They were naturally there for "Prison Break."
Kyle smiled and said, "Ms. Donna, we've been holding onto 'Prison Break' for so long, not selling the overseas rights, precisely because we were waiting for 'The Walking Dead.' Now I officially inform you, you can sell it."
"Boss, understood!"
Ms. Donna was a very shrewd person; she naturally understood Kyle's intentions.
"Prison Break" had become a hit in America,
and had already attracted the attention of many overseas TV stations; however, now there was also "The Walking Dead."
Capital pursues profit, so they would naturally flock to it.
Furthermore, with both TV series being sold simultaneously, the television group's profits would be maximized, far more than selling a single film or TV show.
At 9 AM that day.
Donna Langley personally took charge at Golden Dawn TV Group, and the first company she met with was Marvel Comics.
"Ms. Donna, hello, I'm Sal Perlmutter, an executive shareholder at Marvel. My purpose in coming here is to acquire the comic adaptation and serialization rights for 'The Walking Dead' TV series."
Sal Perlmutter was no ordinary person.
He was one of Marvel's top executives.
At that time, Marvel Comics was in deep trouble, insolvent, on the verge of bankruptcy and restructuring, and the struggle between major shareholders and Marvel executives was escalating, almost out in the open; in the future, the person who would end Marvel's internal strife was Sal Perlmutter.
In the future, David Maisel was the first person to propose the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" concept.
And the Marvel executive David Maisel contacted was also Sal Perlmutter.
It's no exaggeration to say that Sal Perlmutter was absolutely a key figure in Marvel's future rise.
"Ms. Donna, please believe in Marvel's strength; we are confident that we can make the 'The Walking Dead' comic a success."
Sal Perlmutter said in a deep voice.
However... Donna Langley unceremoniously rejected Sal Perlmutter's request for cooperation.
"Mr. Perlmutter, your company has been embroiled in long-term internal struggles for not just a short period, but for several years now. How can you expect me to believe in Marvel's sincerity?"
"Furthermore, how much money does Marvel Comics have left now?"
"How much money are you planning to offer to purchase our adaptation rights?"
"As far as I know, Marvel's current debt to various banks is no less than 300 million US dollars. What money will you use to pay us?"
Donna's words were incredibly harsh, but they were also facts.
Even with Perlmutter's thick skin, he felt incredibly embarrassed at that moment.
In the following time... Ms. Donna met with DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics separately.
Their purpose, naturally, was also to acquire the comic adaptation rights for "The Walking Dead."
DC Comics, of course, needs no introduction; as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, its strength was naturally unmatched; the company's superheroes Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, The Flash... were famous worldwide.
Although Dark Horse Comics had only been established for a little over a decade, far less historically than DC Comics and Marvel Comics, its development in recent years had been quite good.
Its titles like "The Mask" and "Hellboy" also enjoyed considerable recognition. Even the comic serialization rights for "300," which Kyle acquired from Miller, belonged to Dark Horse Comics.
"Ms. Donna, to make a long story short."
DC Comics representative: "For 'The Walking Dead,' my DC Comics is willing to pay 1.2 million US dollars for the copyright, and your company will also enjoy 5% of the comic sales profit."
This price was absolutely a sincere offer.
However, Ms. Donna ultimately rejected him.
Why?
Because Ms. Donna had put forward a prerequisite!
Golden Dawn TV Group would have the final say in controlling the direction of the subsequent storyline of "The Walking Dead" comic.
In other words, the comic rights could be sold to you, but you couldn't change it however you wanted; it had to be approved by Golden Dawn TV Group.
Donna could not possibly give up this prerequisite!
Kyle would also never allow it.
How much profit could a comic make?
Kyle valued the large profits from the film and television adaptation of "The Walking Dead"; that was the key.
If this final decision-making power were given up, then the subsequent TV series of "The Walking Dead" would completely lose control, and the losses would be magnified indefinitely.
How could kyle agree?
Unless he had a hole in his head!
Finally, after two days of negotiations, Golden Dawn TV Group reached an agreement with Dark Horse Comics regarding the comic adaptation rights for "The Walking Dead."
1. Dark Horse Comics paid 1.2 million US dollars to acquire the adaptation rights for "The Walking Dead."
2. Golden Dawn TV Group would enjoy 8% of the profits from "The Walking Dead" comic sales.
3. Golden Dawn TV Group would have the final say in the serialization of "The Walking Dead" comic and could halt operations.
The subsequent agreement content included more than 20 legal explanations of rights and obligations.
"Although 'The Walking Dead' comic is also profitable, it is far less profitable than the TV series. However, we cannot ignore this aspect. After all, the comic serialization will promote the spread of 'The Walking Dead's' influence." Kyle looked at the contract in his hand with satisfaction.
Full copyright operations, including games, merchandise, and music, also promised unlimited financial prospects.