樂視財務困境可能波及中國演藝界名人

More than a dozen Chinese show business celebrities, including director Zhang Yimou, have invested in the movie production unit of LeEco, the once-high-flying Chinese technology group now suffering from a cash shortage.

一度高歌猛進的中國科技集團樂視(LeEco)現陷入資金短缺困境，包括張藝謀導演在內的十多名中國演藝界名人曾投資其旗下影視製作公司。

The star-studded list of investors in Le Vision Pictures testifies to the charm and influence of Jia Yueting, founder and chief executive of LeEco, who ranked as China’s 31st richest man on a recent list.

樂視影業(Le Vision Pictures)明星雲集的投資者名單證明了樂視創始人兼首席執行官賈躍亭的魅力和影響力，在新近出爐的中國富豪排行榜中，賈躍亭位列第31名。

But Mr Jia’s celebrity backers are at risk of losses as LeEco runs into financial distress. LeEco’s Shenzhen-listed unit, Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp, said this month that it had abandoned a plan to acquire Le Vision’s unlisted assets in exchange for cash and stock.

但隨着樂視陷入財務困境，賈躍亭的這些名人投資者們面臨虧損風險。樂視深圳上市公司，樂視網信息技術有限公司(Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp)本月表示已放棄收購樂視影業賬外資產換取股票和現金的計劃。

The deal would have allowed the celebrities a chance to cash out, but it fell through after Leshi’s stock price dropped more than one-third since the start of 2016.

這筆交易本可讓這些名人投資者們獲得套現機會，但自從2016年開始樂視股價下跌了三分之一以上，該交易也隨之落空。

Mr Jia said in a letter to employees this month that LeEco had burnt through cash too quickly as it expanded into businesses ranging from smartphones to driverless cars.

賈躍亭本月在給員工的一封信中表示，樂視在擴張過程中燒錢太快，其業務涵蓋智能手機到無人駕駛汽車，

Le Vision is lead investor in The Great Wall, an English-language epic directed by Mr Zhang and starring Matt Damon. The film’s $150m budget makes it the most expensive Chinese film to date. It is scheduled to be released in China in December and in the US in February, but it has already received criticism online for casting Mr Damon as the saviour of ancient China.

樂視影業是電影《長城》(The Great Wall)的主要投資者，這部史詩級英語大片由張藝謀指導，馬特.達蒙(Matt Damon)領銜主演。1.5億美元的預算令它成了迄今爲止成本最高的中國電影。該電影計劃12月份在中國發行，明年2月在美國上演，但網絡上已有人對達蒙扮演古代中國的救世主提出批評。

Mr Zhang, director of Red Sorghum and the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, invested Rmb12m ($1.7m) in Le Vision in 2015 in exchange for a 1.4 per cent stake, according to a filing in May announcing the acquisition plan.

根據今年5月公佈的收購計劃，張藝謀在2015年向樂視影業投資1200萬元人民幣（合170萬美元），換取1.4%的股份。張藝謀導演曾指導電影《紅高粱》(Red Sorghum)，以及2008年北京奧運會(Olympics)開幕式。

Le Vision’s other shareholders include Guo Jingming, gender-bending author of bestselling young-adult fiction series Tiny Times who was voted “most hated male celebrity” for three years running on online forum Tianya; Huang Xiaoming, the heart-throb actor and singer whose marriage to model Angelababy dominated Chinese gossip websites last year; and Li Xiaolu, who rose to fame at 16 as star of the 1998 Cultural Revolution epic Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl.

樂視影業其他股東包括著有系列暢銷青春小說《小時代》(Tiny Times)的作者郭敬明，知名演員黃曉明，以及16歲時以主演《天浴》(Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl)出名的演員李小璐。

Despite several successful film releases, including the Tiny Times series of films, Le Vision lost Rmb102m in 2015 and Rmb890m in 2014, according to a Leshi filing. In August, Le Vision hired Adam Goodman, former Paramount Pictures president, to run its US operations.

雖然樂視影業成功發行了包括《小時代》系列電影在內的幾部影片，但據樂視公告顯示，樂視影業2015年虧損1.02億元人民幣，2014年虧損8.9億元人民幣。今年8月，樂視影業聘請前派拉蒙影業(Paramount Pictures)總裁亞當.古德曼(Adam Goodman)來運營其美國業務。

In a further sign of problems at LeEco, Faraday Future, the California-based electric car company that LeEco has financed, suspended construction on a new factory in Nevada this month. A Nevada official blamed the halt on overdue payments to Faraday’s contractor.

Faraday Future進一步預示了樂視的諸多問題，這是樂視資助的位於美國加利福尼亞州的電動汽車公司，本月該公司暫停了內華達州的一個新工廠的建設。內華達州官員將停工歸咎於Faraday Future承包商拖欠款項。

Mr Jia has also drawn celebrities into other ventures, including LeSports. In March, LeSports raised Rmb8bn in a series B funding round that included Wang Baoqiang, the migrant worker-turned-actor who riveted social media in August by publicly accusing his wife of cheating on him with his agent. Mr Wang’s wife denied any affair.

賈躍亭還將名人投資者拉入其他公司，包括樂視體育(LeSports)。今年3月，樂視體育B輪融資籌得80億元人民幣，投資者包括演員王寶強。

LeSports has also run into funding difficulties. In January, the company announced it would invest Rmb2bn over two years to acquire a 50 per cent stake in Beijing Guoan Football Club. But in September, Guoan’s chairman said LeSports had not made its first scheduled payment and the deal had been terminated.

樂視體育也遇到了財務問題。今年1月，該公司宣佈將在兩年內投資20億元人民幣，以收購北京國安足球俱樂部(Beijing Guoan Football Club)50%股份。但國安董事長在9月份表示樂視體育尚未支付第一筆計劃付款，該交易已經終止。