CBS Television Studios has revealed that a new Star Trek TV series is in the works with plans for it to debut in January 2017. The plan at the moment is for the new series to arrive with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network before the premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes begin becoming available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service.
For international viewers, “The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.”
The show is an interesting way that CBS is looking to work the CBS All Access platform as it’s the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for it. “CBS All Access is a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.”
Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers.
According to the information, the new series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond that’s due out in summer 2016.
Is this the “killer app” for CBS All Access? It’s certainly required to get your name on the map. If there’s a property that can get folks to buy into a service, it’s either this or Star Wars at this point. It’ll be curious to see how long Paramount holds out before some other network (even one they own) gets syndication rights.
Paramount IS trying to figure out new models so I give them credit there. Their attempts with Scouts Guide and the recent Paranormal Activity movies shows them trying to figure it out with new distribution while not impacting the core business too much. Expect more of this kind of shake-up in the next couple of years. I didn’t expect Paramount to be at the forefront of it.
“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”
“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”
“Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek’s next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”
CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.
