Star Trek: Discovery has quickly become one of the most talked about new shows of the upcoming TV season. Fans of the Trek television shows will have new adventures to obsess over for the first time in over 10 years. Now we know where you can catch the new franchise player if CBS All Access isn't an option. Netflix will also air the sci-fi show.
CBS and Netflix announced today that the streaming service will make the series available within 24 hours of its airing on CBS All Access in 188 countries around the world, including the U.K. The catch, though, is that CBS All Access is still the only way for Americans to see the new series; there will be no Netflix airing of the show here or in Canada. The only reprieve we get is with the premiere episode, which will also air on the regular CBS network, while Canadians will get the opportunity to watch the series on the Space and Z cable networks, with CraveTV having the exclusive streaming rights.
Well, that's great for the rest of the world, but kind of a bummer for anyone in the U.S. or Canada who wants to see Star Trek: Discovery but isn't interested in signing up for CBS All Access. Discovery is being used to try and launch the subscription service as a streaming platform along the likes of Netflix or Amazon, with original content, current and old episodes of all CBS shows and local affiliate content for $5.99 a month. You can currently watch 7,500 episodes of TV on demand across devices with CBS All Access. The service offers episodes of shows you'd expect, like Elementary, NCIS and 2 Broke Girls, and shows you probably didn't expect, like Beverly Hills 90210, Frasier and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. While the service has been around since October of 2014, Star Trek: Discovery will be the flagship in original content on the service, and CBS is hoping, obviously, that the drama will help kick original content production for the service into high gear.
CBS is banking big time on the idea that the appeal of a new Star Trek series will convince people to sign up for their streaming service. But, they also know that as popular as the franchise is around the world, many people without the opportunity to see the show legally would be willing to take matters into their own hands and steal the shit out of the show. So, making a deal with a global streaming power like Netflix will surely go a long way toward cutting down on illegal downloads of the series.
As badly as I want to see the new Trek, I still haven't decided if I'm going to spring for CBS All Access. I love my streaming services, but with so many choices now, it seems a little strange to basically pay six bucks just to watch one show. Oh, crap, who am I kidding? When Star Trek: Discovery hits the service in January 2017, I'll be right there, and that's exactly what the folks at CBS want.
CBS All Access offers a free trial. Get more information on that here.
