Earlier this week, Paramount and CBS Television Studios announced that Star Trek is returning to the small screen for a brand new series from Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness), which is set to air on the network’s digital subscription service CBS All Access in 2017. Speaking on a earnings conference call, CBS chief Leslie Moonves has explained the decision to air the show on the paid streaming service rather than the network itself, and as you can probably guess, the move is intended to boost subscribers to All Access.
“We’re looking to do original content on All Access and build up that platform,” states Moonves (via THR). “All Access will put out original content and knowing the loyalty of Star Trek fans, this will boost it… There’s about a billion channels out there and because of Star Trek, people will know what All Access is about.”
“All the series have done well in terms of streaming,” he continues. “Added in to that, Star Trek is a huge international franchise. Our international distribution guy is going crazy; he can’t wait to get out to the marketplace and sell that. Right away, we’re more than halfway home on the cost of the show from international alone. The risk is small in seeing the track record.”
Details on the new show are scarce, but it’s said that it will ““introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=W04aXcyQ0NQ
Originally published November 7, 2015. Updated March 2, 2020.
