Trekkies rejoice! Netflix not only brings you all six seasons of the original Star Trek show, but have won the rights to distribute the new series globally from next year.
Netflix has some good news and then some more good news! The company has announced that it will be the exclusive home of the brand-new Star Trek TV series, and will broadcast the show globally next year (including South Africa). Netflix has partnered with US based CBS to bring the beloved franchise to the world, except for Canada who has a deal with Bell Media to distribute the show.
This announcement comes hot on the heals of Netflix winning the rights to all six existing Star Trek shows, which will be available in 188 countries around the globe (including South Africa). Each episode will arrive on the service within 24 hours of its arrival in the US, mirroring the distribution strategy for other high-profile shows where spoilers are a constant threat.
Read: Netflix now available in South Africa
Originally CBS announced that the only way to view the new series would be to pay $5.99 USD and watch it through their streaming service. This was slammed as a corporate cash-grab and raised concerns as to how the show will be distributed globally (the CBS streaming service only has footprint in the US). Thankfully the company backtracked and agreed a deal with Netflix.
On the show itself? The fact that Bryan Fuller and Nicholas Meyer – who were involved with all the good Star Trek films – are now involved with the show could point to a quality production. Much like Star Trek: The Next Generation pioneered the first-run syndication model, it looks like the show will, once again, circumvent the way broadcasting is done.
Source: Engadget
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