Following the news that Netflix and the CW have reached an agreement to shorten the air-to-streaming date tremendously for shows like Arrow, The Flash, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the streamings service seems to have just made another major coup. Ponying up what had to be a quite serious amount of money, Netflix is now set to stream episodes of Bryan Fuller & Alex Kurtzman's intensely anticipated new Star Trek series in 188 countries around the world, excluding USA and Canada. Each episode will premiere on the streaming service 24 hours after the episodes air on CBS and CBS All Access, the network's streaming service, which is a landmark deal for a series that hasn't even premiered yet.
Of course, this is Star Trek, and the creative team behind the show makes it easier to have faith that this iteration of the Enterprise storyline will last at least as long as Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran for seven seasons. Other shows, such as Fargo and Better Call Saul, have enjoyed similar 24-hour deals in countries like Germany, but those shows had a built-in audience by the time those series struck those deals. So, this would mean that Netflix can see a long and fruitful future for the Star Trek series, despite the fact that both Fuller and Kurtzman have seen great series that they have created get dumped quickly. In this case, the brand makes all the difference, I suppose.
On top of this, Netflix has acquired rights to add all previous Star Trek iterations to their library. They already have Star Trek: The Next Generation - I just recently started a re-watch - but this would include Deep Space Nine, Voyager, the original series, and Enterprise. All these series look to be available to stream in full by the end of 2016, right before Fuller and Kurtzman's series premieres in January 2017. So, for all Trekkers, Trekkies, and casual fans alike, this would be the time to prep for a major re-watch, as much for the new series as for Star Trek Beyond, which hits theaters this weekend while SDCC rages on.
