Netflix is counting its lucky stars.
The streaming giant signed an exclusive deal with CBS Studios for international rights to new television series “Star Trek,” according to its website.
The new licensing deal will stream the series in 188 countries, excluding the United States and Canada. The science fiction franchise will broadcast in Canada via Bell Media. Each episode will be made available for Netflix subscribers within 24 hours of its U.S. premiere.
“‘Star Trek’ is one of the most iconic shows in television history and we’re thrilled to partner with CBS to bring the beloved series to Trekkies around the world,” said Sean Carey, vice president of Global Television at Netflix. “The newest chapter of the story promises to continue the rich tradition of adventure and is sure to excite fans everywhere Netflix is available.”
Filming of the new series will begin in Toronto in September with a debut date scheduled for January next year.
“Star Trek’s” entire catalog—“The Original Series,” “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyager,” and “Enterprise”—will be available on Netflix globally toward the end of the year.
The streaming platform has found great success with original series “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black”–which recently made headlines for its portrayal of servicemen and women.
The fourth season of “Orange” received some flak from military personnel, including Air Force veteran Tahlia Burton, who lambasted the way it uses veterans as the new batch of prison guards, in an essay posted on Task & Purpose.
“This behavior is so egregious—so counter to the conduct of American forces in its recent wars—it is unrecognizable to me as a veteran,” wrote Burton. “People who commit acts as terrible as what Dixon describes are not walking the streets, and they’re certainly not emblematic of all veterans.”
Burton called the depiction damaging to the military community.
The new season of “Orange” premiered on June 17 and was watched by 6.7 million viewers during the opening weekend, according to Nielsen. The series has been renewed for three more seasons.
Earlier this year, Netflix announced that subscription prices would increase to $9.99 per month for long-time subscribers in May—a price new subscribers have had to pay for the last two years. Despite this, Netflix boasts nearly 30 million subscribers.
