http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/business/media/cbs-plans-a-streaming-star-trek-series.html?ref=technology
CBS Plans a Streaming ‘Star Trek’ Series
CBS announced on Monday that it had ordered up a reboot for “Star Trek,” but
it’s one that won’t start for another 14 months and it comes with a surprising
twist. Though “Star Trek” will premiere on CBS in January 2017, all subsequent
episodes will be shown elsewhere: its digital app, CBS All Access.
The move is yet another signal of how traditional networks are trying to adapt
to a shifting media landscape, as content producers like CBS, Showtime and HBO
try to attract viewers to new streaming services. CBS All Access, which was
introduced last year, costs $6 a month.
It appears there are no plans for episodes of “Star Trek” to run on CBS, the
television network. A CBS spokesman said that CBS All Access would be the
exclusive home for the show.
CBS has found early success in this genre this year. The premiere of
“Supergirl” got big ratings last week, with 12.9 million people tuning in,
which made it the most viewed series premiere this season. “Supergirl” was a
departure from CBS’s usual bread-and-butter of crime procedurals, and showed
that the network was open to experimenting at a volatile time in television.
Like “Supergirl,” “Star Trek”’s cult following and loyal fan base is an
appealing audience for an over-the-top bet. Earlier this year, HBO doubled down
on its relationship with Vice for a similar reason: to appeal to a younger
audience and convince new viewers to spend $15 a month for its own stand-alone
app, HBO Now.
Alex Kurtzman will be the executive producer of the new “Star Trek” show; he
was a writer and producer for the “Star Trek” movie in 2009, and the “Star Trek
Into Darkness” film in 2013. Both movies were directed by J.J. Abrams. CBS
released few details about its new show, which is being developed by its
in-house studio.