After much international fan outrage at having to wait until next year, ViacomCBS will now fast track new episodes on Paramount+ in a massive win for Trekkers.
Last week ViacomCBS, the company that owns streaming service Paramount+, announced to subscribers that season four of Stark Trek: Discovery was to premiere exclusively on the platform in early 2022.
But in the U.S. and Canada, the new season began on November 18.
The reason for this halt is due to the international rights of the series shifting from Netflix to Paramount+ (in line with the U.S., where it has always streamed on). While Netflix held the rights for the first three seasons, they have now lost them, and will never receive the fourth because ViacomCBS is turning it into an exclusive Paramount+ series.
The catch here was that Paramount+ isn’t available in every country like it is in Australia. The streaming service is set for an upcoming launch for many European markets, and Star Trek: Discovery was expected to be one of their premiere series to bring in customers.
This meant international countries, like Australia, that already have Paramount+ missed out, only because the service was launching elsewhere.
Loyal fans, or Trekkers, were rightfully outraged at the delayed streaming of season four, with many confused as to why Australia had to wait.
But, just over a week later, ViacomCBS has seemingly reversed their decision and will now screen new episodes of season four on the service every week to several markets where Paramount+ is already available.
The Paramount+ Twitter account tweeted a statement to Australian fans.
In short, new episodes drop every Friday with the first two that aired in North America available on Friday as well. Trekkers can also subscribe at a discounted price for three months with the code STARTREK.
It is unclear if the first three seasons will be made available on Paramount+ this Friday as well, if so, viewers can binge and catch up before starting the new season.
This is no doubt the right decision by ViacomCBS. Paramount+ is already fairly limited in its content library compared to Netflix and Disney+. But drawing in Star Trek fans will assist in their rise to the top.
The series will also become available in several other markets, including: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Star Trek: Discovery will also be available to countries with Pluto TV instead of Paramount+, these include: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.
What do you think about ViacomCBS’ reversal of the new Star Trek: Discovery season? Let us know in the comments!
