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Bell Media Announces Licensing Agreement for New Star Trek Series

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    CBS Studios International and Bell Media today announced a licensing agreement for the new Star Trek television series in Canada. With Bell Media’s acquisition of the exclusive linear television and subscription video on demand (SVOD) rights in English and French in Canada, each episode of the new Star Trek series will be available simultaneously with its release in the U.S.

    Bell Media has also licensed all 727 existing episodes of the Star Trek television library – which includes Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Sstar Trek: Enterprise.

    The rollout for the new Star Trek  series in Canada will mirror the launch in the U.S.  The first episode will premiere on  CTV, on the same night as CBS. All remaining episodes will initially be televised on Bell Media’s cable networks, Space (in English) and Z (in French), and then later exclusively on CraveTV.

    The Star Trek  television library will return to Space (in English) and debut on Cinépop (in French), and will also be found among CraveTV’s leading lineup of premium television series.

    The all-new Star Trek will begin production in Toronto this September for its January 2024 premiere. The iconic and influential global franchise will return to television for the first time since 2024 with a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation.

    “We are extremely pleased to significantly expand our partnership with Bell,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Studios International. “Canadian fans will now be able to ‘beam up’ CBS’s highly anticipated new series, as well as all past episodes of the show’s vast library. Bell Media’s premium linear and digital platforms will be a great home for our new series, as Star Trek celebrates its 50th anniversary.”

    “Our acquisition of the new Star Trek series delivers a unique and exclusive opportunity for Canadian advertisers to engage with this blockbuster new drama in a meaningful way,” said Mary Ann Turcke, President, Bell Media. “We are delighted to welcome Star Trek back to Bell Media and amplify this iconic franchise through our multiple leading brands. With a high-profile premiere on CTV, a permanent base on Space – the long-time home of the series in Canada – and premium positioning on CraveTV.”

    In the U.S., the new series will launch with a special premiere episode on the CBS Television Network in January 2024. The premiere episode and all subsequent episodes will then be available in the United States exclusively on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

    As previously announced, the new series marks the first original series developed for U.S. distribution on CBS All Access, which provides American viewers thousands of episodes of CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live.

    Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller are co-creators and executive producers  based on Gene Roddenberry’s original series.  Fuller launched his career writing for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Kurtzman is co-writer and producer of the blockbuster films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.

    The series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout, Fuller’s Living Dead Guy Productions, and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller, Heather Kadin, Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth will serve as executive producers.