Poll Should CBS buy out Viacom's movie rights?

[Doc Mugatu]

CBS OWNS the Star Trek film rights. They LICENSED them to Paramount and JJ Abrams. There's nothing for them to buys - they OWN it.

Yes and no. CBS owns Star Trek and contractually licensed the film rights to Paramount. What is in that license agreement is the issue. CBS may not be able to simply revoke Paramount's license unless that agreement is violated by Paramount (like not releasing a new film within a specified period of time).

Sony Picture's relentless rebooting of Spider-Man, for example, was largely to keep the rights from reverting back to Disney (once they gobbled up Marvel) because they knew they would not be able to get them back (that has since changed as Sony and Disney have come to a new understanding) … EVER! 21st Century FOX and Fantastic Four same deal.

So Yes, if CBS let us say, wanted to put Trek's film rights up for bid they may either have to buy them back from Paramount or wait for Paramount to violate the terms or wait for the agreement expire (which it may not necessarily do). Again, it depends on what their license agreement says.

 

[STEPhon IT]

The whole franchise should be sold. Jeff Bezos and Amazon would be all over it.

I'd rather them owning Star Trek, their track record for developing programs are outstanding IMO. I can't stand CBS' factory plant-like mentality for their programming (CSI, CSI: LA, CSI: NY, JAG, NCIS, NCIS: LA, NCIS:NO), but this is the kind of sh*t the fanboys want (Star Trek: Picard's last breath, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Vulcan Tales, Star Trek: KHAN, Star Trek: Medicine, Star Trek All out War, Star Trek All Access). CBS and Star Trek is just wrong together.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Yes and no. CBS owns Star Trek and contractually licensed the film rights to Paramount. What is in that license agreement is the issue. CBS may not be able to simply revoke Paramount's license unless that agreement is violated by Paramount (like not releasing a new film within a specified period of time).

Sony Picture's relentless rebooting of Spider-Man, for example, was largely to keep the rights from reverting back to Disney (once they gobbled up Marvel) because they knew they would not be able to get them back (that has since changed as Sony and Disney have come to a new understanding) … EVER! 21st Century FOX and Fantastic Four same deal.

So Yes, if CBS let us say, wanted to put Trek's film rights up for bid they may either have to buy them back from Paramount or wait for Paramount to violate the terms or wait for the agreement expire (which it may not necessarily do). Again, it depends on what their license agreement says.

Marvel's license agreements were famously one-sided because the company was selling them in order to stave off total bankruptcy and basically gave away the farm out of desperation. Did CBS license Trek under such conditions, or was it a more normal business deal? If the latter, it's highly unlikely the contract would allow Paramount to dominate the license in perpetuity.

 

[ITDUDE]

The whole franchise should be sold. Jeff Bezos and Amazon would be all over it.

+1

The whole CBS/Paramount Star Trek split with Redstone/Moonves, CBS/Viacom/NAI fight is so tiring. Star Trek is caught in the crossfire where all sides are bunch of morons. Honestly it doesn't matter who wins Star Trek will lose. Now if CBS (or is it Redstone? sigh...) wanted to sell it to Amazon, no price would be too big for Star Trek. Bezos WOULD totally buy it. And if they want to stream it on Prime, by all means. I wouldn't even mind. Go for it. Do it!

 

[Smellmet]

+1

The whole CBS/Paramount Star Trek split with Redstone/Moonves, CBS/Viacom/NAI fight is so tiring. Star Trek is caught in the crossfire where all sides are bunch of morons. Honestly it doesn't matter who wins Star Trek will lose. Now if CBS (or is it Redstone? sigh...) wanted to sell it to Amazon, no price would be too big for Star Trek. Bezos WOULD totally buy it. And if they want to stream it on Prime, by all means. I wouldn't even mind. Go for it. Do it!

It's so depressing to see how these legal/copyright wrangles just suck the life out of the franchise, stopping it from becoming what it could be. I'd rather the whole lot was sold to Disney over this bullshit.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

Marvel's license agreements were famously one-sided because the company was selling them in order to stave off total bankruptcy and basically gave away the farm out of desperation. Did CBS license Trek under such conditions, or was it a more normal business deal? If the latter, it's highly unlikely the contract would allow Paramount to dominate the license in perpetuity.

I agree that pre-Disney Marvel would blindly license their intellectual property with no real regard to anything other then the fee itself (that was their practice since at least the 1960's). Clearly that changed post-Disney purchase of Marvel.

However, the purchase of certain rights in perpetuity is not uncommon. The studios are taking a risk and post-Star Wars (1977) Hollywood has them all looking for bankable franchises. Also, Paramount Studios has prior history with both material and CBS, therefore, I believe it is highly likely they have such a clause.

Also, from what I've read, some of the relationship between CBS and Paramount regarding Star Trek may have actually been fixed in place when they separated in the mid-2000's.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

I'd rather them owning Star Trek, their track record for developing programs are outstanding IMO. I can't stand CBS' factory plant-like mentality for their programming (CSI, CSI: LA, CSI: NY, JAG, NCIS, NCIS: LA, NCIS:NO), but this is the kind of sh*t the fanboys want (Star Trek: Picard's last breath, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Vulcan Tales, Star Trek: KHAN, Star Trek: Medicine, Star Trek All out War, Star Trek All Access). CBS and Star Trek is just wrong together.

I so agree with what you say, but sadly that is the business now. Sure, Amazon and Netflix seem to throw money at things and leave their people alone to create, however, their revenue streams are different and they are still in the wild west/pioneer phase. No one really knows right now how things will shake out business model wise.

That's one of the reasons why I feel, after the CBS/Viacom business gets settled, the controlling party should look to find an established presence in the streaming service area (my fav choice would be Netflix) in which to sell to. Netflix would be getting a lot of properties to help them compete against the behemoth that will be Disney's service and CBS All-Access would get absorbed into Netflix.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

I honestly don't see a future for cinematic Trek anymore. Trek is and always will primarily be a TV property. The first ten films were essentially glorified reunion specials that were theatrically distributed. The Kelvin films had a chance to branch out as their own thing but has at this point fizzled out. I could have seen Paramount try to do a nuTNG thing down the line, but with Stewart returning for a new show it would feel awkward unless they got an acclaimed actor to play nuPicard (hello, Tom Hardy!).

Worst case scenario is that they keep trying to make films but each time they put one out they bomb, like how the TERMINATOR franchise has been functioning, now rebooting a THIRD TIME in ten years, because the only other option they have is to sit on it.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

I honestly don't see a future for cinematic Trek anymore. Trek is and always will primarily be a TV property. ...

Respectfully disagree. The only thing that prevents Star Trek from attaining big screen glory is the small minded thinking of studio brass. Risk and reward is a ratio. The less risk you are willing to take directly lowers the ceiling on the amount of reward. That is a simple fact. It is also what has been diminishing Star Wars since Disney bought it. Soon the prestige of SW will be just as rock bottom as that of ST. So it is not that Star Trek lacks the potential to be huge rather it lacks the creative courage and commitment to greatness from studio management. The studios do not know how to manage only exploit.

 

[mos6507]

The whole franchise should be sold. Jeff Bezos and Amazon would be all over it.

I could go for this. Even though SW under Disney hasn't been peaches and cream, I think Trek would be in better hands out of CBS' hands altogether. This is, of course, assuming a bought-out Trek involves booting Kurtzman and any other Bad Robot influences in the process (although keeping the Picard show).

 

[BillJ]

This is, of course, assuming a bought-out Trek involves booting Kurtzman and any other Bad Robot influences in the process (although keeping the Picard show).

 

[Doc Mugatu]

I could go for this. Even though SW under Disney hasn't been peaches and cream, I think Trek would be in better hands out of CBS' hands altogether. This is, of course, assuming a bought-out Trek involves booting Kurtzman and any other Bad Robot influences in the process (although keeping the Picard show).

A sad reality: Every new owner thinks they have the secret recipe to make all things golden. Ironically, it usually turns out that they end up doing the exact same thing the previous owners did.

So yeah, Amazon could buy CBS/Viacom and boot Bad Robot only to replace them with a Bad Robot clone. The problem is the global mindset which compels them to try and go broader and broader because that, they believe, will get them bigger audiences and that will get them closer to the billion dollar mark. The problem with going broader is you lose the unique qualities and attributes that made that particular property special.

I do believe Star Trek could do better than it has at the box office (both domestically and globally), however, not a billion $ worth. I think $600 worldwide is a reasonable target (budget accordingly), but only if they look more towards the TOS series of movies (not just Wrath of Kahn). They need to return to what made Star Trek so enduring. First, tell a varied array of stories that feel like they need to be told and not just bang out mindless, repetitive, bombastic action-flicks under the Star Trek banner one after another.

To be more honest, the conventional wisdom of modern Hollywood has reduced the Star Trek cinematic franchise to that of satiric parody.

 

[BillJ]

I do believe Star Trek could do better than it has at the box office (both domestically and globally), however, not a billion $ worth. I think $600 worldwide is a reasonable target (budget accordingly), but only if they look more towards the TOS series of movies (not just Wrath of Kahn).

They have to be brave enough to change the dynamics if they want to get into billion dollar territory.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

They have to be brave enough to change the dynamics if they want to get into billion dollar territory.

What does that mean? "Change the dynamic," how?

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Be actually appealing to a much wider audience than it ever has.

 

[Doc Mugatu]

Be actually appealing to a much wider audience than it ever has.

How?

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Let the geniuses at Hollywood figure that out!

 

[fireproof78]

How?

Hollywood has no idea. They are Bob Rossing their way with a lot of happy little accidents.

 

[Smellmet]

Be actually appealing to a much wider audience than it ever has.

I think the kelvin films have been as appealing to wider audiences as trek is ever likely to get. Much more would be dumbing down the source material too much in my opinion.

We may get a 500m+ hit in the future but as others have said things need changing a little.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

I think the kelvin films have been as appealing to wider audiences as trek is ever likely to get. Much more would be dumbing down the source material too much in my opinion.

We may get a 500m+ hit in the future but as others have said things need changing a little.

A movie doesn’t have to be dumbed down to make a billion dollars.

In all seriousness, I think Trek will never break past the $500 million barrier. It can thrive on TV like TNG did, but in the cinematic business it doesn’t have that kind of appeal.