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News Netflix not airing Short Treks, deal future questioned

What should CBS Studios International do?

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The Trill scene from S1 hasn't officially been released internationally by Netflix, it's only been released in the US and it looks like Canada too. Anyone that's seen it from outside the US and Canada watched some sort of "illegal" upload of it, as it's not on Netflix in any shape or form.
 
cultcross said:
Not sure on the logic here. While they have Trek, international CBS AllAccess can't have it. So subscribers looking for Trek stay with Netflix. How does it help a competitor for them to keep it? There's nothing in this article suggesting Netflix are planning to drop Trek as a whole.
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Because DSC's success has paved the way for the Picard series as well as these Short Treks (neither of which, as of right now, are coming to Netflix), and sped up the international rollout of CBS All Access.

When they made the original deal, CBS All Access was just the online catchup service for CBS. Since then, CBS bought an Australian TV network, CBS All Access now has global goals, essentially its own movie studio opening in the summer, and dozens of shows and acquisitions in the works. Once existing carrier deals expires, I also guarantee you it will merge content libraries with Showtime, so it very much is a competitor... That Netflix is paying to make its biggest series.

If Netflix is hard passing on Short Treks, and from Rapp it does seem like Netflix have said no, then there's trouble at home.
 
EnderAKH said:
Assuming the $8 million per regular episode number is correct, and taking the low end of your numbers, they spent $6 million on 60 minutes of content, as opposed to $8 million on around 42ish minutes. Now, the goal, remember, is to give Trek fans a reason EACH MONTH to stay subscribed until the show starts airing. I don't think releasing an audio commentary a month or bonus scenes for an ep every month gets you there. So, lets assume their experiment is wildly successful and everyone stays subscribed. That's roughly 2 million subscribers (based on the numbers we've seen spitballed around) at a minimum of $6 per month, so that is $12 million a month x 4 so that $6-9 million nets them $48 million. I would say that is pretty cost effective.
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This is thought out, but you basically said these short films were a cheap way of getting Star Trek fans to renew earlier. What I said was there are cheaper ways if they're after a cheap quick rush of subscriptions. These short films seem more like they had resources to do them, so did them, and clearly without Netflix's approval.

I think come 2020, the idea is to have a new episode of Star Trek-something every week. So like 13 episodes of Discovery, 4 episodes of Short Treks, 8+ episodes of The Picard Show, 13 episodes of say Starfleet Academy, etc. all year round.
 
I'll be curious to see what we end up with, quantity-wise. I imagine they'll give us just enough to make it unattractive to cancel. Thirty to 35 episodes would probably do it, so not much more than a traditional Trek season.

As much as I love Trek, I could see myself reaching a saturation point. Not sure I'd want new stuff all the time, with no break, especially if it's the quality of Discovery season one. This must be a complicated calculation for CBS execs.
 
@Red Panda ..... But your still not giving any sources or references. Now you're claiming Anthony Rapp said stuff. If you want to start big claims on how Netflix wants out of the CBS deal, gives us links to where you read it please. And please, any 'I read but don't remember where' isn't gonna fly.
 
I think it's quite dishonest of CBS All Access to label these short Treks as a "spin-off" of Discovery. That's NOT what they are. They are absolutely, 100% gap filler for this one show. That should have been included in the original deal for Discovery, especially since Netflix was the one paying the majority for DIS' first season in the first hand.
 
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Mage said:
Now you're claiming Anthony Rapp said stuff.
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https://twitter.com/albinokid/status/1043152980768382976

Netflix doesn't have an agreement because this doesn't count as part of Discovery deal, and Netflix told both Digital Spy and TV Wise they're not going to release Short Treks.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/star-t...-trek-mini-episodes-first-look-premiere-date/
https://www.tvwise.co.uk/2018/09/star-trek-discovery-spin-off-short-treks-not-coming-to-netflix/

Why would they do that, if they're happy with Star Trek? Given DSC is a top performer, it's presumably nothing to do with its performance, and everything to do with their agreement?

If CBS All Access had no plans on moving Star Trek to its own service internationally, they would have kissed Netflix's ass a bit more, instead of what's happened which is gloating they suckered Netflix into paying for the whole show, and saying the spinoffs aren't part of any contract with Netflix.

Put two and two together.
 
Red Panda said:
https://twitter.com/albinokid/status/1043152980768382976

Netflix doesn't have an agreement because this doesn't count as part of Discovery deal, and Netflix told both Digital Spy and TV Wise they're not going to release Short Treks.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/star-t...-trek-mini-episodes-first-look-premiere-date/
https://www.tvwise.co.uk/2018/09/star-trek-discovery-spin-off-short-treks-not-coming-to-netflix/

Why would they do that, if they're happy with Star Trek? Given DSC is a top performer, it's presumably nothing to do with its performance, and everything to do with their agreement?

If CBS All Access had no plans on moving Star Trek to its own service internationally, they would have kissed Netflix's ass a bit more, instead of what's happened which is gloating they suckered Netflix into paying for the whole show, and saying the spinoffs aren't part of any contract with Netflix.

Put two and two together.
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You're giving references about Short Treks. Where are your refernces about Netflix wanting out of the Star Trek deal all together? Stop saying things are true if you don't have anything to back it up with except what you think.
 
Can't answer the poll question because both options work for me. As long as I can get my Star Trek episodes easily I'm ok. I guess global CBSAA would get rid of these uncertainties.
 
Global CBSAllAccess wouldn't have a prayer of competing with Netflix in the UK. Few will ever have heard of CBS, and I'm not convinced on the market for multiple streaming services. Most people I know who even have Amazon say they only have it because it comes with the delivery Prime.
 
cultcross said:
Global CBSAllAccess wouldn't have a prayer of competing with Netflix in the UK. Few will ever have heard of CBS, and I'm not convinced on the market for multiple streaming services. Most people I know who even have Amazon say they only have it because it comes with the delivery Prime.
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I doubt that they even want to compete with Netflix. Amazon and maybe HBO are more likely targets. A lot of people can afford two 8-10 euro services per month and don't necessarily keep same ones year around. One service they have is Netflix and it's the second place that CBS can compete on.
 
Red Panda said:
The second episode might not be anything to do with Discovery.
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Three out of four episodes of these short Treks are direct spotlights of main and recurring characters of Discovery - characters that miiiight have cameos in future DIS spin-offs, should those ever materialize, but certainly are never going to carry spin-off shows themselves.

I think it's pretty fair to say, these shorts aren't some sort of independant or spin-off television - they are absolutely just additional scenes for an existing show.
 
Red Panda said:
https://twitter.com/albinokid/status/1043152980768382976

Netflix doesn't have an agreement because this doesn't count as part of Discovery deal, and Netflix told both Digital Spy and TV Wise they're not going to release Short Treks.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/star-t...-trek-mini-episodes-first-look-premiere-date/
https://www.tvwise.co.uk/2018/09/star-trek-discovery-spin-off-short-treks-not-coming-to-netflix/

Why would they do that, if they're happy with Star Trek? Given DSC is a top performer, it's presumably nothing to do with its performance, and everything to do with their agreement?

If CBS All Access had no plans on moving Star Trek to its own service internationally, they would have kissed Netflix's ass a bit more, instead of what's happened which is gloating they suckered Netflix into paying for the whole show, and saying the spinoffs aren't part of any contract with Netflix.

Put two and two together.
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Youre just making assumptions, that isn’t proof.
 
The webisodes weren't part of the original deal, and Netflix doesn't see value in paying additional fees for them. Doesn't mean Discovery is going anywhere. It also means when All-Access rolls out internationally, it will have to compete with Discovery for customers.
 
Ricky Spanish said:
The webisodes weren't part of the original deal, and Netflix doesn't see value in paying additional fees for them. Doesn't mean Discovery is going anywhere. It also means when All-Access rolls out internationally, it will have to compete with Discovery for customers.
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This seems the most logical answer.


Star Trek is a product Netflix has carried streaming for years. A lot of people watch it, so it seems worth it for them to continue to carry. The Shorts would not fit in with the episodes they carry. Netflix relies on lots of big chunks of episodes to satisfy binge watchers. CBSAA relies on fans, for now. Two different scenarios.

These shorts really are just filler. Average viewers won't give a damn. Maybe they'll be awesome and one will win an emmy and everyone will want to see them, but for now, its just a way to put a bit of content on CBSAA besides The Good Fight and Brady Bunch reruns.

If Netflix was going to be upset at CBS it would have been for CBSAA being piggybacked on Amazon Prime. But it seems like there's plenty of money to go around at the bowl for the two big dogs.
 
cultcross said:
Global CBSAllAccess wouldn't have a prayer of competing with Netflix in the UK. Few will ever have heard of CBS, and I'm not convinced on the market for multiple streaming services. Most people I know who even have Amazon say they only have it because it comes with the delivery Prime.
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This is all true in the U.S. as well, aside from the name recognition bit. All Access is a backwater streaming service even in its home country.

Trek is clearly being used -- you might say sacrificed -- to expand the All Access brand. I expect that strategy will continue as CBS tries to expand All Access' reach.
 
Jadeb said:
This is all true in the U.S. as well, aside from the name recognition bit. All Access is a backwater streaming service even in its home country.

Trek is clearly being used -- you might say sacrificed -- to expand the All Access brand. I expect that strategy will continue as CBS tries to expand All Access' reach.
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Just like treak was used to help launch first run syndication and like trek was used to launch a new network and now being used to launch a streaming network. This isn't new.
 
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