‘Star Trek: Discovery’ leaves Netflix just ahead of its new season

The fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery was supposed to be available on Netflix a day after it premieres on Paramount+ in the US on November 18th, but that will no longer happen. In fact, fans outside the US and Canada will have to wait months to be able to see the new episodes — legally, that is — if they ever get the chance at all. According to Deadline, ViacomCBS has ended its deal with Netflix that had been in place since the series launched in 2017. 

The publication says the money Netflix paid for the show’s overseas rights paid for most of Discovery’s hefty budget. Now that ViacomCBS has paid off the deal, it also pulled the entire show from Netflix. Apparently, it plans make the series available again to international fans in 2022 when Paramount+ goes global. The UK, Germany, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland will be among the first regions to get access to the streaming service next year. By the end of 2022, the service will be out in 45 countries, but as Gizmodo points out, that’s still a tiny fraction of the 190 regions where Netflix is available.

Kelly Day, ViacomCBS Networks International streaming boss, told Deadline:

“As we rapidly expand our global streaming footprint, we are bringing more of our top titles home to ViacomCBS for Paramount+ markets around the world. We have a strong global and local content pipeline that positions us for success across our regions, and repatriating beloved series like Star Trek: Discovery for Paramount+ is another step forward as we bring fans more must-watch series worldwide.”

In a tweet, the show’s official account said that the fourth season will still premiere on Paramount+ on November 18th in the US. Meanwhile, it will arrive on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada on the same day and will be available for streaming in the country on Crave the day after.