The Star Trek library is leaving a third USA streaming service; this time it’s Hulu.
Trek TV saying goodbye Hulu
The USA-based Hulu has offered five live-action Star Trek series as part of its paid subscription service for most of the last decade, but that will all end in early January. Star Trek: The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise are all leaving the Disney-controlled streamer on January 5, 2022. Each of the shows now carries an expiration warning, counting down to that day.
Star Trek shows now have expiration warnings on Hulu
It’s all about Paramount+
The Star Trek TV exit from Hulu will come just days after the same five shows will be removed from the Amazon Prime Video subscription service in the USA. Three Trek shows left Netflix in September with The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine expected to be removed as soon as their licensing deal with ViacomCBS expires. Even after launching CBS All Access in 2014, the Star Trek library of television shows also continued to remain available on the three big streaming services continually for the last seven years. But with the 2021 rebranding as Paramount+ and a new focus on streaming, third-party licensing is no longer favored by ViacomCBS. This is an industry trend with the major content producers also seen with WarnerMedia/HBOMax, Comcast/Peacock, and Disney+.
This pulling back of Star Trek licensing with third-party streaming services is part of an avowed strategy of ViacomCBS to make their key franchises and assets available only on their own streaming service, Paramount+. And it isn’t just Star Trek. Other ViacomCBS shows are also exiting Hulu in January including The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, I Love Lucy and others. However, many more remain for the time being, including popular shows like Cheers, Frasier, and CSI.
But with all the Star Trek feature films and all the television series, including new original Trek shows, Paramount+ will soon be the sole home for streaming Star Trek in the USA.
All the Star Trek on Paramount+
Find more news on streaming and home video at TrekMovie.com.
Since Star Trek is the only reason I stream at all, I’ll be happier when it’s all in one place!
I’m sad now. I didn’t realized until now that I watch various old Star Trek series when I want to between Amazon and Netflix. I don’t have Paramount+.
This was ALWAYS the plan, and if you were Paramount, you’d be stupid NOT to do this. Plus, it now makes Paramount+ worth getting. On top of the only place to legally stream ALL Star Trek, there’s suddenly a handful of good originals.
I’ll admit I recently got it for 1883 and I think i’ll likely be dropping Amazon now after dropping Netflix in 2020. Disney/Hulu bundle, Paramount and HBO Max seem to be the best combo for me right now. And will probably drop HBO next year especially now that the’y’re not doing new releases day-and-date (also helps that I got a discount promotion in October).
It’s not necessarily a good business strategy. It depends on whether Paramount+ is enough of a draw. Putting these series on already popular platforms has boosted their discoverability (especially Voyager) so it’s a (limited) risk. If Paramount+ doesn’t work out they still own and can license the content again.
I havent seen any of the new Star Wars since it is behind a paywall. I havent seen any of the new Star Trek series since they too are behind a paywall. Now I am being left out of the classic series too. The entire reason to cut cable was to stop overpaying for junk I dont watch just so I can have one or two things I do watch. So sad, I used to love Star Trek. Paying 10 bucks a month for something I was able to get along with my Prime subscription is not worth it.
So the stuff you watched on Prime was also a paywall…same thing.
I wonder if this isn’t a mistake in the long run. I’d think it might be sensible for them to keep making the various legacy shows available on some formats so as to encourage new people to find them and then maybe come sign up for Paramount + to see the others. I mean, yes, it makes sense fo all of them to be available at Paramount +, but taking them completely off of everything else seems a bit iffy to me.
From a realistic perspective it’s a yes/no answer.
While it does enhance brand awareness by offering the show on multiple services, it diminishes the push to get people to Paramount+ because they have access to the classic shows through another medium. For some fans there is a strong desire to avoid the new series and a view that the classics are available elsewhere so they feel they don’t need Paramount+, this moves the product to a centrally controlled service. Thus, Paramount is the only one benefiting from Trek streaming revenues moving forward.
They did say recently (I want to say Star Trek Day) that Paramount+ was going to be the exclusive home to Trek.
Aren’t they on Pluto for free?
If they are, they’ll be gone eventually.
Pluto is owned by ViacomCBS, so the Star Trek channel will stay.
And several shows are on H&I which is available in many markets with an antenna. But they’re still not On Demand or commercial-free.
Is H&I Viacom? I find myself watching the H&I Trek block every now and then. I think that’s a good way for them to pull folks to Paramount+ for Trek
Good point!
No, it’s not sensible. These are legacy shows that everyone knows, you can find clips on youtube, or they can run free one-month trials. People upset about this move to remove them from other services don’t seem to get the point of this whole streaming model.
Does Netflix license their originals to their competitors? C’mon now, folks.
My pre-teen nephews and niece who became Star Trek fans thanks to TOS being on Prime didn’t know the show before finding it there.
People can get the point but still find it upsetting.
I still just use dvd (blu for special stuff like Trek,Wars etc). it was kind of a big thing for me to change from vhs and held out until the last moment (collecting all those beautiful TOS vids! with 3eps per tape!), I can’t see me ever getting onboard with stream tho I’m just too old fashioned, like an old school 80s guy who can’t change and suddenly finds himself in the future
I salute you, but for most people, physical discs are a thing of the past and will never go back to how inconvenient they are in comparison to streaming (heck i’d rather stream the old SD low quality versions than watch blu-rays on disc).
Moving forward too, the legacy audiences who still prefer discs will only continue to shrink. They have to think progressively, or they will fail.
What about all the extras docs etc that are on the blus I guess they are avaliable on stream?
The appeal of value added material which people championed as a reason to get DVDs to replace their VHS has sadly wasted away. The enticement of HD transfers for people with blu ray obviously had appeal, but we are long past the days when some stars were getting paid big money just to sit down and do commentary for their movies.
Now it’s sadly just a niche audience that cares about things like that still. Classic Doctor Who, for example, is going strong on blu ray because the fanbase still laps up special features.
But as long as I have space for them, I will continue to buy physical copies of films and shows I love, simply because licensing deals are never forever. But I too am guilty of watching old Trek on the streamers. Never Paramount+, though – the UX is still horrible.
How can you fail if you own DVDs of these series?! You own them free and clear, don’t have to use Netflix or Hulu or paramount+ to pay/watch. I feel like I’m better off since I don’t NEED these streaming services for Trek if I don’t want to be forced by all this tripe, . . .
I like having the physical media too. There are some Trek series that are not worth buying the complete series for me like Voyager and Enterprise. I did enjoy having them available to watch a few choice episodes from time to time on streaming though.
I’m with you there, although I’d say im more a ’70’s guy – probably a few years older than you, . . .
Is there any way to know when DS9, VOY, and ENT will be removed from Netflix in Latin America? I’m in the middle of re-watching them but won’t be done until March, so I’d like to be able to plan accordingly and accelerate if need be. Thanks.
Look at the Netflix blogs for Latin America – I am guessing you need to accelerate your rewatch.
I don’t know of any, though.
..:annnd there goes my last streaming access to Trek. Good thing I have it all on DVD. P+ can wait.
At least “The Orville” will be on Sulu (as a friend and I call it).
There are, of course, six classic Star Trek shows, not five. :)
TAS was pulled back to P+ as an exclusive in late-2019. So it’s been gone from 3rd party streamers for sometime.
It’s still on Netflix in Latin America for now.
thank goodness for DVDs, then.
DVDs? Are you an archeologist?
No need to mock peoples viewing preferences dude.
DVDs are still quite popular, and elitism is not needed here.
If Trek is something you enjoy watching on a regular basis, owning the physical media is the best, most reliable bet. Streaming channel drops it, who cares? Internet goes down, who cares? It’s yours. So when I hear these announcements, I can take them with a grain of salt.
For all the people complaining about the cost of “another streaming service”… how do you think Paramount gets the millions upon millions of dollars to spend on making these series? And besides, isn’t P+ like $4.99 USD a month with ads? If you have a computer or phone to be streaming anything at all you most likely can afford $4.99. So quit complaining. It makes you seem sad. #DignityPlease
Yeah but when you add up all the streaming services you need to have to see all the shows that people are talking about or are nominated it gets to costing almost $50 plus the cost of the internet to even be able to stream the services.
This doesn’t bother me at all- Paramount+ has been getting better on content all along, but honestly – I have it for Trek alone, and doesn’t bother me one bit – especially now that it looks like there will be 40+ weeks of new content a year on it.
I’ve streamed a little off the other services, and every so often, the aspect ratio will be off on the shows older than Enterprise. Don’t understand that one bit – why does every streaming service (and channels for that matter) not correct the ratio for 16:9 every time now? Paramount+ has it right, and for TNG and TOS, you’re always getting the best resolution available.
How do you proclaim P+ to be the home of Star Trek when you can’t even make a coherent Star Trek hub on the app? Seriously, compared to the way Disney+ handles Star Wars and Marvel and its franchises, Star Trek has no equivalent on P+, another reason it is an embarrassing, third-rate streaming app with half as many features as pretty much every other service out there. I’m actually angry at how awful Paramount+ is, and Paramount/CBS in general and the way it’s handled Star Trek the past decade.
They do have a Trek hub under shows, but is only the shows and not the films.
I noticed today that Trek 2009 is listed as leaving again.
this is why you should just buy the dvds & watch them that way. you can watch whenever you want & don’t have to pay monthly fee. plus how are the going to get new fans this way.
Now how much longer til H&i & BBC America stop airing the show. H&I is currently the main way I watch the old Star Trek. BBC America is a joke since they speed up the episodes & cut about 30 Secs for more commercials . H&I plays them as they originally aired.