CBS All Access streaming platform set to launch in Australia this year

US studio CBS launched its All Access streaming service in its home country in 2014, and has since boasted of some popular titles in its library. When CBS acquired Network Ten last year, however, it was an open secret that All Access would some day arrive in Australia as well, but there were no official announcements made then.

Speaking at a programming event in Los Angeles recently, All Access president and chief operating officer Marc DeBevoise announced that the streaming platform will launch Down Under in the fourth quarter of 2018.

This was confirmed by CBS president Les Moonves on a conference call he had a couple of days ago, saying, “Based on our growth trajectory and the trends we see ahead … we plan to double our initial goal in just two years. That doesn’t even include the subscribers we plan to generate internationally.”

“We have had early success in Canada and we are now getting ready to expand into Australia,” he added.

Heating up the competition

If CBS keeps its word, All Access could be available in Australia as early as October, but it is as yet unclear whether it would replace or complement Tenplay, Ten’s free catch-up streaming service.

Also unclear as of now is what will happen to the current content partnership agreement CBS has with rival streaming services in Australia. Some of its big titles, like Star Trek: Discovery, Salvation and The Good Fight are available locally on Netflix, Stan and SBS. The content sharing agreement was reached before CBS All Access had any plans for becoming a global service.

While we wait for the exact launch date and details on pricing, Trekkies can look forward to Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series that was announced recently.