Paramount to merge with Skydance; why Star Trek fans should rejoice

One of the greatest conversations to be had this summer, that is if you follow the world of entertainment, was the situation involving Skydance and Paramount. For months, the principal owner of Paramount, Shari Redstone has agreed to terms of a deal. The deal would see Redstone's National Amusements Inc. sell its controlling shares of Paramount to Skydance's David Ellison. Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital is involved, most likely as a partner to Ellison, and a potential backer. RedBird Capital is a private equity firm.

There appears to be a 45-day window in which National Amusements Inc. can shop around to see if anyone is willing to match the price of the sale, therefore continuing the bidding process and bypassing a potential vote that would hang things up among shareholders.

Now there are a lot of moving parts here, and there's still some uncertainty about what's to come, but assuming Skydance does get control of Paramount, then they'll also get ahold of Star Trek. That means shakeups could be abound. Not just minor ones either, but potential changes in direction among the franchises could occur.

Yet, the biggest win for Star Trek fans, and the most likely of all things to happen, is for Star Trek to be in front of more eyes than they've had in over seven years. Since the launch of CBS All Access, which became Paramount+, Star Trek has been stuck behind a paywall. A paywall that limits the eyes on Star Trek and hinders a lot of the potential interest.

The best way forward is to put Star Trek on television once again, broadcasting for all to see on CBS. That doesn't seem likely, however. With the likelihood that Paramount+ closes its doors for good, thus ending a money pit of an endeavor, the most obvious move would be to send its contents back to Netflix.

Netflix had the streaming rights to the classic series, which helped get them a brand new set of eyes. Eyes that made a Star Trek series revival all the more possible. Yet, Paramount+ was never able to grow large enough to attract the numbers needed to keep a show like Star Trek afloat. Only recently have we seen some series get traction, but only sporadically.

Closing Paramount+, which seems very likely at this point, would allow a bigger provider like Netflix to get the series. If not Netflix, then there exists a possibility, albeit a small one, where Star Trek could return to terrestrial television.

Either way, it helps ensure that Star Trek can finally grow as a brand, removing the hassle and limitations of being a pillar of a failing subscription model. Now, instead of having to rely on a niche brand like Star Trek to carry your streaming service, you can begin focusing on the best way to monetize it.