A new Star Trek television series has just been confirmed for 2017, and its CBS debut will mark an important first for the television network. The show's first episode will premiere with a "special preview broadcast" on network television before moving exclusively to CBS's paid streaming platform, CBS All Access.

The first original show exclusively on All Access

The new Star Trek will be the first original show to go directly to All Access instead of landing on the network first. It's likely an attempt to bolster interest in the service, which has struggled to compete with other television streaming platforms despite being the only Big Four network to offer a paid streaming service. At a conference earlier this year, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said All Access had a subscriber base of more than 100,000 people, but wouldn't give an exact number. Netflix, for comparison, topped 60 million subscribers around the same time.

CBS is likely banking on the idea that Star Trek fans' hunger for new material will be enough of an enticement to dish out the $5.99 per month to watch the show. And given that there hasn't really been any new Star Trek material since 2005's Enterprise, it's probably a good bet.