7 New TV Networks and Where to Find Them
“Peak TV” hasn’t peaked yet!
Television viewers have more options every day, it seems, especially with new networks joining the proverbial dial. Some, like Paramount Network and CBS All Access, are gaining buzz; and others, like Apple and Disney’s streaming services, have become the talk of Tinseltown before they’ve even been named!
Here’s the scoop on the new offerings, a couple of which you can even check out for free.
CBS All Access
OK, CBS All Access isn’t brand-spankin’ new, but it’s still catching on with consumers. Not only is it the only way to watch most CBS shows the day after their broadcast, but CBS All Access is home to the critically-acclaimed Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight, the latter being a spin-off of The Good Wife. Meanwhile, CBS also has new versions of The Twilight Zone and The Stand in development. The service costs $5.99 per month, or $9.99 if you don’t want ads.
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is about to hit its one-year anniversary, and its programming slate is bursting with original content — including the dramas Five Points and Sacred Lies, the comedy Strangers, the continuations The Mind of a Chef and Loosely Exactly Nicole, the talk show Red Table Talk, and the news program Anderson Cooper Full Circle. Frankly, though, any streaming service that casts Catherine Zeta-Jones as a ruthless pageant coach — see the upcoming series Queen America — already has our vote.
Paramount Network
The channel formerly known as TNN and then Spike became Paramount Network earlier this year to compete with other prestige cable destinations. So far, Paramount has debuted the drama Yellowstone and the comedy American Woman — starring Kevin Costner and Alicia Silverstone, respectively — and is about to air the docuseries Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story and I Am Paul Walker. Check your local listings: Most households in the United States receive Paramount.
YouTube Premium
Remember YouTube Red, the paid subscription version of regular ol’ YouTube? Now it’s called YouTube Premium, and it’s available for $11.99 per month. You’ll find a lot of spin-offs here, like the Jumper spin-off Impulse, the Karate Kid spin-off Cobra Kai, and the Step Up continuation Step Up: High Water. But soon, subscribers will get to watch Harry Potter alums Tom Felton and Natalia Tena in the sci-fi drama Origin and Kirsten Dunst in the dark comedy On Becoming a God in Central Florida.
DC Universe
Did you see that Titans Comic-Con trailer featuring Robin leveling the f-word at Batman? Yeah, DC Comics certainly isn’t holding back with DC Universe, the streaming service it’ll launch later this year. After forking over either $74.99 per year or $7.99 per month, viewers will also get to see a live-action Stargirl and Swamp Thing series, an animated Harley Quinn show, and the return of the animated series Young Justice.
Disney’s streaming service
If you’ve noticed your favorite Disney films disappearing from Netflix, it’s because Mickey Mouse is getting a whole new house: a Disney-branded streaming service launching in 2019. In addition to the Disney films PG-13 and below, the yet-untitled service will host TV series that continue the Star Wars, Muppets, Monsters Inc., Mighty Ducks, and High School Musical franchises.
Apple’s streaming service
As The Verge pointed out, Apple is “ordering so many shows, with nowhere to show them.” The tech giant hasn’t yet revealed how it will stream its shows, but it’s developing a morning-show drama with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s novel Foundation, a reboot of the sci-fi anthology Amazing Stories, a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, a space drama from a Battlestar Galactica producer, children’s shows from the creators of Sesame Street, and a slate of projects from Oprah Winfrey. Stay tuned!
