Star Trek: Discovery will be free-to-air for the first time on E4 in the UK

This comes after Channel 4 signed a deal with US network CBS to bring two shows: Matt Le Blanc's sitcom Man With A Plan and the new Star Trek spin-off to linear TV. Discovery had previously only been available to watch in the UK via a subscription to Netflix, who had exclusive streaming rights to the first two seasons.

The show is set around 10 years before the events of the original 1960s Star Trek series, and follows the crew of the USS Discovery. It stars Sonequa Martin-Green as science specialist Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Saru, and, in series one, Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca.

The second season of Discovery was released weekly on Netflix between January and April this year. The streaming service still holds the rights to stream new episodes in the UK, and season three is expected to arrive in early 2020. Episodes typically arrive less than 24 hours after they are released in the USA on CBS: All Access.

"We’re excited to bring the linear television rights for Star Trek: Discovery to the international market and launch in the UK with our valued friends at Channel 4," Barry Chamberlain from CBS Studios International said in a statement. "This agreement features the best of both worlds — premium subscription content from a global franchise and a very popular network comedy from America’s Most-Watched Network."

Star Trek: Discovery will air on E4 in 2020