Why Australian Survivor can outlast sluggish ratings season

FANS say it's the best show you’re not watching on TV. The ratings say otherwise. But here’s why Australian Survivor will survive.

Survivor is tipped to survive sluggish overall ratings because it’s hitting all the right marks on Ten. Picture: Supplied

DIEHARD fans say it’s the best show you’re not watching in Australian television.

Despite the accolades from fans and critics alike, Australian Survivor hasn’t been setting the TV ratings world on fire, with some wondering if Channel Ten’s revival of the Aussie format can survive for a second season.

But with the network’s head of Entertainment and Factual Programs Stephen Tate poised to chat with the creators of the franchise today to discuss the show being aired more widely overseas, Ten seems content that the show is hitting all the marks it needs to, and then some.

“New Zealand has already taken it — they pretty much go day/date with this series, and Samoa has taken it and they are excited to see their backyard,” Tate said.

“There is interest from several other international markets and we are due to talk with Castaway (Parson’s Castaway Television productions, which hold the rights to the franchises worldwide) to discuss those opportunities further”.

It’s a global vote of confidence in the product, which Ten insists is “tracking exactly as hoped” in the younger 25 to 54-year-old demographic the network chases.

With average five-city viewer numbers of 741,000 the show may not be winning timeslots outright, but Tate said it is scoring where it matters.

“People are watching, they are just watching on multiple platforms,” he said.

Survivor dropped to a season low of 686,000 viewers in five cities on Sunday, but nobody at the network is pressing the panic button.

“Absolutely from our point of view it is working,” says Tate, pointing to catch-up viewing, Twitter trends and digital viewing figures which the network treasures.

“It’s actually tracking well ahead of the first season of The Bachelor and also the first season of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Australia.

“:And look what a powerhouse The Bachelor is now. The thing is that at Ten we know that we need to stick with brands and support them.”

The tribe (or at least, the under-55s demographic) has spoken. Picture: Supplied by Channel Ten

The average capital city audience as the show airs may be 741,000, but that grows to and average of 768,000 when online catch-ups are included, he said.

And in that crucial 25 to 54 age group, the first nine episodes of Survivor lifted Ten’s share of the timeslot by 38% compared to the same nights last year.

And 81 per cent of the show’s viewers are under 55 years old, compared to 71% of reality show rival Zumbo’s Just Desserts and 71% for The Block, according to Ten figures.

“And Survivor is number two in its timeslot across the capital cities in 25 to 54s.”

Reality series in general tend to get about five per cent additional viewers on catch-up viewing, but Tate said Survivor has been getting 14 and 15 per cent “which is extraordinary”.

Digital views via Tenplay have allow exceeded 3.3 million — again indicative of the younger demographic the network chases.

“Where we are most competitive is exactly where we want to be,” Tate said.

While its ratings have been softer than for Seven and Nine’s offerings, Australian Survivor has generated significant buzz on social media. On debut it was the number one entertainment program on Twitter during its broadcast, with #SurvivorAU trending at number three on Twitter worldwide and number one in Australia.

Tate said kudos like that, and social media presence were among the things networks look for when they commission — it boosts both advertising prospects and word-of-moth growth for the shows.

“This is why shows like Bachelor and Celebrity and, we will see, Survivor, grow. Social media is at the forefront of that,” he said.

While Ten won’t publicly commit to a second season — that news will likely to be saved for the network’s unveiling of its 2017 programming in early November.

The ratings may be soft, but Survivor’s fans have spoken.

Originally published as Why Australian Survivor can outlast sluggish ratings season