This fall, both “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” extended their episodes to 90 minutes, and this change has led to significant increases in viewership, especially on digital platforms.
The number of people watching the first two episodes of “Survivor” Season 45 on streaming services, which include Paramount+, the CBS website, and app, has gone up by 83% compared to the first two episodes of Season 43, which aired last year. Overall, when you consider viewership on CBS, DVR, and video-on-demand (VOD), there’s been a 6% increase in the audience. This means that more people are watching “Survivor” this year, and they are increasingly choosing to access the show through digital platforms compared to a year ago. This information is based on data from Nielsen and Paramount Global’s first-party data, covering a week of viewership.
Similarly, “The Amazing Race” Season 35 has experienced a 32% increase in the number of people streaming it compared to the previous year. The overall viewership of the show remains steady when compared to Season 33, which is a positive outcome for CBS. This is particularly noteworthy because overall primetime TV viewership has dropped by 9% since fall 2022.
CBS’ strength in attracting viewers to unscripted content is further illustrated by looking at the Multiplatform + 7 data for both shows. On their premiere nights, “Survivor” had 5 million viewers, and “The Amazing Race” had 2.6 million viewers. However, when you consider a week of multiplatform viewing, the seasons now average 6.8 million viewers for “Survivor” and 4.6 million viewers for “The Amazing Race.”
Broadcast viewership has gone up compared to last year, but the increase isn’t as big as the jump in streaming. This shift in viewer preferences is mainly because younger people are tuning in to these shows when they stream them. On average, the viewers who watch “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” on streaming platforms are 20 years younger than those who watch on CBS.
This boost in viewers isn’t only benefiting the current seasons. Season 43 and 44 of “Survivor” have seen streaming increases of 77% and 49%, respectively. Moreover, when you consider all the seasons of the show, the total streaming has gone up by 58% over the past few weeks compared to the first three weeks of Season 43. Similarly, “The Amazing Race” has reached 64% more households with active subscriptions this year than it did last year.
Source: Variety
