‘Survivor’ Gives ‘Millionaire’ a Vigorous Run for Its Money

“Survivor,” CBS’ voyeuristic new reality series about a group of strangers isolated on a remote island, did more than survive its premiere outing Wednesday against the onslaught of Regis Philbin and ABC’s hit “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The show, whose Peeping Tom aspect made it controversial before it ever aired, significantly trumped its game show rival in key demographic groups--specifically bringing in the younger viewers that CBS has been fighting to reach. In the process, the new series earned the network some of its more impressive Wednesday night ratings in almost a decade.

The fact that the midweek edition of “Millionaire” had about 1 million viewers more than “Survivor”--16.8 million to “Survivor’s” 15.5 million--in their initial 8 p.m. showdown did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of CBS affiliates gathered in Las Vegas for the network’s two-day spring affiliates meeting.

*

CBS President Leslie Moonves received a rousing ovation as he announced that “Survivor” had toppled “Millionaire” almost across the board with younger as well as older viewers, said a network executive attending the meeting.

“Yes, indeed, we’re very happy today,” said Kelly Kahl, senior vice president of program planning and scheduling for CBS. “We had confidence in the product, but we were not exactly sure what the audience reaction would be. The response of younger viewers is beyond our wildest dreams.”

CBS, whose shows have routinely attracted older viewers, drew a much younger audience with “Survivor” in just about every way that Nielsen Media Research cuts the viewing pie. The episode toppled “Millionaire” in the 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 age demographics. It also scored CBS’ highest-rated performance with regular programming in the Wednesday 8 p.m. time slot since January 1992.

Said Kahl: “We didn’t have any illusions about beating an established hit like ‘Millionaire’ in total viewers. But to handily beat them in the 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 age groups is truly exciting.”

CBS was most excited about the response to “Survivor” in the key 18-34 demographic, where it beat out “Millionaire” by 56%. That is also the audience that has turned MTV’s “Real World” series, which chronicles the lives of a handful of strangers living under one roof for six weeks, into a major hit for the cable network.

“Survivor” chronicles the exploits of 16 strangers who are stranded on an island for 40 days. Participants are gradually voted off the island, and the lone survivor will win $1 million.

To capitalize on the “water cooler buzz” and to attract those who missed the first installment, CBS will repeat the premiere of “Survivor” on Saturday at 10 p.m.

* “Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS. The first episode will repeat Saturday at 10 p.m. The network has rated it TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).