‘Survivor’ wins the ratings game

The final installment of CBS’ unscripted series “Survivor: Thailand” conquered its competition Thursday night, beating the other three major networks combined both in audience size and key demographics, according to figures released Friday by Nielsen Media Research.

The two-hour installment was watched by more than 24 million viewers. Still, that was about 1 million fewer than tuned in for the finale of “Survivor: Marquesas” last May. CBS executives attributed the decrease to the Christmas shopping season.

Car salesman Brian Heidek was named the winner of “Survivor: Thailand” and walked away with the $1-million prize. Heidek had formerly appeared in several soft-core porno movies, and his wife was arrested last month on charges of spousal abuse.

The big numbers for the “Survivor” finale carried through for CBS, with “Late Night With David Letterman” and “The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn” scoring season-high ratings, network executives said.

Greg Braxton