I have a question now that there are 100+ episodes of Survivor, is it possible for Survivor to go into syndication? I would love to see some of the installments (especially Marquesas) over again. I wish they would show reruns in the summer or something arrgh!

• RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 04:56 AM, 03-31-04
  • RE: syndication,bongo, 11:21 AM, 03-31-04
    • RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 12:13 PM, 03-31-04
    • RE: syndication,rjrabbit, 00:07 AM, 04-02-04
  • RE: syndication,Jumboto, 07:18 AM, 04-01-04
    • RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 01:01 PM, 04-01-04
• RE: syndication,dajaki, 12:49 PM, 03-31-04
  • RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 03:06 PM, 03-31-04
    • RE: syndication,Laurie, 03:40 PM, 03-31-04
      • RE: syndication,I_AM_HE, 07:07 PM, 03-31-04
        • RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 07:52 PM, 03-31-04
      • RE: syndication,Howard Dean, 07:49 PM, 03-31-04
        • Reality Network,Bursar, 01:42 PM, 04-01-04
          • RE: Reality Network,Howard Dean, 02:38 AM, 04-02-04

That's a good question. I'm guessing that CBS may be thinking about marketing earlier seasons of Survivor in some manner. Perhaps All Star Survivor is part of their plan to get us interested in the earlier seasons again, in which the All Star players first appeared.

But it seems to me that syndication would be unlikely, at least for the time being. DVD release seems much more likely.

Usually, if a show is not repeatable in summer during its original run, it's also not likely to do very well in syndication.

Prime time soaps, for example, are seldom rerun, and they don't do very well in syndication either. The same is probably the case for Survivor.

The problem with soaps is that everyone knows by rerun time how the story turned out. And the problem with Survivor would be that everyone knows who won.

When they once tried to rerun prime soaps, they got horrible ratings. Ratings gargantuans like Dallas fell totally flat in the summer.

The only season of Survivor that has been rerun by CBS so far is Survivor 1, which was repeated in September 2000.

It had just gotten astronomical ratings in its original run during the summer of 2000, and so CBS turned around and ran it again during September 2000, because they didn't have anything else to go against the summer Olympics that year.

I don't know how well it did when it was rerun, but the other seasons of Survivor have not been repeated.

So my guess is that Survivor will not be syndicated any time soon.

But who knows? Maybe 10, 20 or 30 years from now we'll see reruns of Survivor on the Game Show Network -- the way we see old game shows from the 70s, 80s and 90s now.

Or maybe, by then, they'll have a channel called the Reality Show Network. lol

In the meantime, I'd say it's more likely that they'll release previous seasons of Survivor on DVD. In fact, with the way the DVD market is going right now, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it happens at the end of this season.

I have every season of Survivor on tape. Last summer, I watched Survivor 2 and 3 again. It was better than watching Paradise Hotel, or some kind of crap like that!

just a side note about dvd seasons.

The complete First Season of Survivor will be out on DVD in May, so I'm assuming if that sells well, the other seasons will follow.

Ah. Well there it is.

I hadn't heard about this. I have the first and second season's videos but I was disappointed that they don't show any of the challenges so I stopped buying them. I would love to have the complete first season on DVD so I will be buying it. I would also love to have it broadcast in syndication. I could TiVo it and copy it to my own DVD or video.

I bet it would do good if they did a marathon of a whole season.
I know for a fact CBS wouldn't do it but GSN probably would.

Right. A major broadcast network like CBS wouldn't do that because of scheduling reasons and because they tend to focus on first run fare.

But a cable channel like GSN probably would, and I think it would be cool!

LAST EDITED ON 03-31-04 AT 12:50 PM (EST)

What about when the Reality TV Network (backed by many former Survivors) gets up and running. Maybe syndication deals are being worked out now to show past seasons.

Is there really a Reality TV Network already in the works?

I was just talking about something that was appocryphal. In other words, "it's a good idea, and somebody ought to do it."

I figured that if we can have the Game Show Network, why not the Reality TV Network?

If it's really happening, that's great.

The Reality Show Network is supposedly in the works. I've read that two winners from the Amazing Race invested in it, and got other reality show alumni to invest as well. In fact, I heard Ethan was one of the investors, Will and Mike from Big Brother too. But I also read it was supposed to kick off about a month ago, and it hasn't, I haven't read why not.

We'll just have to wait and see.

By the way HD - have you never heard of Soap Net? I didn't watch Knots Landing when it originally aired, but I love watching it on Soap Net. Yeah, I'm only 10+ years beind the times, I admit it.

Laurie

Hah! What a bunch of DAWs! They're actually PAYING to get themselves on TV again, LMAO.

A Reality TV network is an awesome idea, but it might be a little premature right now.

I mean .... how many hours of reality TV programming are there in the can right now? Not that many.

Five years from now might be better.

If they insist on doing it now, I just hope they have some original programming to offer, and not reruns only.

Yeah I know about the soap net.

When talking about syndication, I was referring to those shows that are seen on local broadcast stations -- like reruns of "Cosby" or "That 70s Show" seen on a Channel 4, 7, 9 etc in any given city.

Of course, now that there are 500 cable channels out there, anything is possible. So if you include minor cable channels like soap net that aren't as widely seen, almost anything can get syndicated.

There are basically three teers in syndication: broadcast syndication, major cable channel syndication, and minor cable channel syndication.

I remember when Knott's Landing was shown in reruns on TBS and other major cable channels. It didn't last long on those kinds of channels, for the reasons that I stated in my post above -- it has too much of a definite ending each season to work well in syndication. And it was seldom if ever seen in syndication on broadcast stations, as far as I know. It's definitely an example of third teer minor cable channel syndication.

Survivor is one of the most awesome shows in the history of TV, but its prospects for reruns are uncertain.

It may very well end up on a Reality TV Network created this year, or ten years from now.

But because of its nature as a program with a clear ending each season, it's not likely to see endless reruns for decades like a MASH, or Star Trek or Gilligan's Island.

By the way HD - have you never heard of Soap Net? I didn't watch Knots Landing when it originally aired, but I love watching it on Soap Net. Yeah, I'm only 10+ years beind the times, I admit it.

It *is* up and running. DISH Network is carrying it. I've seen it in the on-air program guide, but haven't watched anything on it yet.

You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.

Ahhhhh The Dish Network!

Dish always carries those cool channels I love that Direct TV never carries!

Do you have a link to The Reality Network's website???? I did like to see what they are filling all of those hours of airtime with.