You know you're a fan of Viacom's (NYSE:VIA) hit islander series Survivor if:
A. You've named your pets after tribes from past seasons.
B. You hang out on our Survivor discussion board (registration required, free trial available) even during the lull between seasons.
C. You end all your discussions with: "The tribe has spoken."
D. Your phone goes off the hook so you can enjoy tonight's season premiere of Survivor: Pearl Islands in peace.
Naturally, the correct response involves winning an immunity challenge to avoid having to answer the question in the first place. But, yes, tonight marks the season premiere of the seventh installment in the Survivor reality game show series.
As 16 fresh contestants vie for the million-dollar payout, Viacom has emerged as the real winner. Since the show's refreshingly strong debut three years ago during what is typically a moribund summer programming season, Viacom has been able to sustain Survivor's popularity.
Unlike Disney's (NYSE:DIS) ABC, which set itself up for failure by overexposing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Viacom has been able to develop a stand-alone success in CSI to follow the island-based show while also developing such sitcom hits as Everybody Loves Raymond.
The end result has been that CBS and General Electric's (NYSE:GE) NBC have widened their ratings share lead over laggards ABC and Fox (NYSE:FOX). With television advertising making a dramatic comeback this fall (advance orders of $9.3 billion from sponsors after an $8.1 billion showing last year), being on top of the heap is huge. For the networks, the Survivor motto fits. Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.
Will you be tuning in to watch the Drakes battle the Morgans, or have you been turned off by staged elements of reality shows in the past? Any calls on how you think this new cast will fare and who has what it takes to win it all? All this and more -- in the Survivor discussion board . Only on Fool.com.
