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'Boring' Survivor losing out
22/09/2006 09:10 - (SA)
Amanda de Lange, Beeld
Johannesburg - M-Net's Survivor South Africa: Panama lost more than a quarter million viewers after the first episode's screening.
The show, which had a record audience of 1 254 435 viewers for its first episode, was only able to draw 1 003 548 viewers for the second episode.
For the third episode, screened last Sunday, the figure showed a slight increase to 1 080 744.
Carl Fisher, M-Net's head of local productions, on Thursday told Beeld that the subscription channel expected viewers to drop between the first and second episodes.
"In spite of that it is still higher than that of Idols and Big Brother and if the number of viewers keep showing an increase week after week, we'll be very happy."
The lack of drama in the first episode, which some viewers complained about, did not contribute to a smaller audience, said Fisher.
"We did not expect to beat the figure for the Idols final with the first episode. We're not worried at all.
"The drop in the number of viewers is normal and, because it is reality TV... at times it is more exhilarating than others."
Fisher said the reaction to Survivor SA is "overwhelmingly positive" - even the negative comments are not unwelcome because it shows people are watching the series.
However, many of the comments on M-Net's website forum are full of complaints.
"Is M-Net serious?" asks a certain Brad. "I have seen the first episode of Survivor SA and it is lukewarm. "As a Survivor fan I was disappointed in the final product - it is not exciting at all."
Another viewer writes that M-Net has broken the cardinal rule of reality programmes - to show and not to tell. "The whole point of a reality programme is to show the viewer what happens, but in Survivor all we're getting is monologue upon monologue."
The second episode did not fare any better.
There were numerous complaints of "boring editing and challenges", and bad sound quality during the row between Sam Allerton and Mzi Tyhokolo.
After last Sunday's episode some viewers are still not happy - many felt the shocking turn at the end of the programme did not compensate for the preceding "boring 45 minutes".
- Beeld
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South Africa
