CBS announced it will make its highly-rated reality series SURVIVOR available for download on CBS.com after its Thursday, Feb. 2 premiere (shortly after 12:00 midnight, EST/9:00 PM PT).
"This is a first in network television," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. "Never before has primetime hit programming been available for a fee on a wholly-owned website. It´s been our strategy to exploit content across as many platforms as possible, and putting this hugely popular series online is a natural fit. This is not only a boon to fans of the show, who can now watch it at their leisure, but it also represents a great way to generate traffic for CBS.com while opening a whole new revenue stream for CBS."
Visitors to CBS.com will be able to view full episodes of SURVIVOR for $1.99. The highly-rated reality series will be available shortly after midnight following its west coast broadcast on CBS. Customers will be able to view paid-for episodes anytime up to 24 hours from the time they are ordered. The episodes will be available through June 2006.
CBS.com has long been the online destination for information on CBS entertainment, news and sports programming. CBS.com also offers SURVIVOR LIVE!, a free, online-only show for SURVIVOR fans that includes interviews with the most recent cast-off, highlights and discussions on the hit reality series. Other original programming that appears on CBS.com throughout the season includes THE FINISH LINE, an online talk show companion to AMAZING RACE, HOUSE CALLS: THE BIG BROTHER TALK SHOW and CBS SOAP BOX, the weekly one-hour webcast and cyberspace companion to CBS´s hit daytime lineup.
SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE ISLAND, hosted by Jeff Probst, will find the 16 new castaways initially divided into four tribes of four - Older Men vs. Older Woman vs. Younger Men vs. Younger Women (the four tribes will become two during a schoolyard pick in the second episode). During the duration of SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE ISLAND, at least one castaway each episode will be banished to a separate island miles away from camp. While being separated from the tribe is not desirable, the castaways will learn that there is a hidden Immunity Idol somewhere on Exile Island. If found, this Immunity Idol could save an individual from being voted out at a future Tribal Council.
