'Survivor' Finale Reaches 41 Million
/>More than 41 million viewers were on hand when Tina Wesson was crowned the grand prize winner of "Survivor: The Australian Outback" on CBS Thursday night. An average of 41.26 million viewers tuned in to the final half-hour (9:30-10 p.m.) of the program, which drew a 22.5 rating/33 share in households and an 18.4/41 in the advertiser-friendly demographic of adults 18-49.
While the show managed to topple a first-run sweeps episode of "ER," it failed to reach the same number of viewers as the Superbowl-fueled premiere, and last summer's finale episode. Thursday's episode averaged 36.35 million viewers over two hours, compared to the premiere episode's post-Superbowl 43.55 million and season one's finale audience of more than 51 million. Though the finale failed to reach those milestones, the series itself was a huge success for CBS, especially considering its difficult timeslot. The series knocked "Friends" and "ER" to record lows for original episodes, and established "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" as a breakout hit. While NBC was able to keep its audience losses to a minimum, the idea of the net owning Thursday with "must-see" programming is no longer a reality, with ABC and UPN also making inroads in households and key demos. "Survivor: Outback Reunion," which followed the finale, won the hour with 28.01 million viewers. CBS will air one more special about the series next week in the 8 p.m. hour as the survivor contestants are followed as they return to normal life.
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