CBS’ ‘Survivor’ Renewed For Next Season With Order For Cycles 29 & 30

The doyen of reality competition series, CBS’ Survivor, is turning 30. CBS has ordered two more editions of television’s longest running reality competition series for the 2014-2015 season, its 29th and 30th. Five-time Emmy winner Jeff Probst, who has been with the franchise since the very beginning, has signed a new deal to continue as host and executive producer. For creator/executive producer Mark Burnett, Survivor always has had a special meaning as it catapulted him to the top ranks of reality producers.”It’s more than a show, it’s part of the fabric of who are we as a family,” he said, noting that “my children have  grown up with the show and don’t remember life before Survivor.” It is a big week for the prolific producer who is delivering 12 hours of original programming on the broadcast networks starting with NBC’s The Voice on Monday and culminating with the two-hour Survivor: Blood vs. Water finale on Sunday, followed by a live reunion show hosted by Probst. (The list includes The Voice on Monday and Tuesday, Survivor on Wednesday and Sunday, The Sing-Off on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and Shark Tank on Friday.) Probst called Survivor “the best job I’ve ever had and probably the greatest career opportunity I’ll ever have.” Survivor‘s solid ratings performance after 14 years on the air is not lost on him. “If a new show came out and had the ratings we had this season, it would be considered a hit,” Probst said. “To be in that place in Season 27is pretty phenomenal.” The current Blood vs. Water cycle of Survivor wins its Wednesday 8 PM time period in all key ratings measures, averaging 11.29 million viewers and 3.1/09 in adults 18-49 and ranking as the #2 reality series on broadcast television in adults 18-49. Before relocating to Wednesday, Survivor spearheaded CBS’ Thursday night takeover as a long-time 8 PM anchor where it also helped grow lead-out CSI into a billion-dollar franchise. “Survivor is a groundbreaking show that changed the TV landscape and helped usher in a new era of ratings dominance for the network,” CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said.