Banijay's "Suvivor" format celebrates 25 years of success

It has officially been 25 years since Banijay debuted the adventure reality format "Survivor" in Sweden in September 1997.“'Survivor' has all the elements of a hit format, combining jeopardy, reality, strategy and adventure. Whilst each version is unique to its territory, every 'Survivor' season celebrates the core values of this much-loved show," Lucas Green, Global Head of Content Operations at Banijay said.

Ranked the top Best Reality Show Of All Time (Variety), the Banijay format created by Charlie Parsons, has been commissioned in 50 territories and is one of the most loved and watched formats around the world. The anniversary follows the recent announcement that "Survivor" will return to the UK in 2023, with Remarkable Entertainment (part of Banijay UK) producing the series for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Other recent comebacks for the format include Brazil, Norway, Bulgaria and Romania, with all-new first-time adaptations in Mexico and Serbia, as well as an upcoming launch in Canada (French).

"It has been honed through hundreds of seasons of expertise and is head and shoulders above the countless copycats which never quite stand up to the test. We are proud to produce the original – and in our view the best – adventure reality format on television," Green said. "Most of all, we give thanks to those hard-working production teams around the world, with whom we celebrate this distinguished anniversary.”

"Surivor" tests the spirit of a group of ordinary, and yet extraordinary, people who are marooned, with little more than the clothes on their backs and their own animal cunning. As they catch their own food, build their own shelter and order their own society, castaways must compete in increasingly difficult tests of strategy and guile. With 25 productions in 2021, the format has most recently confimred season 44 and more than 7.5 million viewers to the most recent season on CBS; the Netherlands, which has aired every year since 2000; the hugely popular French series, which will air its 29th season next year; and the originating market Sweden, which recently aired its 21st run of Expedition Robinson. The format also enjoys successful companion shows, all-star spin-offs and celebrity versions.