A+E Networks' "Alone: Australia" becomes SBS History's most-watch original series

A+E Networks today announced that "Alone: Australia," the first iteration of the company’s global hit format produced in the region, has become the most watched SBS-commissioned series in the network’s history, averaging over 1 million viewers per episode on linear TV and On Demand. “A+E Networks is incredibly pleased that viewers were so riveted by Alone: Australia, especially since we were able to partner with SBS and ITV Australia to create a true phenomenon that rapidly became water-cooler TV,” A+E Networks’ Director of International Format Production and Acquisitions Crispin Clover, said. 

This achievement, confirmed by Clover adds on to other indicatations of success regarding A+E's award-winning format performances across multiple languages and territories. Produced locally by ITV Australia,  "Alone" first premiered on The History Channel in the US in 2015, and has since gained popularity worldwide, with a tenth season premiering June 2023. The self-shot, ultimate survival competition format showcases contestants as they are dropped into the remote wilderness, and are required to survive entirely alone.

The ratings for "Alone" have been deemed successful in every territory where it airs. "Alone: Australia" premiered as SBS’s highest-rated program of 2023 to date, with the premiere episode more than tripling its audience via OnDemand and catch-up viewing in just two weeks.  By the end of its 12-episode run, Alone was the number one show across all Australian Broadcaster VOD platforms, rivaling long-running formats on competitor commercial networks, and more than quadrupling the SBS prime average among total viewers. Since its launch, a quarter of all new accounts on SBS On Demand have watched the series. SBS’ is only the latest success for "Alone," which has become a ratings hit over seven seasons in Denmark, winning the TV Prisen Awards for Best Reality Programme in 2020, and boasts successful franchises in Norway and Sweden. Channel 4 also ordered a UK iteration of the format earlier in 2022, to be produced by The Garden and released later this year. 

The network also announced multiple recent commissions from other hit shows on its growing global formats roster, all for brand new hours of returning series including "The Rap Game," "The UnXplained," and "Top Dog." “It is through deep collaboration with our treasured partners that we’ve been able to garner a fantastic track record in finding formats that transcend cultures and borders and truly tap into the zeitgeist of the moment, as evidenced by the latest commissions from our industry-leading partners,” continued Clover. “Each of these formats has continued to attract strong audiences in vastly different territories worldwide, and those audiences continue to grow season after season.”