Why are the Survivor: Game Changers ratings down so far?

Earlier today, CBS handed out some good news when it comes to Survivor — the show’s been renewed once more! It was never in doubt, but this now means that we’re going to have the long-running reality show on the air until season 36 concludes.

We don’t want to pour some cold water on the good news, but there is a somewhat-disappointing trend that we’ve noticed now over the past two seasons that wasn’t quite there as much before: Ratings declines, at least in terms of the key live+same day metric in adults 18-49.

So far this season, Survivor: Game Changers is averaging a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This is down from the 1.8 rating Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X posted, and down from the 2.0 we saw for Survivor: Kaoh Rong. When you think back to the last all-star season in Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance, that season averaged a 2.1. Basically, you’re looking at a drop of around 17% or so between two all-star seasons in the ratings.

If there is a reason for the drop, it’s not entertainment. While we dislike the twist last night in terms of gameplay, it was tremendous in terms of being fantastic television. The entire season to date’s been fantastic, and we’d argue that the same goes for Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X. You can attribute a slow start to Kaoh Rong as a problem, or you could just realize that on CBS, ratings are down across the board. Many longtime shows, including NCIS and Criminal Minds, are looking at declines in the 15% range year-to-year. Survivor is no different than some of the other shows that they have. This is a network that has managed to keep many long-running shows on point, but in the era of Netflix and other streaming networks (including CBS’ own All Access), there’s simply less incentive for everyone to watch shows live than there was a few years ago.

We’d say that the rise in streaming is the biggest reason for the Survivor live ratings drop, just as it could also be DVRs starting to catch up with the show. Format-wise, one thing that could be considered is a season without much of a theme beyond just a location. Give the show a more old-school vibe, and see if some of the old-school fans come back.

We’re not sure if this season will ever top a 2.0, but the big thing to remember here is that even with the drop, it’s not in any danger. Our stance remains clear — Survivor lasts for as long as Jeff Probst and the producers want it to.

More Survivor news

If you missed it, head over here to read our most-recent exit interview with Malcolm Ferberg! (Photo: CBS.)