Date: 2nd February 2001

Survivor Beats Friends


In their first head-to-head go-to, Survivor II: The Australian Outback walloped NBC's Friends Thursday night.

The latest version of the reality show, which debuted Sunday following the Super Bowl, scored an 18.0 rating and a 27 share (a 12.0/29 among adults 18-49) in the 8:00 p.m. hour, peaking in its second half hour with a 19.8/28. Friends, which broadcast a "super-sized" 40-minute episode, pulled a 16.6/24 from 8:00-8:30 p.m. The second half hour, comprised of ten minutes of the Friends episode, followed by 20 minutes of Saturday Night Live, managed only a 15.5/22. Nevertheless, NBC won the night thanks to its hospital drama E.R., which produced the best numbers of any show for the evening -- a 20.7/32 in the 10:00 p.m. hour.

Source: Studio Briefing