# Survivor (2000)

> Survivor's first U.S. season ended with 51.7 million viewers watching the finale.

- Owner: CBS (U.S. broadcaster); Mark Burnett (executive producer)
- Kind: Series
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2000-05-31
- Observed peak date: 2000-08-23
- Date basis: Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum.
- Spread Score: 35 (Niche, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Mystery & lore, Platform jump, Controversy, Dupe economy

## Summary

CBS launched Survivor with cross-promotion and emailed commercials. Fans investigated clues online as TV audiences grew. The finale drew 51.7 million viewers; advertisers paid more for its sequel and competitors pursued similar formats.

## Timeline

- 2000-01-11 — Mark Burnett / CBS (TV) — Burnett previewed the island contest and its elimination rules on The Early Show.
- May 2000 — CBS / MindArrow Systems (Open web) — CBS emailed a video commercial before the premiere; its vendor reported forwarding by recipients.
- 2000-05-31 — CBS / Mark Burnett (TV) — CBS aired The Marooning, the first episode of its island elimination contest.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/survivor-2000

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Survivor (2000).” Case HIS-01467. Spread Score v1.3: 35/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01467