SBS is predicting the second series of its record-breaking survival series, Alone Australia, will outperform the first, reaching mass audiences across broadcast TV and BVOD.
Adam Sadler, director of media sales at SBS, is confident the new season, which launches on 27 March, will build on the large mass audiences that flocked to season one, which he claims beat out rivals such as Lego Masters in the key 25-54s demographic.
“In Australia, there are a handful of shows that are guaranteed cross-platform ratings juggernauts – Alone Australia is now firmly cemented as one of those shows, delivering audience across both broadcast TV and BVOD,” said Sadler.
“Season 1 of Alone Australia delivered massively for advertisers with a series average of 1.24m with BVOD out rating traditional broadcast for some episodes, and most importantly, Season 2 in New Zealand promises to be even bigger.
“A lot of people might have missed it at the time, but in the all-important 25-54s demographic, Alone Australia was seeing off bigger and more long-running TV franchises to become the no.1 most-watched show over 28 Days. This show is unique in the Australian media landscape – it truly reflects TV viewing in 2024 – as a mass reach audience vehicle with a demographically pure audience focused on 25-54s.”
Alone Australia will return to SBS and SBS On Demand in late March, with the second season following 10 Australian survivalists as they navigate the extreme terrain of New Zealand’s South Island (Aotearoa’s Te Waipounamu).
The first season, which is an A&E Network format and ITV Studios Australia production for SBS, was the most successful commission in the history of SBS.
Speaking to Mediaweek last year, Sadler said it had been a pivotal element in demonstrating the shift in audience consumption across linear TV and BVOD.
“[2023] has been a significant watershed moment for television. We have seen a structural shift in our audiences shifting from linear TV to BVOD platforms. We saw this with Alone, which had 1.4 million viewers for episode one, and around 50% of those viewers watched the first episode on SBS On Demand. That’s the moment that we realised, that TV is still the dominant media player in the marketplace, but the shape of TV is changing as it becomes one ecosystem, and BVOD is no longer just an extension, it’s part of the FTA offering.”
See also: Alone, Opt-out ads & ESG leadership: SBS’ Adam Sadler and Kathryn Fink wrap up 2023
See also: Alone Australia takes the title of SBS’s most successful original commission