Banijay’s ‘Survivor’ enters Lat Am for first time with Azteca deal

Survivor

Long-running reality format Survivor is moving into Latin America for the first time after Mexican broadcaster Azteca Uno ordered a local version following a deal with Banijay Rights.

The show will be produced by Acun Medya for the Mexican broadcaster, which has already produced 15 seasons of Survivor for broadcasters in Greece, Turkey and Romania.

The Mexican version will take place in the Dominican Republic and has been slated to launch later this summer, with Arturo Islas hosting.

Banijay Group acquired rights to Survivor in 2017, raising €365m ($416m) to fund its takeover of the format’s then-owner Castaway Television.

Since its launch in 1997, the Survivor franchise has seen more than 305 seasons filmed in 57 locations, with long-running series airing in Spain, Australia, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Benelux, Denmark, and Hungary. The format has also aired for 40 seasons in the US, but had not entered Latin America until now.

Elliott Chalkley, VP of sales at Banijay Rights, said: “Set in a beautiful and exotic location with an intriguing mix of contestants, the constantly changing, layered and complex challenges have strong appeal especially among the younger audience demographic.”

Alberto Ciurana, chief content & distribution officer at Azteca Uno, added: “The Mexican audience, now more than ever, demands and deserves high quality content that evokes powerful emotions and promotes family togetherness. At TV Azteca, we work with the best strategic partners to offer world-class programs, such as Survivor Mexico.”

Late last month, Banijay – which is in the process of completing its acquisition of Endemol Shine Group – named Cathy Payne as CEO of its rights division, with current chief Tim Mutimer moving to become EVP of EMEA sales & acquisitions.