CBS buys up Australian Survivor’s Ten Network for CBS All Access push
With a hefty foreign investment of a major international television network, could CBS possibly bring Australian Survivor stateside via CBS All Access?
One of the major disappointments of Survivor fandom is the legal loopholes to jump through just to enjoy various iterations of the survival reality game show. Even in Canada, with no solid legal case for use as a precedent, the use of a VPN to purchase and use CBS All Access at this moment to watch old seasons of Survivor remains in a legal gray area. However, the US broadcasting conglomerate could be releasing the service beyond just Canada in the near future.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News has reported CBS has entered a binding agreement to buy Ten Network’s business and assets. CBS already provides Ten Network plenty of their shows as part of their international simulcast rights, but now it appears as though one of the newer big pushes will be to bring CBS All Access to Australia in the future.
The Ten Network is struggling right now, despite currently broadcasting the second season of their revamped version of Australian Survivor. Right now, there are no outwardly legal ways for North American viewers to enjoy that show right now, but with CBS owning the network that broadcasts the show, they could set themselves up for the opportunity to bring the show over to the US via All Access.
With any internationally-broadcast television show, of course, there are a myriad of complications behind acquiring the proper rights. Banjay Group has recently acquired Castaway Productions, the current owners of the international rights to Survivor. While CBS owns the US version’s rights and has licensed broadcasting of the show to international markets, even if CBS owns Ten Network they may not be in a legal position to bring its own Australian property over to US viewers.
Next: Let’s Rank the Survivor Seasons by Their Locations
Once CBS All Access is rolled out in international markets, consumers will have to gauge what streaming options are best for them to watch Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers and other seasons beyond the September 27 launch date for the upcoming season.