Survivor sees one less Wednesday night competitor as The Challenge moves its airtime

Shortly after Viacom and CBS merged, The Challenge found itself no longer competing against Survivor in the Wednesday night 8 p.m. ET spot.

Earlier this week, CBS and Viacom merged together into one megacorporation, forming ViacomCBS as CBS ran itself with its own chairman and leader as a division. We wondered on our site what this meant for Survivor, and other than “very little,” I did discuss the possibility of more crossover talent between CBS and Viacom’s brands of reality competitions.

Little did I know that one of the shows Survivor would compete against this Fall, The Challenge, would be sacrificed to the time slot Gods in order for Wednesday night’s ratings leader to thrive. As announced on the show’s Twitter account, the MTV competition program starring also-ran players Big Brother, Real World and other shows of varying quality, will move its premiere to Wednesday, August 28 at 9 p.m. ET.

Previously, it was set to premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday nights, which would have competed directly against Survivor. Even though Island of the Idols, the 39th season of CBS’ premium reality competition program, was set to debut almost a month later, it seems like both companies were quick to realize it makes no sense for their core demographic to compete against its own interests.

While The Challenge is highly focused on the drama and the interpersonal relationships (both loud and aggressively loud) between pairs, Survivor is a team-based game early and an individual game down the road. The former appeals to those who appreciate drama and theatrics, while the latter appeals more to the strategically minded and survival appreciative. One is targeted more towards teens and young adults than the other.

Survivor’s biggest ratings threat on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET remains The Masked Singer, which sees celebrities of varying fame sing behind, you guessed it, a mask (and a costume). It was a smash hit for Fox who previously relied on Empire to give the island-based competition a run for its money.