Banijay Scores Multi-Year ‘Survivor’ Deal With Hungary’s RTL

By Nick Vivarelli

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Banijay Rights, the international distribution arm of France-based Banijay Group, has inked a substantial multi-season deal with Hungarian broadcaster RTL for “Survivor.”

The new deal in Hungary comes as Banijay – which last October bought Endemol Shine in  a $2.2 billion deal – has been pushing “” hard. In the U.S. the iconic reality show format will celebrate its 40th season with a one-hour retrospective special on CBS in early February.

In Eastern Europe, the latest new order of “Survivor” segues from the show’s success in Russia where it has recently been rebooted by Banijay-owned outfit Mastiff Russia and recommissioned, and in Romania where “Survivor” is set to return in 2020 on broadcaster Kanal D.

Financial terms of the deal between Banijay and Hungary’s top commercial linear channel RTL Club were not disclosed.

The new “Survivor” order is the latest deal scored by the multiple long-running franchise series which besides the U.S. is currently present on airwaves in Australia, France, Israel, Sweden, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Benelux, Netherlands and Denmark. The show has been produced in more than 40 territories since its launch in 2,000.

“Survivor” is a proven ratings winner for broadcasters around the world, particularly for younger demographics,” said CEO Tim Mutimer in a statement. “Its unpredictable twists and turns make it must see, talked about TV and enables broadcasters to stand out from other platforms.”

Péter Kolosi, Deputy CEO, Director of Programming at RTL Hungary noted that “Survivor” has already been an outstanding success in Hungary and is one of the [country’s] most popular shows.”