Under the "Historical Finals" campaign, "VIP Survival" is coming to an end.
The creators and captains of the franchise network are aiming for the first female final in its history, which is certainly a good news, but the truth is that the current season is historic in completely different terms.
Its rating average stands at just 13.1 percent, a negative record for the format since its first season.
The number of episodes, which stands at more than 50, also breaks several records in television history, as does the broadcast period.
For comparison, "Survival" was launched opposite the launch of "The Singer in a Mask" in a bow.
During the season broadcast of "Survival", the "singer in the mask" managed to get off, and was replaced by "Ninja Israel", which also managed to reach the finish line and was replaced by "Dancing with the Stars", which is expected to end nine days after the "Survival" finale.
The previous season of "Survival" broke viewing records with more than 20 percent rating, certainly in terms of data that the network tends to present, and especially did quite a bit of archery, a rather rare spectacle in the Israeli television world.
In a column I published at the end of last season I mentioned that there was no doubt that it was a good season with strong casting, but that the lack of competition that stood out, or rather did not set a bow aside (the boring "MKR Winning Kitchen") can not be ignored.
This did not prevent, and perhaps rightly so, the network captains and program editors from boasting about their victory and approaching the current season with great arrogance, because the perception seemed to instantly become a belief that "Survival" is a strong brand that will win everything.
But the arrogance raised its ugly head, and the chain was quick to celebrate and invite the company’s employees to a pizza celebration to mark the victory.
The festivities, it turned out, were premature.
It took less than three smeared programs, in which there was barely one task and on screen were mostly long idle conversations and tribal councils that lasted an entire episode, until the audience started to lose interest and the ratings plummeted.
All this before we talk about the casting problem, and whether we're dealing with pizzas, it's time to send a tray to Jackie Azoulay, whether you like it or not - was the dominant and vital survivor of the season.
Did all this make anyone change direction?
Maybe tighten the episodes?
The answer is no.
They continued to smear episodes on too many evenings and very little content.
Despite the low numbers, this season probably did not end in losses due to the multiplicity of episodes, and probably also held the channel, but the beloved brand lost some of its prestige and sympathy, which is a shame.
The network is currently working on a new season of "Survival," with a production house and a new editor-in-chief.
The challenges are many: image, casting, missions and content that is less Jackie's screams, and more real and meaningful.
In short, as you probably already understood on your own, everything that was not this season.
Erans@israelhayom.co.il
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