• by July 27, 2000

"Real TV" shows are hot among online consumers, according to a recent survey by InsightExpress, an online market research service. Sixty-one percent of those polled are watching the new "reality" programs, such as "Survivor" and "The Real World" -- prompting almost every other major network to launch "real TV" pilot this fall.

Of these shows, CBS' new hit "Survivor" has surpassed the long-running pioneer of this genre, MTV's "The Real World". Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed pick "Survivor" as their favorite program, while only 32 percent chose "The Real World".

Surprisingly, only 5% of respondents chose "Big Brother" as their favorite "real TV" program -- lending credence to the recent speculation that "Big Brother's" streaming media site is more popular among the online audience than the actual CBS television program (neither "Survivor" nor "The Real World" is currently available for real-time viewing online).

And which "Survivor" will leave the island with the $1 million? According to InsightExpress, the favorite castaways are as follow: Richard (19%), Rudy (17%), and Jenna (14%).

"With about 25 million viewers watching "Survivor" last week, these "real TV" shows have clearly become a cultural phenomenon," said Charles Hamlin, President and COO of InsightExpress. "While they may never replace the standard sit-coms and dramas based entirely on fantasy, viewers clearly find these non-scripted, real-life situations both intriguing and entertaining."

Surprisingly, the shows' popularity may not depend entirely upon the depiction of "real life" situations. Over half of the respondents (55%) say they believe at least some of these shows follow some sort of script.

Scripted or not, if given the opportunity, slightly more than half the respondents (57%) would opt out of having their lives broadcast on national television.