Biography Channel's "I Survived" Increases Viewer Ratings

Biography channel's hit show I Survived premiered its new season earlier this Spring and has once again proven why it is a notch above other shows of the same genre. Each episode of I Survived depicts three true stories of how ordinary people survived near death experiences at home, at work, in nature, or any other common circumstance. Unlike similar shows such as I Shouldn't Be Alive on the Discovery Channel, I Survived includes no reenactments and, instead, uses the survivor's own narration to account their experience. Short and subtle captions are used throughout the show to inform what may have been left out.

Each episode includes three different segments of multiple survivors -- the first and last usually involving a violent gunman or intruder and the second follow people fighting against nature. Many of the survivors included on the show endured well known events such as 9/11, the Virginia Tech Massacre, and Hurricane Katrina.

Biography channel lives up to their mantra -- specifically with this show -- that truthful experiences are often more entertaining than fiction. I Survived takes viewers through a graphic, personal, and unfiltered narrative of horrific events that are nearly unbelievable.

One story in particular depicted two young boys, Ryan and John, who survived a plane crash that proved fatal to the other passengers on the aircraft. Through a harrowing tale of their struggle to keep their cell phone signal working long enough to be traced by ambulances, I Survived takes viewers through the victim's nightmare. Throughout the episode, clips of the 9-1-1 phone calls are played -- unapologetically displaying the grim reality of these near-death experiences.

The show has performed well with viewer ratings as the seasons have progressed. During Season 3, I Survived experienced a 29% increase in adult viewers from 29-54, a 25% increase in adults 18-49, and an overall 10% increase in the total viewers in comparison to Season 2.[Source: www.tvbythenumbers.com].