Mark Burnett Quotes

In our first season we had a 22 rating. Today Seinfeld, a hit show, gets a 15. Lost in Space actually had a bigger audience than Star Trek got at that time.

Networks decide who will have a chance to do shows, but it is the viewers who make the final decision of who stays and who goes. I am very fortunate, in that the television viewers of our country have decided that Bob Barker can stay.

You could put on monkeys jumping up and down and get bigger numbers than MSNBC.

Every so often, there is an article saying the old kind of talk show isn't possible now. In the oldest kind of talk show, you only had the choice of that or two other channels!

There are some great shows that come and go really fast, either because the network doesn't give them a chance or they just don't grab on to the psyche of the country quickly enough.

Ultimately the Emmys are a popularity contest.

We had more viewers on the broadcast network than we did on the cable channel.

Reality TV has totally destroyed soap operas. They're gone. They used to be the biggest thing in the world - they're gone.

Last year, I was on Threat Matrix. We were on Thursday against Friends and Survivor; so this year it's fun to know people are watching, and to know that all of your hard work is not sort of wasted.

I still watch 'Idol,' and it's still the No. 1 show, so obviously I'm not the only one who loves to sit at home and be entertained.

You know what shows today are missing? Stars.

NBC programs great shows; it just doesn't have the eyeballs CBS does.

With a first season, you never really know how viewers or the network are going to react to a show.

I can't create magic, where all my serials will have the highest ratings.

I never get obsessed with ratings, partly because the Channel series 'Utopia,' which I did, had small ratings but a passionate following, which allowed a second series.

I think the good thing about 'Take Me Out', which is kind of a compliment to us really, is that when it started doing well round about the second series and people started getting into it, all of a sudden every time you turned over a channel there's a new dating show on.

A show like the 'Only Fool and Horses' Christmas special got 24 million viewers, so practically everyone in the country was watching. But of course it's a different world now, with so many channels. And those kind of figures are really difficult to achieve.

A lot of people make hay about 'American Idol's ratings and 'Empire.'

There are many things clogging the television waves. You've got to fight for every bit of television households you can get.

Strictly' is the most successful reality format in the world - it's in the 'Guinness Book of Records' - going to 38 countries. 'X Factor' hasn't done that.

When it started, 'Bake Off' wasn't a big hit. Respect to the people who said, 'We'll keep commissioning this and give it a chance.'

'Survivor' is one of CBS's signature series and symbol of enduring quality and entertainment on prime time television.

People in the U.K. are passionate about the 'X Factor' - it's their show, so you have to care. It's brought out a more emotional side to me. It's actually made me softer.

I have got lots of offers from networks for more reality shows.

You know how trends go with television. Next year, the networks might not be open to taking risks.