JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: CBS was looking to its Super Bowl lead-in to make the "Survivor 2" premiere a ratings blockbuster. But did it do it? CNN's Lauren Hunter joins us from Hollywood this afternoon with details -- Lauren.</s>LAUREN HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Joie. Well, the numbers were very respectable for "Survivor." Early numbers, only preliminary numbers, are in, but both CBS and Nielsen Media Research indicate that 42 million viewers tuned into that post-Super Bowl game. Those are very good numbers. They could have been a little bit better had the game been a little bit more compelling. "Survivor" was also affected, of course, by the length of the Super Bowl because it did not air then until after 10:00 p.m. on the East Coast. But either way, the numbers were pretty good. They were not the best, however, for a post-Super Bowl slot. That honor goes to "Friends." In 1996, NBC premiered a special one-hour episode of "Friends" with guest star Julia Roberts that brought in nearly 53 million viewers. So either way, you can see that that post-Super Bowl time slot is just a terrific platform for the networks. We'll see a little later because after the premier, "Survivor" now goes to Thursday night for its regular airing at 8 p.m. opposite NBC's powerhouse "Friends." So, NBC's done a little bit interesting of counter-programing there, extending the 30 minutes of "Friends" an additional 10 minutes followed by a 20 minute prime time "Saturday Night Live" setup. So, we'll see what happens. Either way, it's going to be a good battle.</s>CHEN: All right, Lauren, I'm waiting to see the stinging bush myself. All right, Lauren Hunter joining us from Los Angeles this afternoon.
Did "Survivor 2" Live Up to Its Hype?