Pirate Master has been cut adrift by CBS.  The network has announced that it has decided to pull the Mark Burnett-created reality competition show from its summer primetime programming schedule effective immediately. 

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Instead of continuing to air in the Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT time period that the show had relocated to earlier this month, Pirate Master's five remaining episodes -- beginning with the broadcast originally tonight at 10PM ET/PT -- will now made available for streaming  on CBS.com every Tuesday morning beginning at 3AM ET.

"I tried," Burnett had told reporters attending the Television Critics Association summer press tour about Pirate Master last week, according Television Week.  "I don't understand why it's not working. All I can do is deliver high-quality shows."

First announced last November, Pirate Master premiered on CBS on Thursday, May 31 at 8PM ET/PT -- the seventh anniversary of the date that Survivor, Burnett's original CBS reality series, made its debut.  However despite a heavy promotion push and the advantage of airing in Survivor's regular time period, the premiere episode delivered unimpressive ratings and averaged only 7 million total viewers and a 2.3/8 rating share in the Adults 18-49 demographic. 

Following a second week of disappointing ratings, CBS announced that, beginning July 10, Pirate Master would move to the Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT time period and Big Brother's live eviction episodes -- the timeslot's traditional summer occupant -- would take over the Thursdays at 8PM ET/PT time period.

CBS had presumably hoped that having Big Brother's Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT broadcasts serving as its lead-in would help boost Pirate Master's ratings, however the move didn't work -- Pirate Master's first Tuesday broadcast averaged only 4.6 million total viewers and a 1.6/5 rating/share among Adults 18-49, a significant decline from the show's already previously unimpressive Thursday night ratings.

48 Hours Mystery will replace Pirate Master in the Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT time period.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
Christopher Rocchio is an entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and has covered the reality TV genre for several years.