Mars One

A Dutch company is leading an effort to establish the first human colony on Mars.  The first human landing is scheduled for 2023.  In the Mars One project, while building up the colony, the humans who go out there will never return to Earth.

The company figures getting through the first phase of the project will cost about $6 billion dollars and intends to make that money by selling corporate sponsorships.  After that, the company sees the colony being a going concern financially by producing media content-- the leading production of which would be a reality show type effort documenting life in the colony.

The company, of course, foresees the show as being the greatest media spectacle ever, but there's no guarantee people will watch.  What happens to the colonists if the media strategy fails to bring in the required revenue will presumably be addressed in the planning stage.