Big Brother Is Not Watching All The Time
The relaunch of popular reality TV show Big Brother in the UK on Channel 5 has promised a selection of changes to try and freshen up the format in its new home, and while one of these changes is a greater level of interactivity through social media websites, this has allegedly come at the cost of a regular feature that has outraged hard-core fans of the show by its removal.
James Tatam, ‘digital director’ of the show, has revealed it is ‘unlikely’ that the new series will feature round-the-clock live streaming. He has claimed that instead, Channel 5 are working with production company Endemol and ‘mobile agency’ Mobile Interactive Group, towards a series of ‘apps’ and websites that will help viewers get closer to the show.
One such upgrade is a Facebook-based ‘app’ that will feature bonus video content, live news updates, regular video highlight clips, and the ability to ‘vote off’ housemates online with the use of paid-for ’Facebook Credits’. This would follow on from a similar deal made recently with the German version of the show.
Tatam said of the deal with Facebook: “It has become clear over the last year that social media sits side by side with watching TV, more so than traditional websites ever have.”
Channel 5 are also said to be preparing a deal with video sharing website YouTube in what is being described as a way of ’extending the use of the platform beyond video content’, as well as a ’Big Brother feed’ on Twitter. Apps for mobile devices and tablet computers (including one based on Channel 5′s official catch-up platform Demand 5) reportedly completes the selection of interactive upgrades to the show.
Regardless of all this new-found interactivity, the dropping of the 24-hour live feed has caused outrage amongst passionate fans of the show, who ironically used Facebook as a way of announcing their ‘distress’. A similar problem occured in 2009, when former host broadcaster Channel 4 stopped their 24-hour streaming from the house, but a (possibly relative) ratings drop and a number of complaints from fans saw the feature revived in time for the Channel 4 finale series last year.
Regardless of however many fans are now ‘refusing’ to watch Big Brother as a result of the full live feed being dropped, Channel 5 are planning to begin their run with quantity at least, as a special ’Celebrity Big Brother‘ series begins in August, before a regular edition starts the following month.
Will the changes bring a greater level of contact between viewers and the show they are watching, or could the feature it replaced disillusion its fanbase? And is dropping the live feeds actually doing them a bit of a favour?
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its all about facebook and twitter, what about the fans that have been watching it for 10 years. That and dont have the internet!
there not refreshing it at all there taking away the best bit about big brother
i couldn’t ‘read this’ for ‘speech marks’ giving me a ‘headache’.
I’m so sick of everything these days revolving around Facebook and twitter apps. For goodness sake, can’t they see that those things are no replacement at all for the live feed? Ch5 are so far showing no clue at all about what Big brother is all about, and they are just as uncaring as Ch4 when it comes to what viewers want.
Like John said above not everyone has Facebook or Twitter which leaves Loyal fans of BB with nothing ,but a heavily edited Highlights show
The whole premise of BB is being able to watch the housemates round the clock 24/7 and by dropping this i feel C5 are making a huge mistake and giving loyal fans a kick in the teeth
After being an avid viewer and watching Live Feed since BB1 i now feel cheated and wish the show had never been brought back and i’m sorry to say C5 have already lost one viewer as without a Live Feed i for one will not be watching any series of BB
As to me simply put a BB without Live feed isn’t BB at all
[...] Whatever the hardcore fans are saying about Channel 5′s attempts to revive reality TV series Big Brother, they cannot be accused of not trying to spend big, as recent reports suggest that producers are on [...]