Will Channel 4 save the show if CBB7 gets good ratings?

[Tellymix]

If Celebrity Big Brother in January is a ratings hit getting a 3-4m average, do you think Channel 4 would un-axe the show? BBC1 axed Not Going Out and ITV1 axed Primeval but both those decisions have been reversed after replacement shows such as Big Top and Demons did rubbish. Maybe Channel 4 could do the same thing and bring back Big Brother?

Look at Channel 4's top ratings for the second week in December:

FILM: ELF (2003) (SUN 1746) 4.94
2 KIRSTIE'S HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS (WED 1959) 3.13
3 KIRSTIE'S HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS (TUE 1959) 2.97
4 PAUL O'GRADY (FRI 1659) 2.50
5 PAUL O'GRADY (MON 1659) 2.48
6 DEAL OR NO DEAL (MON 1611) 2.41
7 PAUL O'GRADY (TUE 1659) 2.41
8 THE SIMPSONS (MON 1759) 2.34
9 PAUL O'GRADY (WED 1659) 2.31
10 KIRSTIE'S HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS (THU 1959) 2.28

Apart from ELF (which they can only show once or twice a year), it's mainly a crap list. Paul O'Grady is leaving them so they'll have even worse shows on. Even though Big Brother 11 was getting low ratings compared to past series, its ratings were good compared to what Channel4 get usually.

Maybe Channel 4 should save the show? :D

[Billy]

Nah, because although it does bring in 2.5mill viewers, it doesnt justify the huge budget spent on it.

[Tellymix]

Nah, because although it does bring in 2.5mill viewers, it doesnt justify the huge budget spent on it.
But they could reduce the budget? It can't cost Channel 4 that much, when you compare it to some of the shows they make like documentaries and drama which barely ever get over 2m.

Channel 4 would have the right to pay Endemol far less money than they did last time because the ratings have gone down so much.

So I still think there's hope for the show!!

[Tom]

When Channel 4 want to get rid of a show, they actually get rid of it

Even though I love the show I'm glad its going. It lost its spark after BB7 and its not the same anymore

[Tom4784]

It won't be saved, the best you can hope for is a terrible re-invention in a few years time.

[Tellymix]

When Channel 4 want to get rid of a show, they actually get rid of it

Even though I love the show I'm glad its going. It lost its spark after BB7 and its not the same anymore
Usually when ITV get rid of a show, they get rid of it. But they still brought back Primeval.

Maybe, for this one time, Channel 4 can realise that it's not a good financial decision to get rid of BB and save it? What other show can get over 2m on Channel 4 90 nights of the year?

[Patrick]

Channel 4 are bitches, its good its leaving their poor little channel.

Hopefully whatever legend of a channel that picks it up in a few years time, they will include BBLB and Live Feed.

I just cant see them picking Davina as the presenter though and they might even change the eye design but you never know it may remain the same on another channel.


So obviously BB12 wont be on in 2011 and were all ****ed, and that summer is going to be so boring.
But possibly in 2012 maybe 2013 or more likely 2014, we will see BB12 in another brodcaster but like Dezzy said it would be 'terrible' but that depends how much work there willing to put into it.

[Tom]

Usually when ITV get rid of a show, they get rid of it. But they still brought back Primeval.

Maybe, for this one time, Channel 4 can realise that it's not a good financial decision to get rid of BB and save it? What other show can get over 2m on Channel 4 90 nights of the year?

ITV axe shows all the time and go back on their decision, 2 examples this year being Hells Kitchen and Ladette to Lady.

Channel 4 have never reversed the decision and I doubt they'll start with Big Brother which they've clearly wanted rid of since the race row.

Saving Big Brother might not be a good financial decision anyway. You need to factor in the cost of the show and how much revenue its creating, pure ratings don't automatically mean higher profit. Big Brother 9 and 10 apparently made a loss with BB8 making just £12m.

[tmx]

The difference is that Big Brother is running it a loss

Even if they replace it with a show that gets 1-2m viewers, if it's making a profit it's better than big brother.

It's no good if they get 3-4 million viewers but are spending more on the show then they are getting from it.

[Tom]

It won't be saved, the best you can hope for is a terrible re-invention in a few years time.

Remakes always are, look at Gladiators! 2010 is the end of Big Brother for me, regardless of if it returns on Sky1 or wherever.

[Tom4784]

Thousands of TV shows have been cancelled, what makes BB any different? People have just got to accept it's ending and enjoy it while it lasts.

[Tellymix]

ITV axe shows all the time and go back on their decision, 2 examples this year being Hells Kitchen and Ladette to Lady.

Channel 4 have never reversed the decision and I doubt they'll start with Big Brother which they've clearly wanted rid of since the race row.

Saving Big Brother might not be a good financial decision anyway. You need to factor in the cost of the show and how much revenue its creating, pure ratings don't automatically mean higher profit. Big Brother 9 and 10 apparently made a loss with BB8 making just £12m.
Hell's Kitchen was never axed. They just took a break from it and made it a biannual event. It'll be back in 2011. Ladette to Lady is crap but they didn't bring it back, they just imported it from Australia!

Yeah BB10 mightve made them a loss. But they can pay much less for the new deal and make it worth saving.

I hate Channel 4 for getting rid of one of their best shows! They're so stupid. It's Brookside all over again. They messed around with the scheduling and now they're paying the consequences!

[Tellymix]

The difference is that Big Brother is running it a loss

Even if they replace it with a show that gets 1-2m viewers, if it's making a profit it's better than big brother.

It's no good if they get 3-4 million viewers but are spending more on the show then they are getting from it.
Yeah well they could pay a fraction of the cost they paid last time. Look how cheap BB in Australia is. Something like $20m a year which is £15m here. Channel 4 would be making a profit if they paid something around that!

[Tom]

Hell's Kitchen was never axed. They just took a break from it and made it a biannual event. It'll be back in 2011. Ladette to Lady is crap but they didn't bring it back, they just imported it from Australia!

Yeah BB10 mightve made them a loss. But they can pay much less for the new deal and make it worth saving.

I hate Channel 4 for getting rid of one of their best shows! They're so stupid. It's Brookside all over again. They messed around with the scheduling and now they're paying the consequences!

Hell's Kitchen was axed, and has been axed again because its too expensive. It isn't biannual. Ladette to Lady may have been imported but it was still produced by ITV after they axed the British version and it aired over here. Its not as though its just an Australian version either, its identical in every way.

If they pay less for BB10 then the budget of the show is going to go down, and then it will be poorer. Then it will lose more viewers and Channel 4 will have the same problem yet again.

Big Brother is far from its prime, people just need to accept that and move on. Its only a TV show!

[*mazedsalv**]

The only way for this to happe is if CBB7 is a massive hit, by this I mean in the league of BB3 and BB5 (Average of 5m). And as that is looking very impossible at the moment, there is no chance.

Even if CBB7 were to get 5m average, they cant do much about it, they would have to wait a few years to put it back on air.

However i do hope BB11 finale gets really good ratings and manages to get everyone to watch BB's goodbye that used to watch it before.

[Tellymix]

The budget doesn't need to be big Tom. BB1-BB5 were on relatively low budgets. Most BBs around the world are on low budgets apart from USA, UK and a couple of other countries. But they're still entertaining.

It's mostly about the housemates which costs little. I hope if C4 don't save it, it goes to Channel 5 :).

[Tellymix]

The only way for this to happe is if CBB7 is a massive hit, by this I mean in the league of BB3 and BB5 (Average of 5m). And as that is looking very impossible at the moment, there is no chance.

Actually BB3 had 8 million viewers! It's amazing how huge BB used to be.

But everything is going down in the ratings. People want to go on the computer or play games, so 2 or 3m is quite good these days for Channel 4.

[Tom]

The budget doesn't need to be big Tom. BB1-BB5 were on relatively low budgets. Most BBs around the world are on low budgets apart from USA, UK and a couple of other countries. But they're still entertaining.

It's mostly about the housemates which costs little. I hope if C4 don't save it, it goes to Channel 5 :).

Expectations were much lower during BB1-5, plus they weren't as long, never had as many spin offs, didn't have a Celeb version every year and more importantly people actually watched back then.

[Tellymix]

Expectations were much lower during BB1-5, plus they weren't as long, never had as many spin offs, didn't have a Celeb version every year and more importantly people actually watched back then.
They should get rid of BBLB and Big Mouth. Just have the main shows and subscriiption live feed. I'd pay for live feed and loadsa other people would. They could make money that way!

[*mazedsalv**]

Hell's Kitchen was never axed. They just took a break from it and made it a biannual event. It'll be back in 2011. Ladette to Lady is crap but they didn't bring it back, they just imported it from Australia!

Yeah BB10 mightve made them a loss. But they can pay much less for the new deal and make it worth saving.

I hate Channel 4 for getting rid of one of their best shows! They're so stupid. It's Brookside all over again. They messed around with the scheduling and now they're paying the consequences!

But Brookside and BB have something in common, they were both hitting huge audiences and then declined rapidly.
Wasn't Brookside in the 90s hitting averages of 10m? And then some episodes of its last season was getting 700,000 viewers... the final episode got around about 2m. It was obviously going to be axed. With a loss of 9m viewers in a few years and a loss of about 88% of its audience.

Okay BB's decline hasn't been that rapid as Brookside. BB's decline hasnt been too bad, I mean lets compare BB3, its average was 5.8m, highest ever, and now lets compare BB10's average of 2.4. Its a loss of around 60%, not as bad as other shows.

One can even argue for EE, but that goes up and down like a yoyo.
The highest episode was in 1986... Den handing over the divorce papers to his wife, got 31m people watching. The lowest its ever been was 2005 i think when one episode got 3.4m. But now its back into 9m figures.
2005 was a dreadful year for EE.

[*mazedsalv**]

Actually BB3 had 8 million viewers! It's amazing how huge BB used to be.

But everything is going down in the ratings. People want to go on the computer or play games, so 2 or 3m is quite good these days for Channel 4.

Nope the average was 5.8m. The finales peak was 10.1m.
So its comparing the averages which count, so
BB3 vs BB10
5.8M VS 2.4M

Isnt that bad when taking into account its been on for a decade.

[Tom]

Actually BB3 had 8 million viewers! It's amazing how huge BB used to be.

But everything is going down in the ratings. People want to go on the computer or play games, so 2 or 3m is quite good these days for Channel 4.

Going off the final ratings, heres how many viewers each series had.

BB1- 9.5m
BB2- 8m
BB3- 10m
BB4- 7.2m
BB5- 9m
BB6- 7.7m
BB7- 8.2m
BB8- 5.6m
BB9- 5.4m
BB10- 3.4m

Big Brother doesn't have the pulling power it once had and rather than having a strong launch rating and growing gradually throughout the series, it now peaks on launch night and drops throughout the series, sometimes with the odd rise in the middle/towards the end, then an underwhelming final rating. I'd say its unlikely it will ever have as many viewers as BB9 let alone any of the others. If it does manage to somehow climb above 5m for the CBB7 and BB11 finals, then maybe its best to let the show leave Channel 4 with its last shred of dignity in tact.

[Tellymix]

One can even argue for EE, but that goes up and down like a yoyo.
The highest episode was in 1986... Den handing over the divorce papers to his wife, got 31m people watching. The lowest its ever been was 2005 i think when one episode got 3.4m. But now its back into 9m figures.
2005 was a dreadful year for EE.
So EE used to get more than 20m and now gets 9m?! But that's not axed.

BB has lost less viewers and that gets axed. It doesn't make sense :confused:

[MarkWaldorf]

So EE used to get more than 20m and now gets 9m?! But that's not axed.

BB has lost less viewers and that gets axed. It doesn't make sense :confused:

Eastenders isn't seen as a national embarrassment and freakshow.

[Tom]

So EE used to get more than 20m and now gets 9m?! But that's not axed.

BB has lost less viewers and that gets axed. It doesn't make sense :confused:

But ratings as a whole have decreased, but Big Brother held steady between 2000 and 2006, then seen a dramatic slump in 2007 then another in 2009 so it can't even be blamed on the same thing because that never happened to Eastenders. There is something fundamentally wrong with the show and viewers aren't responding as well as they used to.

[Tellymix]

Eastenders isn't seen as a national embarrassment and freakshow.
Big Brother isn't a national embarrasment. It's one of the best shows of the decade!

[*mazedsalv**]

So EE used to get more than 20m and now gets 9m?! But that's not axed.

BB has lost less viewers and that gets axed. It doesn't make sense :confused:

EE used to get 15-25m in throughout the 90s. 2001 was good for them, with an episode getting 20.5m.
It was really between 2003-2005 where they were hit hard. 2005 is when it hit rock bottom. And then it picked itself up entirely with the whole Max/Tania/Stacey thing which got around was it 14m for teh Xmas episode.

This year its been generally at 8m but with the good storylines of this week, Tuesday got 9.6m, the highest Tuesday since 2007 im sure.

EE hasnt been too rapid, it still has 50% of the audience in 20 years which is good.

All i can think of is Friends which ended on a high with 53m Americans watching and 9.7m UK people on C4 watching before BB5 Launch.
Same for Fraiser, MASH etc... comedy shows.

[Tom]

Big Brother isn't a national embarrasment. It's one of the best shows of the decade!

I suppose you still think its an informative social experiment as well?

It started being a national embarrassment when they started putting the mentally ill in, and the race row just propelled that. Noone likes the show anymore. Its something people need to come to terms with.

[Tellymix]

I suppose you still think its an informative social experiment as well?

It started being a national embarrassment when they started putting the mentally ill in, and the race row just propelled that. Noone likes the show anymore. Its something people need to come to terms with.
No, I know it's not a social experiment. But it's a good entertainment show and I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a national embarassment. It's a show which many people don't like.

But national embarrasment are things like the MPs expenses scandal, the greedy bankers, and other more important things. BB doesn't even come close to that. People need to get a sense of perspective.

[Lemo]

But they could reduce the budget? It can't cost Channel 4 that much, when you compare it to some of the shows they make like documentaries and drama which barely ever get over 2m.

Channel 4 would have the right to pay Endemol far less money than they did last time because the ratings have gone down so much.

So I still think there's hope for the show!!

well put it this way,

you've got £100 grand for the winner,

you've gotta put some money (probally half) to the big brother studios (house BBBM BBLB and aswell the main show)
They've gotta pay some staff.
They've gotta pay for the celebrities


you see it easily could get up to around £3mil-£4mil which they could spend on me :(

[Tom]

No, I know it's not a social experiment. But it's a good entertainment show and I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a national embarassment. It's a show which many people don't like.

But national embarrasment are things like the MPs expenses scandal, the greedy bankers, and other more important things. BB doesn't even come close to that. People need to get a sense of perspective.

But there are more popular entertainment shows that do basically the same thing and aren't as tired, washed up or surrounded in controversy such as The Apprentice

[Tellymix]

But there are more popular entertainment shows that do basically the same thing and aren't as tired, washed up or surrounded in controversy such as The Apprentice
Yeah I know that. But it's not as if Big Brother's ratings are a disaster. They're decent for Channel 4.

And I do think that the show could still be good with a reduced budget. Channel 4 paid Endemol about £50m per year for BB which is loads! That could be reduced to £25m (which used to be the case before BB6) and still have a good show and Channel 4 would be making a profit. My opinion of course.

[Tom4784]

EE used to get 15-25m in throughout the 90s. 2001 was good for them, with an episode getting 20.5m.
It was really between 2003-2005 where they were hit hard. 2005 is when it hit rock bottom. And then it picked itself up entirely with the whole Max/Tania/Stacey thing which got around was it 14m for teh Xmas episode.

This year its been generally at 8m but with the good storylines of this week, Tuesday got 9.6m, the highest Tuesday since 2007 im sure.

EE hasnt been too rapid, it still has 50% of the audience in 20 years which is good.

All i can think of is Friends which ended on a high with 53m Americans watching and 9.7m UK people on C4 watching before BB5 Launch.
Same for Fraiser, MASH etc... comedy shows.

No show gets as much as it used to do really, TV views are down because there's more options.

Salv's knocked it on the head though.

[Tom]

Yeah I know that. But it's not as if Big Brother's ratings are a disaster. They're decent for Channel 4.

And I do think that the show could still be good with a reduced budget. Channel 4 paid Endemol about £50m per year for BB which is loads! That could be reduced to £25m and still have a good show and Channel 4 would be making a profit. My opinion of course.

But the ratings keep falling away and are showing no signs of recovering. For example about 8m watched BB7, but then about 2.5m went missing for BB8 and 9, then another 2m for BB10. If they do somehow recover I still doubt they'll carry on. If Channel 4 pay Endemol about £25m then you can guarantee that the show budget would be slashed from £5m to about £2m and even then BB10 only made about £30m or so there wouldn't be much profit and little point in carrying on with the show.

If Big Brother has a future then its on Pay TV.

[Tellymix]

Well there's still hope. I'm hoping that most of Channel 4's new shows don't do well in the ratings and maybe then they'll change their minds.

When they revealed BB was getting axed, they said it was for creative reasons, and that they could have continued as the ratings were good. But I think ratings mean a lot to Channel 4 as their future depends on it, so I tjink it'll come back after 2011/

[Lemo]

big brother jus needs a break for 2 years tbh.

[Tellymix]

big brother jus needs a break for 2 years tbh.
yeah I wouldn't mind a 1 or 2 year break. I think C4 could bring it back.

[BigBroFanHere]

I think that BB8 is partly resposible for the downfall in ratings, after BB8 it rapidly declines

[Tom]

Well if you're going to wait for it to come back you've got a pretty long wait ahead of you

[Tellymix]

I think that BB8 is partly resposible for the downfall in ratings, after BB8 it rapidly declines
BB8 was a brilliant series though. Brian was a legend and Chanelle was so funny :D!

[Tom]

BB8 was a brilliant series though. Brian was a legend and Chanelle was so funny :D!

Did you not watch BB1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9?

BB8 is the worst of the lot (along with BB10)

[Tellymix]

Well if you're going to wait for it to come back you've got a pretty long wait ahead of you
Well, Shirley Jones seems to think that it's not all over for Big Brother:

"Who knows?" said Jones. "It may well reappear some day."

[BigBroFanHere]

BB8 was a brilliant series though. Brian was a legend and Chanelle was so funny :D!

I know, i liked BB8, but alot of people didn't like it

[Tom]

Well, Shirley Jones seems to think that it's not all over for Big Brother:

"Who knows?" said Jones. "It may well reappear some day."

May being the operative word

[Tellymix]

Did you not watch BB1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9?

BB8 is the worst of the lot (along with BB10)
Yeah I've seen all of them. My favourites in order are:

5
7
8
6
10
2
1
9

BB9 was well ****. It had loads of crap housemates like Kathreya and Maysoon and was sooo boring. The only good housemate was Rex. Everyone else was so annoying. I couldn't stand that series!

[*mazedsalv**]

I thought BB9 was brilliant, 8 is 2nd from bottom, as BB4 is rock bottom.

And yep Dezzy is right, back in BB5 times, how many people had Sky? I remember taht only 1 of cousins did, possible a couple of friends, now everyone in my family, friends and all i know have Sky... now there are hundreds more channels and everyone can view them. Which is a reason why main channels are decreasing generally (exclusing BGT, XF), and channels such as ITV2, More4, Dave are increasing.

[Jamie.....]

BB8 and BB4 are known for being boring.
I actually thought BB9 was quite good, BB5 BB6 and BB7 were also good

[Tellymix]

I thought BB9 was brilliant, 8 is 2nd from bottom, as BB4 is rock bottom.

I dunno why so many people dislike BB8 so much! What was so bad about it? The characters were fiery like Chanelle, Charley, Billy. Brian was so funny and so were the twins. There were some great tasks like the telepathy one and the fake eviction/Pauline twist was amazing!! BB9 had no good twists in it at all!!

What's your ranking from best to worst? :)

[*mazedsalv**]

I dunno why so many people dislike BB8 so much! What was so bad about it? The characters were fiery like Chanelle, Charley, Billy. Brian was so funny and so were the twins. There were some great tasks like the telepathy one and the fake eviction/Pauline twist was amazing!! BB9 had no good twists in it at all!!

What's your ranking from best to worst? :)

BB8 being near from bottom is not because i thought it was bad, i actually found it average, but compared to other series thats where it rates.

There is a huge difference in gap and likeability between BB8 and BB4 in my list. BB4 was dreadful.

[Raph]

they really should!
i love big brotherr <3

[smartalec2718]

After reading this thread the whole way through, I have a couple of thoughts. This is gonna be a long post, but stick with it.

Here's what it comes down to, guys. A combination of the race row, bad housemate selection (going from average, likeable, and relatable people to faux-celebrity freaks with mental problems and God complexes), and the elimination of live feed, is what brought down Big Brother. Obviously C4 can't take back the race row, no matter how much it probably wishes it could. The race row made it harder to find sponsors for the show, which was a problem, and it also just highlighted a lot of the things people didn't like about the show in the first place (not to mention the fact that it drove away a lot of viewers who were loyal to that point but disgusted by what they saw on CBB5).

Housemate selection is the biggest problem with recent series - remember the days of Brian Dowling, Jade, Nadia, Daniel, Victor, Makosi, Kemal, Derek, Nikki, et al? I mean, come on, let's be honest - there haven't been any housemates that were remotely entertaining since BB8, and even that's a bit of a stretch. At the end of the day (there's a classic BB phrase for you) it doesn't matter how much money C4 throws at BB, if there's a good selection of HMs then the magic happens on its own. That's what happened up until BB8 aired. C4 could, theoretically, fix this problem in BB11, but what are the odds of that, after 3-plus years of terrible casting? If they could get the right mix of people in the house once again, people would watch again. But it most likely won't happen.

Finally, there's the live feed. This is one problem that C4 could easily rectify, and they should, because the justification for axing LF in the first place was empty. Honestly I think canceling LF was the only reason BB lost 2 million or so viewers after BB9 because there was no noticeable difference in the quality of BB8-10. BB10 could have pulled 4-5mil easy if live feed were still around. Maybe that's one thing C4 will fix for BB11. We'll see.

In the end I agree with Tom. BB was a great show for what it was between 2000 and 2006, but over time it's gone so far downhill that it hardly seems worth saving or grieving over. I think we can all appreciate what BB once was, but now it's time to move on. Nothing lasts forever.

[Stu]

There is a big misunderstanding about the budget of a show like Big Brother. In actual fact it does not cost that much to make at all versus something like say, a drama show, where you have actors and writers and set guys and all these people you have to pay. The fact that it's a very cheap show to make is why so many countries have adopted it.

And unlike dramas your budget does not just give you 2 million a night of the week, it gives you 2 million every night of the week. All for cheaper than what it would take to make something else.

[lemi-lemi]

they must otherwise the day after bb11 final, its the end of me, i will kill myself

[Tom]

After reading this thread the whole way through, I have a couple of thoughts. This is gonna be a long post, but stick with it.

Here's what it comes down to, guys. A combination of the race row, bad housemate selection (going from average, likeable, and relatable people to faux-celebrity freaks with mental problems and God complexes), and the elimination of live feed, is what brought down Big Brother. Obviously C4 can't take back the race row, no matter how much it probably wishes it could. The race row made it harder to find sponsors for the show, which was a problem, and it also just highlighted a lot of the things people didn't like about the show in the first place (not to mention the fact that it drove away a lot of viewers who were loyal to that point but disgusted by what they saw on CBB5).

Housemate selection is the biggest problem with recent series - remember the days of Brian Dowling, Jade, Nadia, Daniel, Victor, Makosi, Kemal, Derek, Nikki, et al? I mean, come on, let's be honest - there haven't been any housemates that were remotely entertaining since BB8, and even that's a bit of a stretch. At the end of the day (there's a classic BB phrase for you) it doesn't matter how much money C4 throws at BB, if there's a good selection of HMs then the magic happens on its own. That's what happened up until BB8 aired. C4 could, theoretically, fix this problem in BB11, but what are the odds of that, after 3-plus years of terrible casting? If they could get the right mix of people in the house once again, people would watch again. But it most likely won't happen.

Finally, there's the live feed. This is one problem that C4 could easily rectify, and they should, because the justification for axing LF in the first place was empty. Honestly I think canceling LF was the only reason BB lost 2 million or so viewers after BB9 because there was no noticeable difference in the quality of BB8-10. BB10 could have pulled 4-5mil easy if live feed were still around. Maybe that's one thing C4 will fix for BB11. We'll see.

In the end I agree with Tom. BB was a great show for what it was between 2000 and 2006, but over time it's gone so far downhill that it hardly seems worth saving or grieving over. I think we can all appreciate what BB once was, but now it's time to move on. Nothing lasts forever.

Pretty much sums it up. In theory they can fix it by shortening it to 10 weeks, axing the celebrity version and putting in pretty much normal people with a good ad campaign and all the other stuff people agree on that needs changing. But in reality it probably won't make a difference. For a start normal people probably won't audition anymore because its such a tainted show based around freaks and z listers and I think that is reflected in public opinion as people won't watch it anymore no matter what they do. The fact that every series since BB8 the launch has been the most watched episode of the series says it all about public opinion. People just watch on launch night to see who the latest batch of freaks are, then turn off.

In many ways its a victim of success, they've tried to push and push controversy each year until it finally exploded onto a worldwide scale, and since it has been censored to hell and people are complaining over the slightest thing. Anyone remember in BB6 when Science and Maxwell had that massive argument and a bin got flung across the garden at one of them? Or when Kemal got chased around with the mop? Maxwell throwing water? Scabs being put in food [apparently]? The list goes on and noone batted an eye lid.

The only good series since BB7 (including all spin offs) has been BB9 which was very much 'old' BB in the style it was done (housemates, twists etc) but even that didn't get much public interest. Otherwise it has been terrible. I would've stopped watching at some point in BB10 (lost interest in that and CBB6) if it hadn't been for the axing. I'm looking forward to CBB6 and BB11. I'm not expecting an amazing series but I'm hoping its half decent to go out on.

[Tom]

There is a big misunderstanding about the budget of a show like Big Brother. In actual fact it does not cost that much to make at all versus something like say, a drama show, where you have actors and writers and set guys and all these people you have to pay. The fact that it's a very cheap show to make is why so many countries have adopted it.

And unlike dramas your budget does not just give you 2 million a night of the week, it gives you 2 million every night of the week. All for cheaper than what it would take to make something else.

At £60m per series, BB10 made in total £32m or something like that, making a huge loss.

[Beastie]

It will have a break regardless of how high or low the ratings will be.

[arista]

It will a better Show on the Watch Channel.

[Stu]

At £60m per series, BB10 made in total £32m or something like that, making a huge loss.
Really? ****! I am shocked. What could they possibly have spent £60m on? Where do you get these figures?

[Gavin]

Channel 4 won't save the show. Ironically, Big Brother is still one of the most watched programmes on Channel 4. Channel 4 overpaid for the rights for the 2008-2010 contract, but the show is still profitable if an appropriate amount of money is given to Endemol which is definitely possible.

The problem with Channel 4 is that they have no desire to keep Big Brother as they're seeking public money from the license fee. In order to do that, they need to get rid of "controversial" programmes like BB so that they have a better chance of getting the cash.

Unfortunately it looks extremely likely that Channel 4 deliberately made poor decisions in the last 2 years to ensure BB gets terrible ratings. Angela Jain's decision to remove Live Feed from E4 daytime was a travesty. By all means, continue showing Friends around 8pm, but Live Feed did well in the afternoon in previous series. Removing the live feed was a huge mistake. It's like taking away a life support machine from someone who is in critical care at hospital. The show is dead in its current form.

I hope it does return one day to Pay TV such as Sky 1. Sky1 would treat the show well./

[Rob]

Channel4 definately won't be bringing it back, the show unfortunately is past its sell by date and they will want to re develop the channel for the new decade. Big Brother has done very well to last as long as it has over the past decade and is one of the longest running in the world.

Let's all just enjoy the final series' and let it go out with a bang, we've got a brilliant CBB ahead of us by the looks of thing and hopefully an excellent BB11.

[Gavin]

You see: loads of people said that BB9 would be brilliant due to the glass shattering campaign. Loads of people also said BB10 would be good due to the fingerprint rumours etc.

Both ended up as average series, especially BB10 which was poor IMO. I have to say that the campaign for CBB7 so far has been excellent. But an excellent campaign does not = an excellent series. I think based on previous experience, we shouldn't expect a good series. If you go into a series with expectations low, you can only be impressed. That's what I'm doing anyway.

[Rob]

In all fairness this series hasn't had a brilliant campaign, weve had a few teaser trailers and one advert. No signs of any countdown adverts or house adverts, its been a fairly repetitive campaign this year with the same advert over and over.

[Tom]

Really? ****! I am shocked. What could they possibly have spent £60m on? Where do you get these figures?

They reportedly paid £180m for the rights between BB9 and BB11. The show budget is apparently £5m meaning Endemol make £55m profit off the back of the show. But Channel 4 obv need to make £60m per series to get their money back and its not happening although I think they made £72m on BB8 and about £50m on BB9. Figures just come from random news articles I've read over the years I can't seem to find atm, I retain pointless info :joker:

[Tom]

I hope it does return one day to Pay TV such as Sky 1. Sky1 would treat the show well./

As I said earlier in the thread this is it for BB for me. I don't like remakes so I wont watch it if it returns. But if it does it has to be on Pay TV, I don't think it can be sustained on terrestrial TV anymore.

They'd have to axe the celeb version and slash the summer version to about 9 or 10 weeks to make up for budget cuts, and if they brought back the live feed via red button (subscription) and brought back red button voting etc they could make a bomb off it. Bringing it back at the right time is the key.

[arista]

Channel 4 won't save the show. Ironically, Big Brother is still one of the most watched programmes on Channel 4. Channel 4 overpaid for the rights for the 2008-2010 contract, but the show is still profitable if an appropriate amount of money is given to Endemol which is definitely possible.

The problem with Channel 4 is that they have no desire to keep Big Brother as they're seeking public money from the license fee. In order to do that, they need to get rid of "controversial" programmes like BB so that they have a better chance of getting the cash.

Unfortunately it looks extremely likely that Channel 4 deliberately made poor decisions in the last 2 years to ensure BB gets terrible ratings. Angela Jain's decision to remove Live Feed from E4 daytime was a travesty. By all means, continue showing Friends around 8pm, but Live Feed did well in the afternoon in previous series. Removing the live feed was a huge mistake. It's like taking away a life support machine from someone who is in critical care at hospital. The show is dead in its current form.

I hope it does return one day to Pay TV such as Sky 1. Sky1 would treat the show well./


No Sky can not Fit it in.

'Watch ' Channel has taken it.

[Gavin]

No Sky can nort Fit it in.

'Watch ' Channel has taken it.
Sky can most definitely fit it in if they want to. They have a big budget.

The Watch channel would not be able to afford the show. It's a very unpopular channel as well and would not serve Big Brother well. I'd even prefer Living TV to have Big Brother than Watch.

[Tom]

No Sky can not Fit it in.

'Watch ' Channel has taken it.

On Watch it will be about as successful as Richard and Judy :joker:

[anto42]

richard and judy was a compleate failure on watch i think one show only got 150000 viewers

[Billy]

Did you not watch BB1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9?

BB8 is the worst of the lot (along with BB10)

There's no point going into that cause it's all about opinion really (I loved both 8 and 10 haha).

The reason BB is falling is because everyone fed up of it now. It would have happened regardless.

[Spike]

C4 wont save it because they have already started spending the money saved from axing it. If Big Brother some how survives after BB11 it will be on another channel
Its not about money and ratings to why C4 axed it, they knew they wanted rid of the show after the race row to keep a public service image, the huge downturn in ratings just made the decision easier.

[Patrick]

BB8 was a brilliant series though. Brian was a legend and Chanelle was so funny :D!

Oh For ****

[Patrick]

tbh I still stand by what I`ve said all along,

Its falling in ratings because of the Race Row.

BB7 was so successful, CBB5 ruined everything.
If Jade had kept her big gob shut, then BB wouldnt of been axed.
Simply because..

1. Jade argued with Shilpa
2. Made Headlines, Randomers in India went nuts, everyone was pissed.
3. For BB8 everyone was pissed off and didnt watch it because of the Race Row.
4. BB9 was brilliant and got a pretty good average tbf not brilliant though.
5. The Producers axed the Live Feed because they didnt want any HM saying anything racist, C4 go on about it being because of money, which isnt the real reason.
Its all about them being far too PC and scared of another Race Row.
6. After they axed the LF, Everyone got annoyed and switched off completely.
7. Show Axed.


It all comes back to Jades stupid Argument over an OXO Cube.

[Marc]

It'll never be as good as it used to be