Jeff Ford statement: ‘We could have done live feed if we wanted to.
 

inside big brother says,

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Ford insisted that the live feed service was no longer important as the show had evolved and fans had moved on.

Ford said: ‘We could have done live feed if we wanted to. But we’ve all moved on from watching people sleeping in bed.’

He argued that live feed was a big deal in Big Brother’s early years on Channel 4 but pointed out that there had been a significant drop in numbers and interest in recent years. Ford said that Channel 5 instead chose to spend money saved from having no live feed on the house and online Twitter and Facebook services.

Talking about the viewing figures for Celebrity Big Brother thus far, he pointed out that the series had been rating similarly to how the final series did on Channel 4 last year. He acknowledged, however, that ratings would most likely fall for the normal series as ‘history has told us ratings will go down slightly’.

Ford said he hoped Big Brother’s popularity on Channel 5 would encourage viewers to discover other programmes on the network. He explained that had BB11 winner Josie Gibson’s reality show aired now instead of four months ago, he believes it would’ve rated 50% higher due to the Big Brother inheritance.

Speaking about the show itself, Ford said the current series had the ‘best lineup ever’ and that more celebrities would be going into the house over the next two weeks, as well as some ‘surprises’.

They're such a joke.

How can you 'move on' from LF. They've not moved onto anything they're just not doing it. :S

The only thing it does is take away any guarantee of reality from the show. The whole show can be/is a conspiracy now.

Who the hell aked for LF while they are sleeping? that was Ch4's joke on the public!

Their priorities are in the wrong place.

How silly

They are paying a couple of people to post over dramatised events in the house within 130 characters.

If that isn't a priority I don't know what is.

This.

This guy is talking bollocks. He doesn't have a clue what we want.

He's a "suit" and suits always talk bollox in the boardroom or when there is a reporter nearby.

Now we can read about people sleeping. Hurrah!

As for Channel 5 capitalising on Big Brother I don't think it will have a knock off effect for the channel as a whole. I only tuned it in because of Big Brother and apart from The Bachelor which is of interest to a certain amount of people into the whole Big Brother thing all I see is a channel full of US crime shows and stuff that wouldn't be out of place on Dave at ten in the morning.

Not to mention it isn't even up to the standard of C4 (who had LF at the same time as this). Their website is shocking, they don't even have a news section ffs. :bored:

I wonder we're they're really investing this money from not having live....

Basically, he is saying that we shouldnt look at Big Brother the way we use to. A social experiment, with us watching their every move. SO now, it actually is a TV show like The real world, survivor, etc....
The problem is, that we vote to evict. I would understand if they moved on that way, and I oculd take it as just another reality show. BUt the fact that they make people pay to vote, its not fair. I dont know why people would be so stupid as to vote when there is no LF. Even if I dont watch it, I know someone somewhere is, so there cant be that much manipulation.

Ah well, if they dont bring LF for the summer, I dont see how I can get very interested. I'll get bored of it pretty quickly!

The viewing public will ALWAYS be conned into paying for premium rate phone calls because they think it matters!

Same.

Voting for practically every series since BB7 has been absoloutely appaling. A tiny, tiny minority of the fans vote and most of them being multiple callers belonging to large campaign blocks.

the 'best' line up? That guy needs to get with the times.

No doubt that is the reason why they never publish actual numbers!! 50% of 10 is still only 5! but it looks good!

Or Put another way

Desmond set a Money solid deal limit with Endemol
so Endemol sacked 12 shift staff that were going to deal with Live Feed and Legal Checking.

Oh, dear, could you say that another SIMPLIFIED way that some of us could understand?

Facebook and twitter are free so he is lying

Like Wildcat says The days of BB being a Social Experiment, Fly on the wall type show as of it's origins are dead and it is now just another Entertainment show.

We'll have to rely on someone else to tell us what is worth watching then

Oh! now I get it, they fired that lot who used to piss off "dahn the Pub" while leaving the "Mute" button engaged:dance:

I don't get this argument that just because there is no live feed it's not worth watching. I haven't watched any of the live feed since BB5 and when I did it was all boring stuff.

Now if you are suggesting that because we don't have a live feed we can't keep an eye on production. 1) Wouldn't the HM's just admit that when their contract ends? and 2) What is to stop them just "turning on the birds" and doing it anyway. See BBUSA conspricy theories for that one.

Some live stream is better than none, that is obvious to anyone or should be. And those who didn't watch it can't really argue against it as they don't even know about it.

exactly totally agree with you

The housemates could have stipulations in their contract, preventing them to do so! I am not saying there are any manipulations, or fixes, but we will never know. I dont think the show is not worth watching, what I am saying, is for people who usually vote, and decide, based on what they have seen or read on forums, its unfair on them. I am prefectly OK with going about the show, like they are, but I think if thats the case, they should just go all out, and leave the votings, to the housemates, like Survivor, or BBUSA. If they do that, then fair enough!

What an idiot.

This series needs LF, because the highlights are cringey and over edited.

What an idiot.

This series needs LF, because the highlights are cringey and over edited.

Most of the time (like about 95%+) LF was unwatchable rubbish.

Either nothing was happening or, as soon as something interesting looked like it might be starting, they would cut the sound. Many a time I almost threw something at the screen! :D

We do need a bit more than HLs and BBBOTS, but the old-style LF is not the answer, IMO.

It would be the answer if they dropped the crappy excuse that so-called "sound dips" alias Censorship were for LEGAL reasons FFS that's why they had a 15 second (at the very least) delay on the feed. Were the editors so bloody inept that they were incapable of just switching to another Camera? After all they were capable of switching to boring shots when they pleased.

Jeff Ford - what a pr**k
 

Is that man completely delusional BB has "moved-on" from Live-Feed apparently, god Channel 5 are already putting the nails into Big Brother's coffin already and they have only had it over a week.

I honestly think if the live feed doesnt return for CBB9/BB13 then it is 100% safe to say that we WILL get yet another RIP Big Brother campaign and maybe yet another funeral advert.

Why cant Channel 5 read this forum and Digital Spy's forum and understand that what they are doing to BB is killing it and make improvements.

Its barbaric to think that they reckon that Facebook and Twitter will EVER replace live feed, Epic Fail.

Channel 4 need to get a pat on the back for 11 years of fantastic BB, I have already e-mailed them letting them know that what they did for the show was far better than Channel 5's lame attempt.

He also said that the figures from Channel 4 showed declining numbers of live feed subscribers, and that they wanted to spend more of the money on the house and social media.

Pretty fair reasons in my opinion.

It declined no more than the audience for the main show, he doesn't even know what he is talking about.

TV is changing. The days of Live feed might just be gone for good.

I didn't realise you had access to the official figures.

What a ****ing douchebag that guy is.

Look...all we are asking for is coverage from say 11pm till 3am... that would be sufficient.Lets be honest with alcohol or not this is when people sit up and talk and things can happen...at least that would give us a bit more insight into the 'real' goings on.... Not much to ask...otherwise BB will be nothing more than biased editing.

tbh i would not be happie with that sort of coverage id want more.

Such a horrid man, I hope the main series loses loads of viewers as a result.