[alex_front2]

If BB 12/ 13 continued on C4 (same shows) it would get larger ratings/ more viewers.

C5 is inherantly a low viewer channel. A lot of people have never watched a show on C5. If Eastenders, Corrie, X-Factor (all huge shows) were all on C5 they'd struggle to get past 1m mark.

In early to mid 2000s there was something known as an ITV1 viewer ie people who literally never changed channel and only watched ITV1 (it's as if they don't know other channels exist) that's why ITV used to give golden handcuff drama deals to Robson Green, David Jason, Sara Lancashire, Martin Clunes etc. Thankfully this less the case now.

All the top shows on C5 are middle aged blokey TV eg Ice Road Truckers, Salmond Fishing or Eddie Stobbarts Truckers or US police procedurals ie NCIS, Law & Order, CSI, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, CSI: Vegas etc. However alot of people don't enjoy US police procedurals so just associate C5 with his genre and don't bother to switch

BB being on C5 meants it is now part of the Richard Desmond media empire (C5, Daily Star, Express, OK! Star mag) so the rest of the media ignore the show unless there is controversy or bad PR e.g. Conor's rapey rant. BB last year got hardly any non-Desmond coverage. Aaron's win was a footnote in The Sun.

Gone are the days of late Jade Goody getting an initial £300K to sell her incredible back story (bisexual one-armed mother, child hood drug taking, jail bird late dad, feckless boyfriend, torrid times in Bermondsey, dental nurse struggles etc, racism etc). Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon admitted to collecting a Jade Goody scrapbook and when challenged on her knowledge of Jade by an interviewer actually knew a scary amount. Jade for all her lack of intelligence had an aura and a charisma that extended beyond the show and kept her in the spot light for years after she was evicted and up to and after her death.

For bigger ratings they need to invite intriguing pseudo tabloid/ media characters like Benedict ie porn teacher onto the show. He was the only one who interested the Sun, Mail and Mirror on launch night and got the show non-Desmond coverage.

The big BB show is now CBB (I prefer this regular version) as the HMs are usually media fodder eg Frankie Cocozza, Denise Welch and Amy Childs so the Sun will take a spurious interest, and therefore larger ratings.

BB is now essentially a spin off or warm up for the big event - CBB. C5 doesn't have too many homegrown hits so now it has 2 CBBs a year to cash in on deent ratings.