[Kaz]

Viewers are reportedly deserting E4's coverage of Big Brother in their droves.

The channel has lost around a third of its audience share compared with the third series last year.

It is thought that viewers are losing interest in the show after tabloid newspapers branded the housemates boring.

E4 relies heavily on Big Brother to boost its ratings for the year and shows virtually round-the-clock coverage live from the house, reports Media Guardian. (CLICK HERE for the full article.)

According to the latest official figures from Barb, the fourth series averaged a 3.5% audience share during its first full week on air. The third series last year averaged 5.1%.

But Big Brother's Channel 4 ratings, which slipped to 3.2 million on Bank Holiday Monday, had risen by the beginning of this week to 4.5 million.

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Do you think this is due to that extremely annoying text banner at the bottom of the screen forcing people to stop watching? Or is BB4 not as entertaining this year?

[steve_o]

I reckon it's 3 things 1 there a bit boring, 2 the text banner, 3 the interactive service is naff. Shame really.

[James]

They've made rod for their own backs definately with the text banner.

I think though that this series is so much better than BB3 was at the same stage. Last year they seemed to want to do everything that had been done the year before, in the space of about a week. It was very false I thought.

Probably a lot of people said that BB2 was boring at the start though, but they got into it slowly.

[Jayjay]

It is only th begining and as from previous Big brothers it will probably pick up to the end.

The only other problem is BB is being harsh this year and well after a few nights who wants to watch people just starving I hate to say it but a drunken night for them may give the ratings a boost.

I am even wishing they would let there hair down.

[Mairi]

Originally posted by Jayjay
The only other problem is BB is being harsh this year

I agree that BB is being harsh in as much as they are insisting that the housemates bet at least 50% of their food allowance.

Having said that, though, the housemates did bet 65% this week so they only have themselves to blame if they fail the task ...........

[steve_o]

Originally posted by Jayjay

The only other problem is BB is being harsh this year and well after a few nights who wants to watch people just starving I hate to say it but a drunken night for them may give the ratings a boost.

Your right there, it's getting a bit boring hearing them all talking about food all the time. It's hard to share their pain when eating a pizza and drinking cold beers. Another thing as well about e4 the ad breaks seem to come on every 10 mins, the same ads for the same stuff the endless repeats all year like Friends and Sex In The City, they must think that the only ones who watch e4 are women. It's driving us blokes away.

[bananarama]

Yes the text service will be turning viewers off in their droves. It has me.

Let's face facts. BB4 has not as of this moment developed it's own unique chracteristic as did previous BB's Regardles of whether you liked or disliked them . The other series had there own "Stamp" so to speak.

This year people are clutching at straws and think Jon is the making of BB..Little wonder they turn off in droves. He is not another Alex. As long as he remains the house will be on a downer because he has a too low key personality which affects the whole house.

The flame of BB4 was put out in last weeks voting. I doubt very much that BB4 is going to be any more but more of the same. It's sad. I am extremely dissapointed this year. I am only watching it now in the hope that it will mature like wine. In the mean time I come here to be interested. More life in this forum than the BB4 house at the moment.

[LEE]

I really cannot see why the text banner is annoying you so much bananrama, it really doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I am enjoying this years BB immensly, far more than last years, I like the characters, I find them interesting to watch and I find Jon wonderfully eccentric and don't think he is pulling the house down as you suggest at all.

[bananarama]

I will have to agree to disagree LEE. The brain dead text messages are to me a nightmare distraction. Like a dripping tap you can't turn off.

BB4 itself is doing little to entertain me this year. Sorry...

[sweetlittlesara]

I have said this all the way through, the text banner really doesn't bother me. But then again i have found that that type of thing can be found on loads of programmes at the moment. I can really easily ignore it, I guess I have just trained my eyes.

What annoys me more is the constant...sorry gone blank for the word but the noise they...wait soundover is it??..well anyway the noise they put when there is some problem and you cannot listen to what they are saying (eg copyright etc)

Back onto the note of food...I was just watching E4 and they got given fruit and got REALLY excited, was quite amusing to watch

[BusyBee]

Those text messages really drive me mad - are they that desperate for revenue that they have to ask mind numbingly stupid questions.

The housemates are also on the whole a very boring lot, but then again I never really enjoy BB until you get down to 7 or less housemates.

But I think one of the main reasons for the drop in viewers is that many of the viewers are intermittent watchers - not true bb fans, but only interested in arguments, fights and sex - not interested in housemates talking about food and star wars

they want action and to be honest this year they arent getting it.

[Mairi]

Originally posted by sweetlittlesara
Back onto the note of food...I was just watching E4 and they got given fruit and got REALLY excited, was quite amusing to watch

Any idea why they were given the fruit, Sara? Did they have to do a mini task or something?

[sweetlittlesara]

No, I think they asked for the fruit as it was a vital part of a staple diet. Well that is the gist of the conversation that i got as I was watching them tuck in.

They will aparantly get 1 piece of fruit each, every day, which will be a mixture of oranges, apples, bananas, and pears.

[sweetlittlesara]

Just found this on the channel 4 website as an answer to your question Mairi,

"Just hours after declaring she would shortly die from a lack of natural sugars, Big Brother has provided Tania with sufficient fruit to ensure she'll live to see another day in the House.

Not long after she took to her bed fearing the worst was about to befall her, Big Brother summoned the Londoner and provided her with the daily-recommended intake of vitamins.

Stumbling from the Diary Room with an armful of fruit, Tania informed the overjoyed group how thanks to her earlier plea, Big Brother was going to deliver a veritable harvest festival of vits each day, and this would "always consist of apples, bananas and oranges."

Ah, that's better!

After deciding on a banana as the item containing the most "good stuff" and the one most likely to put an end to her dizzy spell, Tania gobbled one down and skipped into the bedroom to tidy up, clearly already feeling the benefit.

"Ah, isn't that nice!" she sighed, complimenting Big Brother's understanding of a fraught situation.

The group is saved! Good bless Big Brother! "

[Mairi]

Thanks for that, Sara. I know we're all supposed to eat 5 helpings of fruit/veg a day to stay healthy. I'm glad they're not all going to starve after all!

[Romantic Old Bird]

I am pleased they are getting some fructose.......

However, they are hardly going to die of starvation or develop Kwashikor in the few weeks they are in, even if Fed is not evicted next week......