[Jarrod]

A bid for the rights of Big Brother from ITV is unlikely – as the price for the show is too high

ITV Executives have been weighing up the possibility of snatching Big Brother from Channel 5 to boost programming across its expanding portfolio of channels.

According to The Guardian, Big Brother could be used to give new reality channel, ITVBe a major boost against other networks. It has even been discussed that there is a possibility of splitting up Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother, and showing them on different channels.

However, it is thought that a bid for the show will be unlikely as the costs for the show for a year are around £20 Million.

“It has been discussed, these thing are, it is not a completely ridiculous idea,” said one source. “But it is quite expensive to run on digital channels, I can’t see it happening.” However, one media executive said the plan is ‘“still boiling” and no solid decision had been taken.

ITV declined to comment. If ITV did purchase Big Brother, it would mark the second time the reality show has moved, after Channel 5 purchased the rights to the format in 2011 following Channel 4′s decision to axe it.

Meanwhile, Big Brother: Power Trip continues on Channel 5 tonight.

http://bigbrother247.co.uk/day-5-big...-itv-unlikely/