[Kaz]

BIG Brother profits are facing meltdown after voting for evictions has plunged by around 40 per cent on the last series.

During the first four weeks of the show just 3.87 million votes have been cast compared to 6.5 million for the same period in series three.

At 25p per call or text, Big Brother four has made £967,500. This compares to £1,625,000 last year - a drop of £657,500.

Only 1.74 million votes were cast for Friday night's double eviction when loveable bore Jon Tickle and fiery Glaswegian waiter Federico Martone were kicked out - a huge drop on the 2.7 million votes made when Spencer Smith was thrown out at the same stage last year.

The sharp fall in voting is in contrast to a modest rise in viewing figures, with the first four weeks averaging 4.5 million, up three per cent on last year.

A Big Brother source said: "The bosses are really worried about the drop in voting. They are racking their brains to think up ways of jazzing up the series and there will be a lot more stunts. But at this rate there might not be a BB5."

Big Brother producer Endemol will be hoping that viewers will tune in as the tension begins to mount among the remaining seven contestants.

Full story from the Sunday Mirror

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Are you voting as much this year - if at all?

One reason people aren't voting so much at the evictions could be because they're spending more money on those stupid text messages! Someone somewhere must be making a huge profit from them.

[Boris]

No Kaz.....not a single vote !

[sweetlittlesara]

I havent voted once this year.

I think this is because there isnt really a housemate that I wanted to stay more than anyone else. There are some housemates that I prefer over others but not any that I would mind that would go.

[James]

Well I voted each week this year and I've never voted in Big Brother before.

[bbceleb1]

I voted 2 times this year, once for Sissy and once for Justine!

[peachy]

I have voted this year but hardly at all and nothing like the amount I've voted other years. There are so many voting shows now and some others like Fame Academy and Celeb FA only cost 10p. I do feel that I'm being ripped off by BB, and endless text messages and polls has made me MORE resistant to spending money to line their pockets.

[dustmite]

We'll have to ignore that Channel 4/Four Ventures have an agreement to air BB for up to 2005? We'll also have to ignore the dubious nature of the ability of The Mirror to never publish anything correctly.

I don't believe in the insiders "there may not be a BB5 at this rate." It just means that BB5 will have a new format, and probably a new house if previous form is noted. 1.7m votes is still a heck of lot of revenue, even if it's 1 million less, spencer was a "heart throb" for millions of young girls... did you see a 'real' "heart throb" during that eviction? Nada.

[kaphc]

I haven't voted at all this year yet, but that's partly because the cost has gone up to 25p instead of 10p for the call.

It's also because I have tended to get a bit carried away in previous years' with the use of the redial button, so I decided to see if I could resist the temptation this year. So far, so good. Maybe the novelty has worn off?

[James]

When they write Big Brother insider they mean a fellow Mirror journalist.

If the ratings are up then the show definatley isn't a flop.

Jon has the right idea with the tabloids when called them scummy and said that he wouldn't sell his story for £7000.

On another note they could spice up the format for BB5 by having the HMs from all over Europe, like Big Brother Africa. A kind of Eurovision Big Brother.

[chickenthing]

I have been voting this year as much as any other year

Last year did have a higher percentage of viewers than any other (didn't it?) however surely the ratings so far must be somewhere in the same region of BB1 and BB2 votes were at this stage and they were still a success enough for them to carry on with BB

[bananarama]

What about the money they are raking in from the text messages. There is only so much tea in the cup. The more the kids spend on texting the less they have to vote in the evictions. Ch4 only have them selves to blame for the low voting figures.

I hope they do change the format by giving BB back to the adults intstead of the I fink i am voting for so and so cos so and so is fit brigade.

[bbceleb1]

Hehe couldnt agree with you more bannarama!

I really hate all this 'my fed is fit' and all this other rubbish! keep big brother like previous years! about the physcology and situations and the entertainment not 'who do u fink iz da fitest in da house luv jj' god its annoying

[steve_o]

I dont believe that e4 and c4 arn't racking it in, they can afford to send someone to South Africa on a beno. I see they had that stupid poll up again today which girl would you like back in the house. They can't even think of a New Poll It ain't going to happen, so stop voting. Money for old rope springs to mind, hand the show back to people over 10 years old please, and stop giving old gits like me a chance to moan.

[bananarama]

They have even put the text srteaming on CH4 live update now. Are they mad. Although I am not as impressed with BB4 as of other years I am still in there watching and hopefully will remain so.

However. I have stopped watching E4 and I havn't felt the urge to vote exept in the first week to try and get Jon or Fed out to save Anouska. I think I voted for Fed on another occasion and that is my sum total of voting. CH4/E4 have turned me off from watching anything other than the update shows.

The over commercialisation of the show this year is a tragedy which can only put BB in danger of going bust as popularity wanes. Such a shame I hope they see the light soon.......

[Stu xxx]

i think its a no win situation for them x