Big Brother (franchise)

Big Brother
International logo of Big Brother since 2019
Created byJohn de Mol Jr.
Original workBig Brother (Netherlands)
OwnerBanijay Entertainment[1]
Years1999–present

Big Brother is a reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., first broadcast in the Netherlands in 1999 and subsequently syndicated internationally.[2] The show features contestants called "housemates" or "HouseGuests" who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The name is inspired by Big Brother from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the course of the competition, they are voted out (usually on a weekly basis) until only one remains and wins the cash prize.

As of 5 August 2023, there have been 508 seasons of Big Brother in over 63 franchise countries and regions. English-language editions of the program are often referred to by its initials BB.[3]

  1. ^ "Big Brother". banijayrights.com. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  2. ^ Drotner, Kirsten. "New Media, New Options, New Communities?" (PDF) (PDF). Nordicom. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Celebrity Big Brother". Channel 5.

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