Viewers of CBS' Big Brother have more viewing options than ever this season. Subscribers to the CBS "All Access" pass will be able to watch new episodes in the form of livestreams as well as every episode ever on the CBS app or on their Roku player.
Big Brother has become a classic summer staple for U.S. TV fans. The fly on the wall show features a selection of houseguests living in a house together for the summer, filmed 24/7 while competing to win a half-million dollar prize. The housemates, who generally don't know each other going in, are completely cut off from the outside world and have no access to cell phones, news stories or any communication with their families and friends.
The show is a bona fide worldwide phenomenon, with versions of the format airing in over 50 countries. The UK version is a pop culture staple in that country, where it airs every single night during its summer run, followed by a companion show featuring news and discussion about each episode. The U.S version hosted by Julie Chen, affectionately nicknamed "Chenbot" for her famously stilted delivery, regularly places in the top 10 programs during its annual summer run, where it airs three times each week.
Big Brother is entering its 17th season in the U.S., and interestingly, it has been one of the pioneers of the now ubiquitous livestreaming phenomenon. In the early years, viewers were able to access 24/7 livestreams of the activity occurring in the house via the now defunct RealPlayer. Now, viewers who pay a $5.99 monthly fee can access the livestreams across various platforms via the CBS app or on their Roku player, which now has a dedicated Big Brother channel. Not only can subscribers access the live feed cameras and stream current episodes, they can also watch every Big Brother episode ever as well.
"With CBS All Access, we're now able to offer Big Brother fans one seamless service for watching their favorite show live and on-demand," stated Rob Gelick, CBS Interactive Entertainment's senior vice president and general manager of digital platforms. "For the first time, they'll have access to every episode of Big Brother ever, plus the ability to watch the show live across platforms in more than 30 markets and tune in to the Big Brother live feeds 24/7."
Big Brother season 17 debuts on Wednesday, June 24 on CBS.
