Channel 5 has extended its UK rights deal for Big Brother with Endemol Shine UK for a further three years allowing it to air the reality show until the end of 2018.
Under the terms of the extended deal, Channel 5 will continue to broadcast two series of Celebrity Big Brother and one series of Big Brother each year, as well as associated programming, all produced by Endemol Shine UK label, Initial.
The news comes two months after Channel 5 achieved its highest monthly viewing figures for almost six years.
According to figures released by the broadcaster in January, Channel 5 delivered a 4.99% share of consolidated viewing throughout the month, which in addition to being its best January performance since 2007, was its highest monthly share of viewing since August 2009.
The surge was helped by the strongest Celebrity Big Brother audience since Channel 5 began broadcasting the show, with 21.1 million people having watched the show across the series and an average episodic audience of 3.13 million across the series – up 5% year on year.
For young adults, Celebrity Big Brother was the top-performing programme on British TV whilst it was on air.
Paul Dunthorne, Channel 5’s chief operating officer, who negotiated the deal, said: “Big Brother in all its guises brings a huge and varied cross section of viewers to Channel 5 and typifies the appointment-to-view programming we want on the channel.
It remains one of TV’s most talked about and popular programmes and I’m genuinely delighted we’ve secured it for at least three more years.”
Between 2010 and 2013, Channel 5’s revenue increased 31%; and despite being blighted by the Omnicom/Opera dispute last year, which cost the channel around £25 million, revenues were still up just over 20% between 2010 and 2014.
