Big Brother Canada has decided to remove the live feeds and replace them with Digital Dailies. Big Brother Canada premiered on February 27, 2013. It is hosted by Arisa Cox, who eventually became an executive producer on the reality competition series nine seasons in. Big Brother Canada follows the same premise as the American version, in which the houseguests compete for a grand prize while being constantly filmed. The live feeds offer a continuous view into the house, allowing fans to watch the houseguests 24/7.
However, Big Brother Canada announced that it will be replacing the 24/7 live feeds with Digital Dailies for Big Brother Canada season 11. According to EW, Digital Dailies are described as "uncut content from inside the BBCAN house, offering viewers an extended peek into the houseguests' lives." EW speculated that this means production will give viewers access to only selected segments from inside the house. This will also give them the control to ensure any inappropriate behavior or comments are not seen by the fans. Big Brother Canada will post Digital Dailies multiple times during the competition.
Big Brother Canada Prioritizing Mental Health
Lisa Godfrey, Senior Vice President of Original Content and Corus Studios at Corus Entertainment, stated, "We are known for giving audiences behind the scenes access to Big Brother Canada, and we're excited to debut Digital Dailies this season." She added that this change is being made "after thoughtful consideration, with us taking a new approach to the BBCAN live feeds by offering an exclusive peek inside the house and moving away from the 24/7 live feeds." Lisa explained that they are constantly looking for new ways to evolve Big Brother Canada "to ensure we operate with the utmost duty of care and prioritize the mental health and well-being of the houseguests, and their family members, as well as our own production team who work closely on the series." She concluded by saying that they are happy to continue delivering the exclusive content they know audiences love in a way that works best for the BBCAN family.
The Big Brother US live feeds have been notorious for capturing the houseguests making racist, homophobic, and sexist comments. Big Brother season 15 featured houseguests Aaryn Gries, Amanda Zuckerman, GinaMarie Zimmerman, and Spencer Clawson, who were especially guilty of this, prompting so much fan outrage that CBS had no choice but to address it on-air after weeks of ignoring it. This affected their lives outside of the show as well, as a few of them lost their jobs as a result of their behavior. In addition, Big Brother season 24 houseguest Paloma Aguilar, who self-evicted, later stated that being filmed 24/7 in the house led to her developing mental health issues. The live feeds have brought much negative attention to Big Brother US. However, they also allow viewers to see the unedited versions of the houseguests, without any manipulation by production. The Big Brother live feeds also spoil the results of the competitions, as the houseguests discuss their results.
The decision by Big Brother Canada to eliminate the 24/7 live feeds is surprising, since they are such an integral part of the viewing experience. However, it seems that production felt that the feeds were doing more harm than good. Other reality shows do not allow viewers to see every minute of the contestants' lives, and they are still entertaining to watch. The Digital Dailies will allow fans to see some unedited content, but the houseguests will not be subjected to being watched 24/7. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if it influences the U.S. version when Big Brother season 25 premieres in the summer.
Big Brother Canada season 11 premieres March 8 on Global in Canada.
Source: EW