As BigBrother turns 20, here's how the genre-defining show helped shape reality television:
, the show started out in the Netherlands in 1999, on RTL’s Veronica channel. Nine housemates moved into a purpose-built house, equipped with 24 cameras and cut off from contact with the outside world.About 3,000 people applied via telephone to be on that first series. The format went on to become a global TV phenomenon. In an illustration of how the numbers swelled over the years, more than 200 million votes were cast for an eviction in the Brazilian version in March.
A degree of flexibility in the format allowed it to be scaled up or down, and played out in different ways. Tonally, it is different from country to country. In the U.S., where Julie Chen Moonves remains the longest-serving host of the show anywhere, it is a frothy summer reality competition series. In Israel, it has been a forum for debate from both sides of the Arab-Israeli divide. The next iteration of the Finnish version will have ecological themes front and center.
For his firm, the continuing success of the show is crucial. A for-sale sign seemingly still hangs over Endemol Shine and a key question for suitors is whether there are enough gems in the catalog.
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