Fourteen years after it last aired, TVI, the original Big Brother broadcaster has commissioned a new version the reality hit, which will be produced by Endemol Portugal.
Global content creator, producer and distributor Endemol Shine Group announced that Big Brother will make a comeback in Portugal this year. The superbrand that redefined reality television is returning to Portuguese screens after being off-air for 14 years.
TVI, the original Big Brother broadcaster has commissioned a new version the reality hit, which will be produced by Endemol Portugal.
The Portuguese version will be filmed in an existing location of a beachfront home, using state-of-the-art technology including 57 cameras installed in the house, 45 of which will be robotic. It is the third version to be filmed this way and there will be more than 16 kilometres of cables and 48 microphones. The furnishings in the house are sustainable using 100% recycled plastic as well as cork, which is one of Portugal’s biggest exports and a fully recyclable material.
The return in Portugal is the sixth recent comeback deal to recently be confirmed with Sweden, Germany, Poland, Finland and Greece all commissioned in the last year.
This year Big Brother has already successfully launched in multiple territories including comeback markets Germany and Sweden, along with India, Brazil and Israel, as well as Italy and Spain who are both celebrating 20 continuous years on television.
This month the series in Brazil broke all records with over 416 million votes in one eviction. The Israeli premiere on Reshet was the highest rating a reality series received since the Channel 10 / Reshet merger and the comeback in Germany earlier this month was the number one show of the day for Sat. 1.
Patricia Louro, Executive Producer, Endemol Portugal said: “It is fantastic to see a true resurgence and renewed love for the original reality format, and the fact that audiences are still connecting with Big Brother globally, a format that is now 20-years-young. This a testament to the brilliant creative teams in Endemol Shine Group, who are able to continually refresh and reinvigorate who we collaborate with to enable us to be back on Portuguese screens. We’re especially pleased to film in an existing beachfront location, further proof how this format truly thrives in embracing tech.”
Last year marked twenty years since Big Brother first aired in the Netherlands and in that time, the format has achieved 471 series of 28,391 episodes commissioned in 60 markets and airing pan regionally in 80. 7,153 housemates from around the globe have spent 35, 143 days in the house and there have been 5, 035 evictions.
Last year Endemol Shine Group travelled formats travelling from 12 countries including global superbrand non-scripted hits Big Brother and MasterChef, further adaptations industry leaders LegoMasters, All Together Now, The Wall, and Hunted and long-running favourites Your Face Sounds Familiar and Deal or No Deal.
Recent streamer commissions include Quibi’s first ever commission in the UK with Elba vs Block and Amazon’s first non-scripted original in Italy with Celebrity Hunted. This year also has seen the return of timeless classics Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and The Biggest Loser in the US, along with Ready Steady Cook in the UK.
