ENDEMOL SHINE’S “BIG BROTHER” MAKES A COMEBACK TO PORTUGAL

Endemol Shine Group announced that the reality television show “Big Brother” will come back to Portugal after being off-air for 14 years. The show’s new version, commissioned by its original broadcaster, TVI, will be produced by Endemol Portugal. The show’s return in Portugal marks the sixth comeback confirmed to be commissioned for Sweden, Germany, Poland, Finland and Greece in the past year. “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,” Patricia Louro, Executive Producer, Endemol Portugal said.

It’s been 20 years since “Big Brother” first aired in the Netherlands. Since then, the format has achieved 471 series with 28,391 episodes, all of which are commissioned in 60 countries and airing pan regionally in 80. 7,153 housemates around the world have joined the show and spent 35-143 days in the house. There have been a total of 5,035 evictions.

This year, “Big Brother” successfully made a comeback to markets in Germany, Sweden, Israel, Brazil, and India. The show is also celebrating 20 consecutive years on television in Spain and Italy. This month, the series broke records in Brazil with over 416 million votes in one eviction. The Israeli premier on Reshet was the highest rating a reality series received since its premiere on Channel 10/Reshet Merger. Its comeback in Germany earlier this month was the number one show of the day for Sat. 1.

Last year, “Big Brother” formed part of Endemol Shine’s traveling formats from 12 countries, along with “MasterChef,” “Legomsters,” “All Together Now,” “The Wall,” “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 such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “The Biggest Loser” in the US and “Ready Steady Cook” in the UK.

The Portuguese version of “Big Brother” will be in a beachfront home using state-of-the-art technology, including 57 cameras installed in the house, 45 of which are robotic. This method, used for both previous versions will require 48 microphones and more than 16 kilometers of cables. The furnishings in the house are made of 100% sustainable recycled plastic and cork, which is one of Portugal’s biggest exports. “This a testament to the brilliant creative teams in Endemol Shine Group, who can continually refresh and reinvigorate who we collaborate with to enable us to be back on Portuguese screens,” Louro said. “We’re especially pleased to film in an existing beachfront location, further proof how this format truly thrives in embracing tech.”