26/08/2009

Big Brother 'You Have Been Evicted'

Channel 4 is to ditch reality TV show Big Brother after one more series next year.

The broadcaster is ending a decade in which the show has dominated summer viewing.

Ratings have plummeted in recent years, with the current series being the least watched.

Channel 4 will not renew its deal with programme-maker Endemol, but will honour its deal to screen the 11th series next summer.

Kevin Lygo, Channel 4 Director of Television, described the decision as "bittersweet" and conceded that "had it been rating four to five million we might have thought again".

He said: "It's been on for long enough; if it was purely a commercial decision, we would renegotiate the price and keep it going."

However the show is not expected to disappear from our TV screens entirely as makers Endemol could secure a deal with another broadcaster.

(GK/BMcC)

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