Summary
Big Brother26 has changed the way viewers experience the show,disrupting the live feeds so drastically that it could ruin the series as viewers have known it for over two decades.Big Brotheris one of the longest-running reality TV competition shows, having consistently been on the air since 2000. In recent years,Big Brotherdeveloped a spin-off series for the holiday season and celebrated its 25th season of competition, marking a major milestone for the series as it moves intoBig Brother26. With a new season of competition coming in the months ahead,BBseason is here.
Big Brotherhas had a marked difference from most other reality TV series throughout its run, offering unfiltered accessto the houseguests on their 24-hour live feeds. Originally, the live feeds were a separate entity fromBig Brother,purchased from outside vendors and truly uncensored before moving under the Paramount umbrella in recent years. As the live feeds have become a bigger part of theBBexperience with the rise of social media, the producers behindBig Brotherhavemade a change to the live feed experience that will drastically alter the way viewers are able to followthe game.
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Big Brother’s Live Feeds Have Limited What The Audience Can See
The Removal Of Flashback & Frequent Cuts Limit Information
After experiencing frequent cuts away from the feeds duringBig Brother25, viewers were ready to experience similar annoyances throughout theBig Brother26 season, but things have changed even more drastically this summer. BeforeBig Brother26’s season premiere, it was revealed that there would be no rewind feature (called “flashback” forBBfans) for the feeds this year. While the flashback feature was a helpful tool for those who couldn’t watch the live feeds in real-time,one of the main reasons the feature was used was to verify things that had happened in the houseand prevent misinformation.
While viewers who watch the feeds are used to them cutting out for competition and moments with technical delays, it’s traditional for the feeds to run at a near-constant pace throughout the summer.Big Brotherviewers have noticed more cuts to a “We’ll Be Right Back” screen earlier in the season and recent years. In the first days ofBig Brother26’s live feeds, the feeds have been down roughly 15% each day (viaFeedsBot) traditionally during the houseguests waking hours.This limits the amount of information viewers have access to, changing the way the audience interacts with the show
BB’s Live Feeds Flashback Removal Makes It Hard For Disabled Viewers To Keep Up
Many Are Reporting Issues Understanding The Houseguests
Although the flashback feature was more ofa luxury forBig Brotherviewers, removing the feature has caused major backlash from the show’s audience. For some, eliminating flashback has much larger ramifications than simply missing out on live content.Big Brotherviewers with disabilities have reported that their interaction with the feeds has been nearly impossible, as they relied on the feature to be able to piece together conversations. As the live feeds are live-streamed, there are no closed captioning options available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Many would, instead, lip read each conversation, rewinding to catch both sides.
While some viewers are reporting that they’re unable to keep up with the feeds without the flashback feature, others are simply finding it difficult to figure out what’s happening on the feeds in general. With no flashback feature, many are struggling to jump from conversation to conversation and put together what’s happening in the house. TheBig Brotherlive feedsfeature four cameras split between two rooms in the house at any time. Without the ability to rewind or pause,viewers must choose between the conversations and forego the one they don’t select, regardless of potential importance to the game.
BB Viewers Have Been Spreading Misinformation & Jumping To Conclusions
Big Brother Fans Are Posting Fake Updates Online
Without the flashback feature to verify what’s happened on the live feeds,many have found that they’re seeing odd updates online without the ability to confirm they’re real. While this happens every season,the inability to fact-check on the feeds has created an entirely new wave of misinformation from viewers looking to cause chaos online. With update accounts on social media doing their best to provide accurate, factual updates to confirm what’s happening, it’s difficult to stop the spread of misinformation entirely. While some of the false information being spread is innocuous, some of it is damning against the houseguests.
As someBig Brotherviewers are being plagued by misinformation, others are struggling to remain positive about the houseguests well-being after being unable to confirm what’s happening on the live feeds. Throughout the first week of competition,currentBB26 houseguest Angela Murrayhas been suffering from sleep deprivation and some level of paranoia after winning Head Of Household. With frequent cuts during what appear to be emotional outbursts from Angela,viewers have been jumping to conclusions about her mental state, or postulating that someone has chosen to self-evictdue to the feeds being down for extended periods of time.
While feed cuts can be irritating even in small doses, the large swaths of times that the feeds are down throughout the early moments of the season have been difficult for some to cope with. Instead of focusing on the more realistic possibilities of technical issues orthe possibility that CBS is attempting to keep some of the big drama a secret before the edited weekly episodesof the series, viewers have chosen to jump to dramatic conclusions without the ability to confirm their information. The changes in the live feeds have created some major issues for longtimeBBfans.
The BB Live Feed Changes Have Made It Tough To Enjoy The Show In The Same Way
Viewers Have Already Reported Less Interest
With theBig Brotherlive feed viewersmaking up a specific set of the long-time audience of the series, there have been some major issues with the way feeds have been rolled out forBB26. While the majority of live feed viewers are still watching the show, the frequent cuts and inability to flashback has changed the way many feeders want to interact with the series. As a live feed viewer,I believe that the new live feed experience will impact the way I enjoy the showas a whole, as the weekly episodes don’t show everything that happens.
Without the ability to rewind or pause, I won’t be able to confirm what I’m seeing reported online, which could color my perceptions of the houseguests differently. As aBig Brotherviewer, I like to be able to make my own judgments about the houseguests behavior without the lens of production skewing my view or other viewers painting the scenes a certain way. Without flashback and with more frequent long feeds cuts that limit the amount of time I get to see the houseguests on the feeds,I’m concerned that my enjoyment ofBig Brothermay be limited this summer.
Big Brother
Cast
Big Brotheris a reality game show that is based on a Dutch series of the same name. Each season, contestants, known as HouseGuests, live in the same house and compete for upwards of $500,000. Contestants are constantly monitored by cameras placed throughout the house and are voted out each week in an eviction
