Big Brother fever is kicking into full gear, as the series launches into its 25th season.
After nearly a decade and a half on the air, the popular reality television show has its formula down pat. It knows exactly what the people want, and it delivers it in tidy, hour-long blocks several times a week. This approach certainly seems to be working — if the show’s persisting fanbase, 25 seasons in, is any indication — and the show’s viewer base only seems to grow year over year.
Some of this likely has to do with the increased accessibility the show now offers. Back in the day, when the series launched in 2000, viewers had to catch fresh episodes when they aired on cable. If they missed their time slot, they’d be in the dark for the remainder of the season. These days, things are much easier, leaving viewers with a multitude of Big Brother viewing options.
Watch Big Brother live on CBS
The first option is also the most obvious. Since serialized television began, people with televisions have been able to tune in at specific times to catch their favorite programs. Even in the age of streaming, this option is still accessible to anyone with access to CBS.
Fresh episodes of Big Brother air on CBS three times weekly, typically on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8pm ET. Once the 2023-2024 television season begins in September, however, that Wednesday time slot with shift to Tuesday, leaving the latter half of the season airing on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from September through November.
Big Brother on streaming
The era of streaming comes with positives and negatives, but one persisting positive is the ability to watch television on your own schedule. No more cancelling plans so you can stay in and catch a fresh episode — if you’re busy during the typical airtime, you can always watch a missed episode later, on streaming.
Big Brother is available on several streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount Plus. Only one has access to each of the show’s existing 24 seasons, however, and streams fresh episodes within days of their initial airing.
If you’re looking for specific episodes of the series, or to simply rehash a favorite season, you can try out Netflix or Hulu. The former currently provides access to seasons 10 and 17, commercial free, but you’ll be in the dark about every other season. Hulu’s in a similar situation, with streaming access to seasons 3 and 7, but no others.
Only on Paramount Plus will you find access to every season, including season 25. If you’re looking to enjoy the show via the reasonably-priced streaming service, look for fresh episodes to arrive around 24 hours after they air on CBS. That is, unless you’ve got the Showtime bundle — those users have instantaneous access. They can watch the season as it airs live, via their Paramount Plus/Showtime bundle, rather than waiting a day like the rest of us.
Big Brother live feeds
That’s not all. On top of the show’s live and streaming options, there’s the 24/7 feed. One of the biggest elements behind Big Brother‘s formula is the constant — and we mean constant — surveillance. The HouseGuests are always in front of the camera, and anyone with the interest — and plenty of time on their hands — can tune in whenever they want, 24 hours a day.
The show’s official live-feed will kick off with the season’s first episode, and is accessible on the CBS website. It runs around the clock, and, while some time periods are sure to be boring, tuning in can provide a much deeper look into the people behind those edited down moments that air live. The same feed is also available on Paramount Plus.
