Channel 4 cancels ‘Big Brother’

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has confirmed it is cancelling Big Brother after the 2010 season, reports Variety.

C4’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, paid tribute to the iconic reality show that began in 2000. At its peak, the show was watched by a record-high eight million viewers during 2002, but has since dropped to two million in its current season, the show’s 10th.

“Some people think Big Brother is a pariah, but millions of people think it is the biggest thing on Channel 4,” said Lygo.

The show’s production company, Endemol, is surprised by the decision, and it’s unlikely that another U.K. broadcaster will grab the expensive reality series.

C4 was reportedly paying about $97 million per year since it renewed its contract in 2006. At the time, rival ITV made an offer, jacking up the price, and left C4 to sign a three-year deal worth $291 million.

“We are enormously proud of our partnership with Channel 4, where, as stated by the channel, Big Brother continues to be commercially successful a decade on,” said a statement by Endemol.

“Internationally, the format is a worldwide hit that is airing across 67 countries in 2009, including the U.S., where Big Brother 11 is having one of its most successful ever seasons after nine years on CBS.”

The show’s demise will offer C4 many more opportunities for other distributors to fill the huge gap in the schedule that will be left by the show.

During its 17-week seasons, Big Brother takes up an astonishing 200 hours of prime time on C4. That makes the U.S. version of the show seem like a half-hour laffer.

Source TV Guide