Wasn't the phone vote in BB1 only 10p and that's gone UP.

In BB1 and maybe BB2, part of the money went to charity and that doesn't happen anymore.

The trend for the 25p text vote is more likely to be upwards.

I find it very unlikely that it will be allowed to go up over the medium term given the cost of keeping such a service going averages out at less than 1p a text. The regulators will get involved sooner or later - remember too that it is kids under 16 who are often the ones making these purchases.

...it is odd, what with Oftel's recent regulation recommendation; that these companies can still charge such sums etc etc...

The 25p is on top of the cost of the text charge.
Has the regulator any jurisdiction over the 25p Channel 4 charge and isn't it similar to a premium call rate, where you can charge what you like?

We should ask one of these guys

Channel4-Endemol-TwoWayTV's agreement

Channel 4, independent producer Endemol Entertainment UK and interactive specialist Two Way TV have signed an agreement to allow the latest series of Big Brother's viewers to use their television remote control handset to vote out a nominated housemate.

Two Way TV has enabled digital cable viewers on NTL, who are watching Big Brother on E4, to cast votes via their handset - by pressing the red button on an interactive panel which appears around the broadcast picture, containing the names of evictees. The viewer presses the relevant number alongside their chosen name. This will cost 25p a go but there are polls and votes and viewers receive constantly updated information about what is going on in the Big Brother house.

Two Way TV's Head of Business Affairs Tracy Munro says, "Casting your vote for the person you most dislike is at the centre of Big Brother and by being able to do that by pressing a button on your remote makes that process even easier. We anticipate it will prove, pro rata, preferable to picking up the phone. With E-Victor, the game is inextricably linked to the programme. You can't win unless you've watched."

Channel 4's Head of Interactive Television Peter Good says, "With this year's series we wanted to build on the cross platform success of Big Brother by adding new TV elements. Two Way TV has a wealth of experience in allowing viewers to interact with content through their remote controls. This technology will allow viewers to experience the drama of Big Brother in a new way."

In the UK the Two Way TV channel is available to NTL and Telewest digital cable subscribers. It will also be on digital terrestrial broadcast platform ONdigital from summer 2001. Recent deals will see Two Way TV creating interactive content for MTV and working with top games developer Infogrames.

I'm not mystic_nutmeg but I'll answer anyway. The answer is yes, so that means every eviction in BB3 got over a million votes. While only one in BB4 has topped a million so far.

Week 7 - PJ evicted - 1,355,126
Week 8 - Tim evicted - 1,452,005
Week 9 - Kate wins - 8,572,373

Thanks munkeee!

I hope you don't mind if I make a small correction ....

Week 8 -- 1,781,989 total votes (of which Tim 1,452,005   and Alex 329,984)

Doh! Thanks mystic_nutmeg for pointing it out

I am gobsmacked that they are still making that sort of money even now over a million and a quarter in 6 weeks.

Just point out one thing, premium line revenue is split aproximately 50/50 with BT or whoever supplies the lines, probably BT as the main sponser is their sister mobile group.

Just goes to show though what a cash cow BB is, no wonder they can afford private jets for the swap.

How much do they share with C4? Or do C4 have to bite the bullet and actually pay Endemol to produce the programme?

My god Endemol (worldwide television domination) Inc really are rolling in it even when they come up with a s**t version this year.

I don't know the split of income on BB but 02's usual deal with small clients on votes via txt is to make no charge upfront to put the system in place but to then charge 15p for each txt vote to cover the telecom costs. The remaining 10p profit is then split 50/50. In other words 02 takes 20p and the client takes 5p. On that deal Endemol/C4 would be getting only 20% of the figures shown above. But of course they may have done a completely different deal.

The voting and txt income, while substantial, is peripheral to the huge income generated from selling the format licence around the world and from the ad revenue to C4/E4. BB is responsible for more than 50% of the entire annual ratings for E4, for example.

All of the housemates get free bed and board (sometimes poor rations) and the winner gets £70K. But that is nothing compared to the huge revenues generated by the series. If the HMs go on to make money themselves after that is their own affair and even then the producers are often acting as their agents scraping another 20% off the top. So in that sense BB is quite exploitative.

Just wondering how the Dutch is coming along!?

A good impression of the Dutch
and the ugliest language in the world - is to say "dopping da penn in da ink" - very fast - in english dipping the pen in the ink

I completely forgot that the money used to go partially to charity... I think it's disgusting they stopped that.

I reckon that the texting could be a valid reason for WHY voting is down so much. I would never spend more than £1 on BB a week - and I presume other people a;lso have limits, lower or higher. Some of their money probably goes on the inane texts now, and some on voting, whereas before it was all voting.

All Endamol programmes i.e Who wants to be a millionare,BB and numerous others, some still in the pipeline make money from participants trying to engage in the programme.
Its called interactive television,Im just suprised its took you so long to work it out.
As well as wasting your life watching this rubbish you want to give them money!

The lottery makes shitloads of profit for Camelot. I agree that BB's and other reality TV shows are so ubiquitous because of the profitability of the shows rather than public interest. I think we all agree that the reality TV genre is saturated. But the media cos are not letting go of these dollars - except of course Celeb BB (charitable element) which was hanged. The TV cos are desperate to keep the masses happy - that is why they subsidise the papers and other media to keep on covering BB like it's front page news. In fact, we are being brainwashed into accepting that this reality TV genre is here to stay whether we like it or not, when in fact most of us would rather watch the Learning Zone, a good documentary or film.