'Big Brother' Pulling in Massive Numbers for CBS, Paramount+

Big Brother has had a rather successful summer. Variety reported that the 24th season of Big Brother has been watched for more than 8 billion minutes. This figure represents viewings of the Big Brother 24 episodes on CBS and the live feeds on the Paramount+ streaming app. 

According to the report, Big Brother 24 has been watched for 8.3 billion minutes since the season premiered on July 6. The publication was able to obtain this information thanks to Nielsen linear ratings and Paramount+ internal data that Paramount Global provided. Clearly, viewers have been tuning in to the Big Brother episodes on CBS and the live feeds, which showcase the houseguests 24/7.

Variety noted that this was the first time that Paramount Global has shared information about viewing figures for Paramount+. As of August, the streaming service currently boasts 43.3 million paid subscribers. Thanks to its dominance on both traditional television and streaming, Big Brother's numbers put it ahead of "every series on streaming services in engagement." CBS pointed out that Big Brother beat out shows such as Stranger Things, which was viewed for 8.05 billion minutes during the same time period for this record. 

"'Big Brother is the original cross-platform reality series and 24 seasons later it's still generating large audiences and engagement numbers across our CBS and Paramount platforms," Kelly Kahl, the president of CBS Entertainment, said about this report. "This data speaks loudly to the passion for the franchise, and how the power of broadcast television with strong streaming partners can aggregate an audience." The 24th season of Big Brother premiered on July 6 on CBS. Like always, the show features a group of houseguests who vie for power every week in Head of Household and Power of Veto competitions. 

Despite the fact that Big Brother 24 has seemingly been a popular season, the show has been met with controversy. The beginning of the season was marred by a bullying controversy, as the houseguests were under fire for their treatment of Taylor Hale. More recently, the show came under fire again when Kyle Capener alleged that all of the POC players were working together despite no evidence to suggest that this was happening. After his actions were brought to light by the other houseguests, Kyle was placed on the block and evicted unanimously. 

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