Paramount+ Finally Adding Highly Demanded Reality TV Series

Reality TV junkies rejoice, the long-awaited U.S. premiere of Big Brother Canada is coming to Paramount+ next month! American fans have been dying for a place to watch this international spinoff and now they’ll finally have it. The first three seasons of Big Brother Canada, as well as Season 5 and 7, will be added to Paramount+ on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

By now, Big Brother is a familiar format to reality TV fans, but they’re still always eager to see more of it. This is an easy way to get it to them. Big Brother Canada premiered in 2013 on the Canadian channel Slice (before moving to Global soon after) and has aired almost continuously ever since, adopting most of the format changes and updates that its American counterpart has along the way. There are nine seasons of the show in total, but it’s not clear if the rest of the show will come to Paramount+ eventually or not.

Of course, watching the show on a streaming service won’t have quite the same impact as watching it in real-time during a broadcast season. Big Brother isolates its contestants together in one house, where they need to live together and avoid elimination until the very end to win a cash prize. Those watching in real-time can always tune in to a live feed of the house and can participate in lively discussions about the show on social media.

The U.S. version of the Big Brother typically dominates CBS’ broadcast schedule each season, and spinoff versions tend to draw traffic as well. With that in mind, some fans are reportedly hoping that some outlet in the U.S. will broadcast Big Brother Canada in real-time too. There’s no hint of plans for that yet, but the move to Paramount+ is a good start.

CBS has already found a lot of success in integrating reality TV into its streaming services. Back when Paramount+ was called CBS All Access, it was host to the spinoff Big Brother: Over the Top. CBS All Access and now Paramount+ have also been the exclusive home of the Big Brother live feeds since 2016.

Big Brother Canada joins Paramount+ on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Season 12 and 13 of Big Brother Australia will also be added to Paramount+ on the same date. The show has been renewed for a tenth season in Canada, but it has no premiere date yet.  The U.S. version of Big Brother is expected back this summer on CBS.