Why ‘Big Brother’ Can’t Keep Up: The Decline in Viewership Compared to Its Reality Rivals

For over two decades, Big Brother has been a staple of reality television, proving to be a juggernaut in the genre, especially throughout the 2000s. However, over the last five years, their total viewership has steadily declined, falling behind many of their competitors, such as Survivor or The Traitors, which have continued to draw substantial numbers throughout the 2020s. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Brother was already beginning to fall beneath the five million viewer threshold, but the most recent seasons have posted the worst total viewership in the program’s history. There is no doubt that strong competition and newer reality television series are stealing some of Big Brother’s ratings, but the format of the show has also become one of its biggest downfalls.

When Did ‘Big Brother’ Began to Lose its Audience?

According to TV Series Finale, Big Brother averaged 4,269,000 viewers for its 21st season in 2019, which was considered a disappointment due to pulling in over six million viewers for many seasons throughout the 2010s. Although posting over four million is impressive on cable, the real concern was Big Brother’s inability to draw the same audience as shows like Survivor or The Amazing Race, which consistently averaged six million viewers a week. However, where many reality television shows have either maintained or grown their audience since the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Brother has only continued to lose viewers. Last year, the show returned for its 26th season, and despite introducing a theme surrounding artificial intelligence, Big Brother only managed to average 2,783,000 viewers, making it the least-watched season in the show’s history.

On the surface, drawing over 2.5 million viewers in 2024 would be seen as a positive for many cable networks due to the rise of streaming services and the number of households that engaged in cord-cutting. However, its average viewership is still unacceptable compared to its rivals, who are finding success on multiple platforms. Reality competitions like The Traitors, Love Island, and RuPaul’s Drag Race have not only gained popularity from the uniqueness of their programming but also have been made available on several streaming services. Big Brother is on Paramount+ but fails to be featured on more subscribed services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video like many of the previous shows. That said, the primary factor behind Big Brother’s inability to grow its audience is likely due to the repetitive nature of its format.

‘Big Brother’ is a High Maintenance Show

Big Brother has traditionally aired three episodes a week since it started in 2000, requiring viewers to dedicate three to four hours weekly to keep up. In addition, the competition typically lasts 90 days each season, making the most glaring reason for Big Brother‘s declining viewership the amount of commitment they are looking for from their fanbase. Streaming services have allowed audiences to consume multiple shows at the same time, and usually, that becomes easier when some of those programs are low maintenance and only require the viewer to tune in once a week. Many of Big Brother‘s competitors, both on cable and streaming, still follow an episode-a-week format, with each installment of a show being an hour or two long. Big Brother has continued to deliver quantity over quality and has proven to fall short of many shows that only offer one episode a week. Big Brother never leaves its audience craving more content because it always provides too much, resulting in many episodes lacking intrigue and feeling like “filler” segments.

Furthermore, shows like Love Island and The Traitors have presented audiences with better ways to host a competition series with contestants isolated in one location. Love Island has competitors striving to find a new partner, and The Traitors features selected killers trying to eliminate their fellow house guests. Newer shows have added gimmicks to a format that Big Brother has used for decades, making the CBS staple feel bland by comparison.

Big Brother might be able to avoid being canceled due to the cult fanbase they have built for years, but their demanding watch schedule, lack of new ideas, and strong competition will continue to keep the show from growing its audience. Hopefully, with Big Brother season 30 coming up in a few years, they can plan something special to bring back former fans. However, to compete with its rivals, Big Brother needs to find a solution that intrigues and doesn’t overwhelm viewers.

Big Brother is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.