True to its Orwellian name, “Big Brother” will be hard to get away from this summer.
The CBS reality show, which begins its seventh season tonight at 8, will boost its online presence considerably for the forthcoming “All-Stars” edition, and fans will be able to subscribe to mobile-phone content related to the show as well.
The new content will exist alongside the show’s traditional offering of round-the-clock views inside the “Big Brother” house.
Although broadcast networks are making major pushes into the digital world this fall, the “Big Brother” extras will be among the most extensive multiplatform efforts for a single show to date.
CBS’ broadband channel innertube will offer complete episodes of “Big Brother,” with each installment put online the day after it airs on television. Episodes will be archived for the full run, allowing fans to catch up, should they miss one of the thrice-weekly shows.
The innertube episodes will be free, but the live “Big Brother” feeds, a collaboration between CBS and Real Networks, will cost you. The package is $14.99 a month, or $39.99 for advance purchase of all three months.
The network’s Web site will continue airing “House Calls,” the daily streaming-video talk show about the series, and the Head of Household will keep a blog for the show’s run.
True obsessives can also subscribe to the “Big Brother Mobile Pack,” a service that will provide cell phone users with video clips, alerts to action inside the house and contestant diaries. Most major wireless carriers will feature the service.
Viewers will be able to vote on aspects of the game via text messaging without subscribing to the mobile package.
