It’s the news you’ve been waiting for Big Brother fans. CBS announced today that Big Brother 9 will premiere on Tuesday, February 12 at 9pm ET/PT. Like past Big Brothers, Big Brother 9 will air three times a week, but unlike previous summer installments, this latest Big Brother will air Tuesdays (at 8pm), Wednesdays (at 9pm) and on Sundays (at 9pm). The Wednesday premiere will be February 13, and the Sunday premiere February 17. CBS also announced the premiere date for season 16 of Survivor. The long running reality series will debut Thursday, February 7 at its usual 8pm ET/PT time slot. No word on the location for Survivor 16.
This Big Brother news is big on a number of fronts and, not to take away from Big Brother fans, it’s most significant as a sign that the writers’ strike is nowhere near ending. At the very least, it shows CBS’s lack of confidence in an imminent resolution. Three hours is a significant portion of prime time real estate, especially for a network that performs as well in the ratings as CBS does. As for Big Brother fans, the prospect of two seasons virtually back to back has to be salivating. Big Brother is a great little franchise to have during a strike, and I’m sure CBS is just fine with their situation relative to the other networks.
Survivor 16’s premiere date is no surprise, but there are sure to be some big announcements regarding the series soon. There have been rumors flying about for months that the next season of Survivor would be another all-star edition. Chances are this is the case. More rumors have stated that Survivor 16 would be staying in China because the Survivor team loved working on the current season so much. I doubt that rumor is true. Also, Jeff Probst’s contract is up after Survivor 16 and it could be his last.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
