What is Live Streaming?

Live Streaming is a continuous feed from inside the Big Brother House that starts on launch night when the Housemates first arrive and continues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week right up to the moment when the final Housemate leaves on finale night. Although only scheduled to play on E4 at certain times, the Live Streaming is available throughout the entire series on Red Button services any time of day or night during non-Big Brother programming.

As with any programme shown on TV, the output has to adhere to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code. Because the Live Streaming is a continuous feed, the editing process is quite different to that of a pre-recorded, pre-delivered programme. In our case, the edits are limited to either dipping sound or replacing images with 'safe' shots of the house, and we have only a matter of minutes to make these decisions.

The cuts are made for a number of reasons, the most common being:

Watershed Issues

As you may know, the Watershed is at 9pm, and output becomes pre-Watershed once again at 5.30am - although, as Streaming is available on the E4+1 service, our morning watershed kicks in from 4.30am.

Many of the cuts made between 4.30am and 9pm are therefore because of strong or offensive language, conversations of an adult or sexual nature, nudity or behaviour and activities that are deemed to be inappropriate pre-Watershed.

It's not exactly cut and dry - we have to take context into consideration at all times. For example, Housemates may decide to talk about a difficult or adult subject in a considered and calm debate, which may actually be fine to transmit in the morning or afternoon for those very reasons - much as such subjects are discussed maturely in daytime magazine or talk shows.

As we approach the Watershed in the early evening, we may gradually include slightly stronger lower level language and conversations that are generally more acceptable at those times. The closer we get to 9pm, the more relaxed we can be on these issues, but we will always 'ease into' post Watershed content rather than jump straight in at 9pm with loads of swearing and naughtiness; we will do a similar thing from 3am, gradually reining back in the lead-up to the 4.30am watershed close.

It is a known fact that many Housemates do swear, just as in life, and while they must be allowed the freedom to express themselves - and as you know, some can be a lot more expressive than others! - we have to remove all inappropriate and strong language for pre-Watershed hours in accordance with Ofcom's Code.

We understand how frustrating these cuts can be, especially when they can be so frequent - but they are necessary and unavoidable, and without them we would not be able to broadcast live coverage from the House.

The second most common, and perhaps surprising, reason for cutting is:

Music

As you may know, all modern music is copyrighted, and any use of such music in a tv programme - however brief - needs to be cleared with the holder of the rights and a payment made for its use. Some music will be specially cleared in advance for inclusion in the main Big Brother shows - such as the 'wake up' music or music that is played for a task or for a party - but will not have been cleared for Streaming. During these, sometimes prolonged, times we have no choice but to dip the sound for the duration the music is playing.

But this rule doesn't just apply to published music - it also extends to any music 'performance' and this includes all singing, humming, whistling and any music played on instruments by the Housemates. As you know Housemates frequently launch into song, (sometimes throughout the day they continue to sing the song they may have heard first thing in the morning!), and often this musicality become infectious, sometimes leading into whole sessions of singing a particular artist or genre as they bond.

We may be able to clear this in time for broadcast in the main Big Brother programme or the sister shows, but we have no time to do so for Live Streaming.

So as soon as a Housemate starts to sing a tune, we have to cut to be sure we are not infringing copyright.

Another important aspect we have to consider is:

Privacy Issues

Housemates sign contracts allowing Big Brother to show them 'warts and all', but this may not necessarily extend to very personal and sensitive or medical information that bears no relevance to the other Housemates or to the Big Brother game. Any mention of such detail will be cut out of respect for the Housemate's intimate privacy.

Equally critical is what we call Third Party Privacy. Housemates often talk about friends, family, colleagues or former employers, and while some of this information may be deemed innocuous and harmless, we would mostly cut this type of information as those parties have not given consent for personal information to be disclosed on television - though it does depend on context. If, for example, a generic, non-offensive and well-meaning remark is made about a parent, or something said about an un-named, un-identifiable friend or relative, then it may be deemed fine for broadcast.

Much less common but still necessary cuts made are to do with:

Libel

Libel or defamation may arise when a comment is made about an individual, or a company or its products/services which would tend to make a reasonable person think less of them as a result. At worst this may be an allegation that they have acted in a criminal way, or it may be a much less serious suggestion, for example, that they have lied, acted dishonourably or been hypocritical.

It is therefore very important to identify when such comments are made and remove them accordingly in line with the Ofcom Code.

Less frequent, but just as important are:

Due Impartiality and Undue Prominence of Views and Opinions

All Housemates are entitled to express themselves, including their beliefs and opinions - but we have to carefully monitor for balance. For example, if a Housemate or Housemates should decide to use their time on Big Brother as a soapbox for extreme, one-sided and/or political views, for example, then Live Streaming audio may need to be cut at such times. However, if the views and opinions are balanced by those of other Housemates, then they may be fine to show.

Commercial References

As you may know, the production team go to great lengths to cover brand names on food and household products used in the House, and cover up any prominent brands on clothing. But should a Housemate, for example, try to pitch themselves as the new face of a leading cosmetics company by always using their products in full view around the House, or constantly mentioning one particular brand in a promotional way, then we would also need to cut this from Live Streaming in accordance with Ofcom's Code.

and finally:

Editorial Reasons

Live Streaming is just one part of the Big Brother experience. It offers the viewer the opportunity to witness, real-time, events that are taking place in the House. However, there are some moments when showing a particular activity would spoil the surprise of something that will be revealed later in the main Big Brother shows - so at these very infrequent times we also need to cut away from the action.

Your Enjoyment In Our Hands

While the above categories on their own may amount to a relatively small amount of cutting, when they are all taking place simultaneously, and among a large number of Housemates, then the cuts can add up to a significant amount.

But we will try very hard not to over-cut, keeping in mind that the Housemates are all adults and that E4 is aimed at younger adults and as a youth brand it frequently challenges convention - so we will never make cuts arbitrarily. But we still have to make absolutely sure that we act according to Ofcom's Code.

Rest assured that we have a very experienced team of Compliance Editors working 24 hours a day viewing the live coverage of Big Brother, using the latest in editing technology to try to keep the number of cuts to an absolute minimum, and the duration of each sound dip as short as possible. This summer we will also try to convey to viewers exactly why many of the longer cuts are taking place.

Lastly, our experience has shown us that there are always more gaps in the first few weeks because of the number of people in the House all wanting their voice to be heard. But as Housemates relax into the series and get to know each other the number of gaps in sound will drop, and decrease even more as Housemates are evicted.