Reality TV show ‘Big Brother’ plans Chinese version online

BEIJING, China – A Chinese online video site says it is bringing the “Big Brother” reality TV show to China.

Youku Tudou Inc. said a Chinese version of the program will run for 10 weeks early next year and production is due to start soon. It is collaborating with Endemol China, a new operation that has been established in Beijing, according to a statement by both companies on Tuesday.

In “Big Brother,” people are filmed living together in a large house in which they have no contact with the outside world. The program began 15 years ago and has been made in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa and elsewhere in Asia.

Youku Tudou runs two of China’s private online streaming sites that attract a young audience and have operated with fewer of the restrictions that state-run TV broadcasters face, allowing them to introduce more varied and foreign content.

However, regulators have signalled in recent months a tightening of control over the industry, including future mandatory approval for foreign TV shows and movies shown online.