The Australian edition of the reality show "Big Brother" won't return to Network Ten after its seventh season ends this month, the network said.

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Ten chief executive Grant Blackley told the BBC his network was "confident this is the right decision at the right time."

"We are immensely proud of the show and the incredible success it has enjoyed," programming head David Mott added. "We're ending the season on a high. 'Big Brother' is the undisputed granddaddy of modern, commercial reality television in Australia. Today's reality dramas have all, on some level, been inspired by 'Big Brother.'"

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Versions of the show, which challenges a group of strangers to live together under one roof and be filmed 24 hours a day, have aired in 40 countries.

A spokeswoman for Endemol, the production company that owns the "Big Brother" format, told the BBC: "It's by no means being axed. It's just the contract won't be renewed for 2009.

So there's every opportunity for a broadcaster to step in and take over."