Weeks before its third U.S. season is set to wrap up, NBC has ordered a fourth season of its popular weight-loss reality TV series, "The Biggest Loser."

ADVERTISEMENT

So far in its third season the Wednesday night series has an average audience of 7.4 million viewers, more than 2 million less than its sophomore effort, yet NBC felt the reality show remained a valuable commodity for 2007, Zap2it.com reported.

"'The Biggest Loser' is a valuable franchise and proven competitor in a very challenging time period," NBC exec Kevin Reilly said of the move. "The producing team has come up with unique ways to keep the series fresh, and we anticipate the next cycle will continue to produce life-changing results for the contestants and jaw-dropping reveals for the viewers."

RELATED LINKS RealityTVWorld: The Biggest Loser SirLinkALot: The Biggest Loser The Biggest Loser Message Boards More The Biggest Loser 4 News

One cause for this season's poor ratings could be "Loser's" stiff Wednesday night competition, which includes ABC's blockbuster "Lost" and CBS's popular crime drama, "Criminal Minds."

Meanwhile, the series' current season is set to select its weight loss winner and present them with its $250,000 top prize on its upcoming Dec. 13 finale, the Web site said.