CBS has announced that for the first time in Big Brother's seven seasons, all of this summer's Big Brother 7: All-Stars episodes will be available for free viewing via CBS.com.
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The decision to release Big Brother 7: All-Stars' episodes for free Internet streaming represents a new milestone in CBS's online strategy. After initially partnering with Google Video to make individual episodes of CSI, NCIS, and Survivor and some older programming available for online purchase and download late last year and then, earlier this year, beginning to make paid Survivor downloads available via CBS.com, the network announced in early June that it would begin making episodes of CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, NCIS, NUMB3RS, and Survivor available for download and purchase via Apple's iTunes Music Store.
innertube, launched earlier this spring after the network already partnered with Google's video service and begun offering Survivor episodes of purchase via CBS.com, had thus far focused on focused offering free streams of new original Internet programs and supplemental programming like behind-the-scenes features and interviews. Big Brother 7: All-Stars will be the first CBS primetime television program to be available in its entirety on innertube. According to CBS's initial innertube announcement, streaming encores of other CBS primetime programming is expected to be made available via the online broadband channel in the coming months.
While Big Brother 7: All-Stars' broadcast episodes will be available for free online streaming, the network won't be extending that policy to the show's non-broadcast video content -- as they have in previous seasons, the show's live Internet feeds will remain available by paid subscription only. Just like in previous years, CBS -- in a rather futile attempt to prevent live feed viewers from discovering Big Brother happenings before they are broadcast in primetime -- will continue to "block or delay... a limited number of real-time events that transpire in the house."
Also new to this year's interactive offerings is the "Big Brother Mobile Pack," a mobile subscription package that will allow Big Brother viewers to receive video clips, photos, live breaking house alerts and daily insider summaries on their cell phones.
Big Brother 7: All-Stars will premiere Thursday, July 6 at 8PM ET/PT.
