Big Brother offers big value for data downloaders

Angus Kidman
Monday, 23 April 2007 08:23

Opinion and Analysis

As in previous years, the latest series of Big Brother is available for viewing via a prepaid service on Three's 3G network. Consumers can view a delayed live feed from the house, participate in chat rooms about the series, see exclusive housemate blogs, or watch 'catch up' episodes of Sunday night eviction broadcasts or Monday night eviction shows.

The partnership between Three and Ten got off to a rocky start over the weekend when images of the housemates were uploaded to an unsecured area of the site prior to their announcement on Sunday's debut episode of the series. An audience member was also reported to have sent an unauthorised audio feed online. However, despite those glitches, both organisations are hoping that the latest series of the long-running reality favourite will prove a hit on both free-to-air and mobile TV.

While enthusiasts can pay $1 for a 'day pass' or $2 for a single catch up viewing, by far the cheapest deal is the $6 a month unlimited pass. A Three spokesperson confirmed that this deal also includes all related data charges when accessed in a Three coverage area, making it arguably the cheapest mobile Internet and video service available. Business users would kill for such cheap rates on more general tasks such as sending email, though Transit can 't imagine the rates being generalised in that way any time soon.

Broadcasting officials will be paying close attention to the content of the mobile broadcasts following last year's controversy over the so-called 'turkey slapping' incident, which saw two housemates evicted. Both last year and in 2007, Three's mobile feed has been broadcast on a slight delay to ensure offensive content isn't accidentally broadcast.