Big Brother Returning to Portugal After 14-Year Hiatus

TVI, the original Big Brother broadcaster in Portugal, has commissioned a new local version of the reality series that will be produced by Endemol Portugal.

Big Brother’s return to Portugal after 14 years is the sixth recent comeback deal to recently be confirmed for the format, with reboots in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Finland and Greece all commissioned in the last year. Big Brother has already successfully launched this year in multiple territories, including comeback markets Germany and Sweden along with India, Brazil and Israel, as well as Italy and Spain, where it is celebrating 20 continuous years on air.

The new Portuguese Big Brother series will be filmed in an existing location of a beachfront home, using state-of-the-art technology, including 57 cameras installed in the house, 45 of which will be robotic. The furnishings in the house are sustainable, using 100 percent recycled plastic as well as cork, one of Portugal’s biggest exports and a fully recyclable material.

Patricia Louro, executive producer at Endemol Portugal, said: “It is fantastic to see a true resurgence and renewed love for the original reality format, and the fact that audiences are still connecting with Big Brother globally, a format that is now 20-years-young. This a testament to the brilliant creative teams in Endemol Shine Group, who are able to continually refresh and reinvigorate who we collaborate with to enable us to be back on Portuguese screens. We’re especially pleased to film in an existing beachfront location, further proof how this format truly thrives in embracing tech.”