Big
Brother: Not All Formats Are Created Equal
You may be thinking to yourself: why does it matter what
causes a TV show’s success? That
is an excellent question-glad you asked!
For countries that share the same values and norms as the program’s
country of origin, it actually may not be that important. They can most likely assume that what
draws the foreign audience will also attract their domestic audience. But what about countries that reject
what Western viewers enjoy? What if the aspects of Big Brother that
attract Western audiences are the very aspects that will repel their domestic viewers? This is exactly the issue
that Bahrain experienced when they attempted to air an Arabic version of Big
Brother.
Television programs provide viewers with a picture of a
society’s culture, values, and ideals.
With the ability to stream TV shows online, the Internet has allowed
people from all over the world to catch a glimpse into the lives of people
abroad without even having to leave their couch (not to mention save a ton on a
overseas plane ticket). However,
creating these programs requires access to a variety of resources and funds;
access that is not equal across the globe.
It’s no secret that the United States and European countries
have dominated the media industry.
The access these countries have to the necessary resources and funds is seemingly
endless. Due to this unfair
reality, countries abroad sometimes observe which programs are popular in the
Western countries and purchase the program’s format to adapt for their
country. While this solution sometimes
helps less fortunate countries economically, it also presents an issue: if the
format goes against a country’s central values, how likely is it to succeed? In order to further examine this
question, let’s take a look at the show Big
Brother ‘s journey around the globe, and focus on its short-lived air in the
Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain. 
Big Brother, originating in the Netherlands, is a
reality television show in which a group of men and women live together in a
house (some of you probably know where this is going). They are not allowed to leave and are under
constant surveillance through the use of in-house cameras (terrifying thought
for most). The name of the show comes
from the group of producers who monitor the contestants and assign them
housework and tasks, as well as games and challenges. Throughout the season, contestants are “evicted” from the
house until there is one remaining houseguest who wins a large amount of prize
money. Despite many, probably
obvious ethical uncertainties (like privacy) the TV show was an enormous hit
and the format was sold to many countries across the globe that hoped to
experience the same financial success as the countries that aired the show
before them.
The reason for the success of the show is widely debated
(Hill, 323). For Western
audiences, it’s no surprise that sex is a huge attractor; men and women living
in a house together, not allowed to leave…sexual tension seems almost
inevitable. And being stuck in a
house with the same people for an extended amount of time can become a bit irritating.
The resulting conflict is another attention grabber. Some viewers also tune-in
for the challenge of determining what parts of the show are realities, and what
parts the producers set up.
All of these factors are an American producer’s dream! Sex?!
Conflict?! Shut up and take my money.
And as it turns out, it was a hit in the U.S., along with an outrageous number
of other countries. However, when Bahrain attempted to realize the same
success, there was a bit of a different reaction.
Being the tiny nation that it is, Bahrain went to Saudi
Arabia for “permission” to air the show. Although Saudi Arabia advised against
it, they allowed them to air Big Brother with the conditions that it
will not be shot in Saudi Arabia and the cast members must be separate at all
times besides a main room. Although there was much anticipation for this
controversial program, it only remained on air for only 11 days.
Though there are different opinions on why the show was not
successful, one that cannot be denied is the fact that the show itself went
against everything the citizens and government value. The sexual tension and
conflict are not attractive qualities for a reality show in the Arabic
region. Not only can they not
relate to the show, many of the viewers were outraged. The show prompted riots
by citizens who were upset about the content that was being presented to the
public.
In a growing global environment, it’s easy to assume what is
successful in your country will be successful in ot But one must consider all of the things
that make each country individual: religions, languages, values, beliefs, etc.
If these do not align, it is likely a program will be resisted. Formatting offers a great alternative
for countries that may not have the funds to create domestic programming. And for countries that have already
realized economic success from programming, selling the format is just an added
bonus. However, as the case of Big
Brother has illustrated, if the domestic country wants to sell their
format, they need to be sure that it can be altered enough to appeal to the
foreign population. And on the same token, foreign countries need to be conscious
of the tastes and preferences of their people and make sure that those align
with what they are purchasing.
hers.
