CBS plans celebrity edition of ‘Big Brother’ for winter

CBS is extending the “Big Brother” franchise into the regular September-May season with plans for its first celebrity edition of the show set to air this winter.

The move marks the first time the housebound reality-competition series has aired outside of the summer months since 2008, when CBS fired up a special edition of the show to help fill the primetime void during the 100-day writers strike.

The cast for the show has yet to be announced. Julie Chen will host. CBS-owned cabler Pop TV will again carry the live companion show “Big Brother After Dark,” offering an unfiltered feed of the goings-on in the house during the late-night hours.

See the current "Big Brother" contestants:

“ ‘Big Brother’ has been dominating pop culture throughout its 19 seasons, and it is exciting to grow the franchise with the first-ever celebrity edition in the U.S.,” said longtime “Big Brother” executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan.

“Big Brother” has been a summer staple for CBS since 2000, with episodes airing three times a week. This summer the show’s 19th season has averaged a solid 7.5 million viewers, ranking as top five summer series in adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

“Big Brother” hails from Endemol Shine North America.

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