){kind=link}
Big Brother 2020 is scheduled to begin on August 5 at 9 PM EST (6 PM PST). To help make up for the slightly longer than normal wait, the series will kick off with a special two-hour-long episode, followed by a new episode each Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. There’s certainly plenty to look forward to, and below, we’ll let you know how to live stream Big Brother 2020 from anywhere in the world.
You should note that this post will only recommend official sources. Big Brother is a hugely popular show, and as such, will almost certainly be available on shady streaming sites. However, these sites tend to offer laggy, low-resolution video, and their streams could be taken offline for copyright violation at any moment. It’s easy to stream Big Brother online anyway, so there’s no need to resort to unreliable third-party streams.
Unfortunately, Big Brother 2020 will only be shown on region-locked platforms. As such, you’ll need a VPN to watch it from abroad.
How to stream Big Brother season 22 abroad with a VPN
With the right VPN, it’s easy to access region-locked sites and services abroad. Follow the steps below to unblock and stream Big Brother live from outside America.
Here’s how to watch Big Brother 2020 online from anywhere:
- First of all, start by signing up for a suitable VPN. We particularly reccomend ExpressVPN but NordVPN and Surfshark are two excellent, low-cost alternatives.
- Download and install the VPN software. Most providers offer apps for a variety of platforms, so make sure to get the correct version for your device.
- Connect to one of your VPN’s US servers (the city doesn’t matter in this case).
- Try watching a video on CBS. It should load instantly but if you see an error (“Oops! This video isn’t available in your region.”), clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then reload the page.
Big Brother 2020 will air live, so we recommend running through the steps above well before the first episode is due to begin. This way, you’ll know of any problems in advance and will have time to get help from your VPN’s customer support team, instead of missing the start of the season.
How to watch Big Brother 2020 live on US TV
The new season of Big Brother will air exclusively on CBS. If CBS is included in your cable TV subscription, you can sign in and start streaming immediately at no added cost. Don’t have cable? Don’t worry: you can also log in with several different over-the-top services.
Currently, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and fuboTV all let you watch CBS live online. You could also sign up for CBS All Access: this platform costs $5.99 USD per month, and it not only lets you watch Big Brother 2020 but also grants you access to every previous series. These platforms all offer a free trial (usually one week), so you can use each of them to watch a few episodes for free.
All of the streaming platforms above are region-locked. This means that you’ll have to connect to a US VPN server to use them abroad. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to stream Big Brother risk-free; if you’re unimpressed, just cancel within 30 days for a full refund.
Can I watch international versions of Big Brother online?
It might surprise you to know that over a dozen countries have their own spinoff of the show. Below, we’ll let you know which networks are showing Big Brother in your country:
Canada
Global will be showing new episodes of Big Brother 22 at the same time that they air in the US. Better still, this service is entirely free to use, and also allows you to watch old seasons of Big Brother Canada (or BBCAN, as it’s affectionately known). You don’t even have to sign up!
Global is geo-restricted, so you’ll have to either be in Canada or connected to a Canadian VPN server in order to stream anything.
UK
Unfortunately, Big Brother won’t be returning to the UK any time soon, having been unceremoniously canceled back in 2018. This also applies to Celebrity Big Brother, which was due to begin its 23rd season. To make matters worse, there’s currently no official way to stream older seasons online. Remember, if you’re only in the UK temporarily, you can access streaming services from your home country using a VPN.
Italy
Italy’s version of Big Brother is called Grand Fratello, and it recently finished its sixteenth series, as well as a celebrity spinoff named Grand Fratello VIP. It’s possible to stream these free of charge on Mediaset, and you don’t even have to create an account to do so.
Mediaset is only available in Italy, so to watch Grand Fratello abroad, you’ll have to use a VPN.
Other locations
Not sure if your country has its own version of Big Brother? Luckily, there’s an exhaustive guide to international versions of Big Brother on Wikipedia. This list even lets you know the status of spinoff series such as Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother Reality All-Stars, as well as previous networks that have broadcast the show. Bear in mind that this list might not necessarily be up to date, so you may have to verify for yourself whether the official broadcaster for your country has changed or not.
How does Big Brother work?
Big Brother has a fairly simple format: a group of people enter the house and are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. They’ll undertake a series of challenges, with the most successful HouseGuest becoming the “Head of Household” for that week. This contestant then receives preferential treatment but has to elect two other participants for eviction.
The other HouseGuests (barring those who were nominated) vote on who should be eliminated, and the person with the most votes goes home. There’s a rule-change every season, though; fans suspect that this year’s twist is that some of the HouseGuests know each other, so we could see tactical nominations and alliances forming early on.