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Big Brother 2019 is scheduled to begin on June 25 at 5 PM PST (8 PM EST). There’ll be a new episode every Wednesday and Thursday, and with around 40 episodes expected, we can reasonably assume season 21 will end sometime this September, barring any unexpected schedule changes. There’s certainly plenty to look forward to, and below, we’ll let you know how to live stream Big Brother 2019 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 2019 will only be shown on region-locked platforms. As such, you’ll need a VPN to watch it from abroad.
Best VPN for Big Brother: ExpressVPN
VPNs allow you to change your IP address, meaning you can use them to bypass regional restrictions and access geo-blocked services abroad. They also encrypt your internet traffic, preventing your government, employer, or Internet Service Provider (ISP) from monitoring what you do online. We recommend ExpressVPN: this is a high-speed service with best-in-class security and privacy protection, strong unblocking ability, and over 3,000 servers in 94 countries.
It only takes a minute to register with ExpressVPN; all you have to do is choose your preferred subscription length (one, six, or twelve months), and pay. ExpressVPN doesn’t log any personally identifiable information, but you can pay with Bitcoin if you’d like an extra layer of anonymity. Best of all, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free and claim a full refund if you’re unsatisfied.
BEST VPN FOR STREAMING:ExpressVPN is great for watching Big Brother abroad. It offers fast, reliable connections, advanced security features, and can unblock a wide range of region-locked platforms including CBS and Netflix US.
How to stream Big Brother season 21 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 2019 live from outside America:
- First of all, start by signing up for a suitable VPN. We’ve already touched upon ExpressVPN but NordVPN and CyberGhost 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 2019 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 2019 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, PlayStation Vue, 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 2019, but also grants you access to every previous series, as well as exclusive, multi-camera feeds from this season. These platforms all offer a free trial (usually one week), so you can use them to watch a few episodes for free.
There is technically a way to stream all of Big Brother 2019 for free but it’s a bit of a nuisance. USTV Now is a service designed to let members of the US Armed Forces watch TV from back home while on deployment. However, it doesn’t actually verify that you’re in the army. This platform’s free plan includes a CBS stream, but it will only show Big Brother at 1 AM EST the morning after it airs. DVR functionality is only available with premium subscriptions, so most people are better off using a different service.
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. Additionally, some of these services require you to have a payment method that’s linked to a US address.
Can I watch international versions of Big Brother online?
The US version of Big Brother won’t be shown internationally, but 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
Big Brother Canada (or BBCAN, as it’s affectionately known) just finished its seventh season, and you can watch every single episode on Global, free of charge. You don’t even have to sign up! What’s more, the show’s host, Arisa Cox, has since confirmed that season eight is in the works. Given that every prior season has started airing in February or Match, it looks like BBCAN fans might have a bit of a wait, though.
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 cancelled last year. 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 just finished its sixteenth series. While there’s no news of a seventeenth as yet, we do know that there’ll be another season of Grand Fratello VIP later this year. This will air live on Mediaset, meaning you’ll be able to watch the whole thing for free, without registration.
Mediaset is only available in Italy, so to watch Grand Fratello VIP 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.
Who are this year’s HouseGuests?
This year’s HouseGuests may well be the most varied and diverse group since the show’s inception. Below, we’ve created a brief overview of Big Brother season 21’s HouseGuests:
- David Alexander, 29, Photographer
- Holly Allen, 31, Wine Safari Guide
- Nicole Anthony, 24, Preschool Assistant
- Tommy Bracco, 28, Broadway Dancer
- Kathryn Dunn, 29, Digital Marketer
- Kemi Faknule, 25, Marketing Strategist
- Cliff Hogg III, 53, Petroleum Engineer
- Ovi Kabir, 22, Student
- Nick Maccarone, 27, Therapist
- Jack Matthews, 28, Fitness Trainer
- Jackson Michie, 24, Waiter
- Jessica Milagros, “30-ish”, Model
- Christine Murphy, 28, Boutique Owner
- Sam Smith, 31, Trucker
- Analyse Talavera, 22, College Athlete
- Isabella Wang, 22, Public Health Analyst