Live feed axe blamed for BB slump

Big Brother producers suspect that the decision to axe the show's live feed has led to poor ratings this year, according to a report.

Channel 4 announced that 24/7 coverage from the house would be dropped before January's celebrity edition and the broadcaster has not reinstated the service for the current run.

Series ten launched with more than five million viewers earlier this month but the programme's audience has since fallen below 2m on several occasions.

An insider told the Daily Star: "Fans were not happy about losing their access to the house. It seems many have carried out their threats not to tune in this year."

Davina McCall and a number of former housemates recently backed viewers who are using petitions to campaign for the live feed's return.

However, Channel 4 has defended its decision to scrap the streaming by claiming that "less and less" people used the facility as the years went by.