Channel 4 explains live feed reduction

Channel 4 has claimed that the reduction in live feed coverage on this year's Celebrity Big Brother is due to a lack of public demand.

The broadcaster said that recent series have seen a fall in the number of viewers using the red button facility to watch the show and revealed that it will be shifting its resources to the official online site.

"We thought about this long and hard and we didn't have the live feed for Celebrity Hijack either," said Channel 4 commissioning editor David Williams.

"In the summer we found - and it's been a trend over the last couple of series - that less people are watching the stream on red button, but more people are watching the clips on the website."

He continued: "The numbers didn't justify [the live feed]. We think people will appreciate that we've put our resources into clips and ensuring a quick turnaround on the website.

"There is still overnight coverage and the same sister shows, so I think in terms of Big Brother being in many places, we are doing that more than ever before."