Facebook voting comes to UK’s ‘Big Brother’

Viewers of Big Brother who wish to expel irritating housemates from the fly-on-the-wall documentary will soon be able to do so by placing their votes on Facebook, in the latest sign of how live television is being complemented by social media.

Producer Endemol is using Facebook’s Credits system of micropayments, from which the social network takes a 30 per cent commission, alongside traditional phone and text-message voting. For Facebook, the deal will provide a welcome boost to its virtual currency as it moves away from buying in-game “virtual items”, such as tractors in Zynga’s Farmville, towards other digital goods. The BBC has started selling episodes of programmes such as Top Gear and Doctor Who through Facebook Credits, for watching on the site, alongside similar experiments from film studios such as Warner Bros and Miramax. Endemol said that voting through Facebook is expected to come to this series of Big Brother on Channel 5 in the UK but the final details, such as pricing, have not yet been confirmed.