Big Brother is soon to be watching China

Producers Endemol have struck a deal with online video giant Youku Tudou to bring reality surveillance show Big Brother to China.

The series will launch in early 2015, with a plan to air 10 weekly episodes for its first run. The housemates have not yet been chosen, and the voting process is yet to be worked out, but the CEO of Youku Tudou says the Chinese company will work with Endemol to "localise the show to Chinese audience tastes."

Big Brother has been sold to over 70 territories since it was first created in 1997 by producer John de Mol, but this is the first time the show will be shown in China. Digital video service Youku Tudou claims to have over 500 million active users.

Variety reports that Youku Tudou has a license to produce online content from the Chinese government, and the company expects to attract audiences of over 10 million viewers for the new series.

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Endemol’s CEO of Asian Operations Arjen van Mierlo said, “In a market that annually generates hundreds of billions of video views, partnering with the number one digital video platform will allow us to bring Big Brother to a young audience and deliver the most immersive, interactive and unique experience to fans across the nation."