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CBS Charging For Big Brother

BY RICHARD COLE

CBS is streaming live video from Big Brother 2 24 hours a day on the Internet, like it did last year during the original season. But this time, fans will have to pay a fee for their voyeurism.

CBS.com is charging a one-time fee of $19.95 for the entire three-month run of the reality program and is also providing the feed to RealNetworks, which will offer it as part of the site's $9.95 a month GoldPass subscription service.

RealNetworks and CBS say the subscription offers are the first for network programming over the Web.

Big Brother 2 premiered last week. While last year's version was deemed a bit dull, this year, the network is titillating viewers with the possibility of a little sex. ?There weren't any promises,? says Ed Harrison, spokesman for CBS, ?but we think it's a stronger cast. Hopefully it will be a little racier.?

Some important live events won't make the Internet feed ?to preserve the drama for Big Brother 2 the television show,? the network says. That includes three weekly challenges and the eviction-nomination process, but CBS doesn't say anything about under-the-sheets events.

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