Shaw Media has sealed a deal with Endemol to produce the first ever Canadian instalment of the wildly popular international sensation Big Brother and has teamed up with Canadian production heavyweight Insight Productions on the production of the series. The inaugural season of Big Brother Canada will air during the 2012/13 broadcast season exclusively on Slice™.

The hugely successful Big Brother franchise aired 25 formats in 87 countries in 2011 and continues to roll out in new territories. Big Brother U.S. has consistently been a top ranked staple on Global’s schedule for 13 seasons.

“Big Brother has become a worldwide phenomenon and we’re proud to team up with Endemol and Insight Productions to launch the fan favourite format in Canada,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President of Content, Shaw Media. “The production of this format is hugely exciting as it takes us into unchartered territory, filming live around-the-clock and enabling fans to interact with the series in ways we’ve never explored before.”

“After more than a decade, Big Brother is still a ratings winner in the major territories across the globe,” said David Goldberg, Chairman, Endemol North America. “Global has been a great partner from the beginning, when they brought the U.S. version of Big Brother to Canada 13 seasons ago. We look forward to seeing this proven format continue its home-grown success with the first-ever Canadian edition of the series,” he continued.

“All of us at Insight are so excited about Big Brother Canada,” said John Brunton, Chairman & CEO of Insight Productions and Executive Producer of Big Brother Canada. “Like Captain Kirk said – Boldly go where no man has gone before – we’ve never produced a show that shoots 24/7. Casting this program is going to be a blast.”

True to the U.S. format, Big Brother Canada will hand pick a diverse group of competitive contestants in the Big Brother house outfitted wall to wall with cameras and microphones to capture the house guests’ every move. Week to week the house guests compete in a series of challenges and vote each other out until one claims victory and takes home the grand prize. Fans of Big Brother can connect with the series outside of the 3-day-a-week broadcast through a myriad of digital extensions including live streaming and social engagement opportunities that allow online users to impact decisions in the house.

Details on casting and production will be revealed at a later date.

Upon recently renewing its simulcast deal for Big Brother U.S. Shaw Media will bring the highly anticipated 14th season of Big Brother to on Global July 12.