UPDATED: Lengthy cuts for Carson and Corey

VIPs blocked from seeing key events

In the last 24 hours there have been two clear cases of lengthy cuts to the live stream which appear to be censoring events to prevent them being seen before they are broadcast on Channel Ten.

Firstly, just before noon on Thursday, the streams were cut for a lengthy period as Corey left the house. The last mention of his appearance on the Official site is at 11.31am - and no explanation has been given since too his whereabouts, though Mike Goldman has confirmed in his blog that he’s on his way home.

Secondly the return of Carson has led to lengthy cuts around midnight tonight, with again many concluding content is only being blocked so it will air on TV first. The second Carson Crashes the House special though isn’t due to air until next Wednesday - which will be nearly a week after the event occurred. BBBA forumers have also noted how Carson’s return has meant that Rebecca has not been thrown a birthday party.

So much for that “Unlimited Live Stream” then!

Some thoughts from the forums:

thetheorist: I only just bought VIP today (I’ve never bought any Premium packages from the OS in the past so I don’t know what previous live streams have been like) but so far I’m not happy. This is just ridiculous!

enigma4u41: I have had streaming every year and felt that tonight’s streaming was absolutely pitiful and extremely disappointing. This year has been shocking for audio cuts - makes it really hard to get to know the HMs.

sweety: Most the afternoon when Corey left .. they played music on the streaming .. do you think they will give our money back for a wasted day…seeing it’s only the last couple days I have been watching… because I gave up on the crappy streaming and will again if they keep this up…

UPDATE: Thanks to obva and govegirl who highlighted what Big Brother themselves had to say about cutting away from the live stream:

Here at VIP HQ we endeavour to give you a streaming experience as raw and uninterrupted as possible. When Big Brother switches the stream over to the cutaway video package, it’s not because he wants to withhold the juicy content from you: when you’re a VIP Member access is what you pay for, and access is what you get. However, when Housemates engage in conduct or conversation that breaks the law and breaches classification guidelines, it’s BB’s legal duty not to broadcast the material to the public.

That’s a statement which is being strongly questioned on our forums today.

UPDATE: It’s now become clear that the long cuts were to prevent subscribers seeing a challenge Corey took before he left the house, where by matching answers with Nobbi he won $60,000 towards the jackpot.  This wasn’t reported on the official website either, instead being saved for Friday’s daily show.  Thanks to X Knob X.

Also, Carson’s second round of makeovers, which won’t air until next week, has inevitably left some viewers confused to certain housemates sudden changes in appearance.