GLOBAL ANNOUNCES BIG BROTHER FRANCHISE WORLD FIRST!

CANADIANS VOTE FOR THEIR INTERNATIONAL FAN FAVOURITE WILDCARD HOUSEGUEST TO ENTER THE BIG BROTHER CANADA HOUSE

Iconic Players and Fan Favourites Up for Wildcard Houseguest Spots are Jase Wirey (Big Brother US), Nikki Grahame (Big Brother UK), Tim Dormer (Big Brother Australia), and Veronica Graf (Big Brother Italy)

Voting Opens Today and Continues until March 3 at 3 pm ET on BigBrotherCanada.ca

ET Canada Breaks All the Season 4 Houseguest News this Week on ETCanada.com

#BBCAN4 Premieres Wednesday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/PT on Global

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For Immediate Release

TORONTO, February 23, 2016 – A Big Brother Canada bombshell was dropped this morning as ET Canada announced a Big Brother franchise world first! For the first time in Big Brother history, four iconic international former houseguests are vying for a spot in the house, but only two will make it…and Canada holds all the cards. Starting today, Canadians have the chance to vote for two of this season’s houseguests by choosing two of four international wildcard players. Fans can cast their vote on BigBrotherCanada.ca for their favourite female and male competitor to enter the Big Brother Canada house.

Upping the ante and raising the stakes, these international players take the competition to a whole new level as they bring their own unique Big Brother experiences to season four of Big Brother Canada. Voting closes Thursday, March 3 at 3 pm ET. Stay tuned to find out which wildcards make the cut as reveals roll out during the first broadcast week of Big Brother Canada, which premieres Wednesday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/PT on Global.

Celebrating the international success of the worldwide juggernaut reality show franchise, the wildcard element brings together some of the most talked about players of all time to see how they fare amongst Canada’s dynamic new houseguests. The international wildcard choices are: Jase Wirey (Big Brother US), Nikki Grahame (Big Brother UK), Tim Dormer (Big Brother Australia), and Veronica Graf (Big Brother Italy).

“We’re very excited to be introducing this new aspect to Big Brother Canada which has never been done in any country before,” said Christine Shipton, SVP, Content, Shaw Media. “The addition of the international wildcards makes this season especially unique and unpredictable. Big Brother follows different house rules in each country and these worlds are about to collide!”

See below for more details on the four international wildcard houseguests. Look for more Big Brother Canada Season 4 houseguest announcements tomorrow on ETCanada.com.

Jase Wirey Big Brother US (Seasons 5 and 7) Hometown: USA Occupation: Sales and Safety Trainer Jase is instantly recognizable to any Big Brother fan from the popular US version of the show and is still the only houseguest to win the first Head of Household in multiple seasons. Known for his physical abilities and his dislike for wearing shirts, Jase is looking for redemption in the Big Brother Canada house.

Nikki Grahame Big Brother UK (has played in a total of five seasons) Age: 33 Hometown: London, United Kingdom Occupation: TV Personality Nikki Grahame is quite simply a Big Brother franchise icon, and she’ll be the first to make that known! Her behavior – most notably her epic diary room temper tantrums – is legendary. She has appeared in five different seasons of the series and also had her own reality series, Princess Nikki. In 2006, her first season on the show, she was the 12th most written about person in the UK.

Tim Dormer Winner Big Brother Australia (Season 10) Age: 31 Hometown: Sydney, Australia Occupation: TV/Radio Personality Tim is one of Australia’s biggest reality TV stars. As the Season 10 winner of Big Brother Australia, he’s charmed audiences and houseguests alike. Even though he’s made his way to the top as a manipulator, he’s clearly rooting for a fair game, and often stands up for the underdog.

Veronica Graf Big Brother Italy (Season 13) Age: 26 Hometown: Faenza, Italy Occupation: TV Personality/Model Veronica is the most famous and most talked about Italian houseguest ever. Although commonly seen as a sexy Playboy bunny (she posed in the Italian edition of the magazine), she has also studied business and economics. Sure to stir up controversy, houseguests will not be able to judge this book by its cover.

Watch ET Canada tonight at 7:30 pm ET on Global for interviews with the Big Brother Canada international wildcards! Fans can also read full bios, see photos, and watch exclusive online videos at BigBrotherCanada.ca.

Following a coast-to-coast casting call, a new group of houseguests are moving into an overhauled Big Brother Canada house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones capturing their every move. The houseguests compete for a grand prize of $100,000, a $25,000 gift card from The Brick, and an OxiCleanTM prize pack valued at $10,000 that includes $500 of fabric care products and a $9,500 wardrobe makeover. The upcoming season of the fan favourite series continues to offer unparalleled digital extensions that augment the social dynamics and real-time momentum of the 24/7 television production. Big Brother Canada extends from series to site at BigBrotherCanada.ca with exclusive content, full episodes, 24-hour live streams, and a host of surprises and opportunities that allow fans to directly impact the show.

Big Brother Canada premieres on Global, Wednesday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/PT and airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET/PT (Head of Household episode), Thursdays at 8 pm ET/PT (Eviction episode), and Sundays at 7 pm ET/PT (Power of Veto episode). Viewers who miss the premiere can catch up on Big Brother Canada for free following the broadcast the next day on BigBrotherCanada.ca and Global Go. Also returning is the Big Brother Canada Side Show which premieres Friday, March 4 at 10 pm ET on Slice and Saturday, March 5 at 8 pm ET on Global, as well as Big Brother Canada After Dark which airs seven days a week beginning Friday, March 4 at 3 am ET on Slice. And if that’s not enough, fans can also watch all of the in-between action on the live feeds from the Big Brother Canada house on BigBrotherCanada.ca.

Commissioned by Shaw Media, Season 4 of Big Brother Canada is produced by Insight Productions in association with Shaw Media and Endemol. Erin Brock and Sue Brophey serve as Supervising Producers. John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby serve as Executive Producers.

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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Twitter: @BigBrotherCA | @Global_TV | #BBCAN4 Instagram: @BigBrotherCA | #BBCAN4 Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BigBrotherCA | www.Facebook.com/GlobalTV

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About Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company. Shaw serves 3.2 million consumers and businesses through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw provides consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video services. Shaw Business provides businesses with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services, and ViaWest provides collocation, cloud and managed services. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content through one of Canada's largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

About Insight Production Company Ltd. Insight Productions – producers of Big Brother Canada, the most watched reality program across specialty channels in the country and The Amazing Race Canada, the most watched Canadian show on record – is Canada’s most established content producer. Big Brother Canada, The Amazing Race Canada, The JUNO Awards 2015, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and How To Change The World are collectively nominated for 16 2016 Canadian Screen Awards. Headed by John Brunton & Barbara Bowlby, Insight is an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming in every genre and includes in its development slate the scripted series Hardwood and Tempting Faith DiNapoli.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Amy Doary Publicist, Big Brother Canada 416.710.6079 [email protected] [email protected]

Alina Duviner Unit Publicist 416.574.1098 [email protected]