The series premiered on 18 July 2000 on Channel 4, and immediately became a ratings hit. The series also featured a 24-hour live feed, in which fans could view inside the house at any time. "Big Brother" aired for eleven series on Channel 4, followed by one final special edition, "Ultimate Big Brother", which ended on 10 September 2010. Following this, Channel 5 acquired the rights to the series, and it was officially relaunched on 18 August 2011. In 2014, Emma Willis announced that the show would be back for a sixteenth series in 2015. It was announced on 19 March 2015 that the show would remain on air until at least 2018.