'PBB' marks 20th year with GMA Network collab

MANILA - "Pinoy Big Brother" announced Monday that it will be marking its 20th anniversary with a collaboration between media giants ABS-CBN and GMA Network.

The milestone will feature the iconic reality TV show opening the doors of "Bahay ni Kuya" for the first time to welcome GMA Sparkle artists, alongside ABS-CBN's Star Magic talents.

With this, PBB's newest season will now be called "PBB Celebrity Edition Collab."

"Together, Kapuso and Kapamilya stars will collaborate and create unforgettable moments inside the PBB house," ABS-CBN said in a statement.

The collaboration was first announced on GMA's flagship newscast "24 Oras."

The "PBB" collaboration between ABS-CBN and GMA Network will be the first in the history of the reality show as it only aired on ABS-CBN, cable TV, and through online platforms in its previous seasons.

However, the two networks have previously teamed up on the 2023 primetime series "Unbreak My Heart," which starred ABS-CBN's Jodi Sta. Maria and Joshua Garcia and GMA 7's Richard Yap and Gabbi Garcia.

Last year, ABS-CBN also inked an agreement for its noontime program "It's Showtime" to air on GMA 7.

In its most recent edition "Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11," Fyang Smith was declared "big winner" in a historic finale that set an all-time high with 2.26 million concurrent viewers on ABS-CBN Entertainment's YouTube and Facebook channels. (Christian Kenneth Otiong)