'Big Brother' will be back in 2012

CBS has given an earlier-than-usual green light to the next season of "Big Brother."

The network announced Wednesday (Sept. 14) that it's picked up a 14th season of the fishbowl competition to air next summer. The current season ends Wednesday night with either Adam, Porsche or Rachel leaving the house $500,000 richer.

"Big Brother" has seen its ratings grow across the board this season; the network calls it the most successful season since 2004. The show is averaging 8.1 million viewers (up from 7.8 million last year) and a 3.1 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (compared to 2.8 last season).

Ratings among adults 18-34 and adults 25-54 are up as well, as is traffic for the show's streaming feeds online. Even "Big Brother After Dark" on Showtime got a bump.