According to media reports, this year's show will start on May 18, when it begins its three-month run, its longest to date.
It is speculated that the reason for the switch from Friday is to steal a march on ITV, which is launching its latest celebrity talent show, 'Celebrity X Factor' on Friday May 19.
'Big Brother' will also be up against ITV's celebrity football show, 'Soccer Aid', featuring stars including former professional footballer turned chef Gordon Ramsey and the singer Robbie Williams.
Channel 4 is refusing to comment on the news, despite 'Big Brother' insiders today saying that Channel 4 faces stiff competition this spring and summer.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "We are not commenting at this stage. These stories are purely speculative and all I can say is that the traditional launch is on a Friday. We have not made any announcement yet."
'Big Brother' was last year won by 1970s dancer Anthony Hutton and has made unlikely stars out of former dental nurse Jade Goody and Kate Lawler, who is now a club DJ.
Its run on Channel 4 this year will once again be fronted by Davina McCall, whose eponymous chatshow on BBC One was a critical and ratings flop. BBC bosses axed the show this week and said it would not be returning. Dermot O'Leary has also again been signed up to host spin-off show 'Big Brother's Little Brother'.
'Big Brother' is set to be the centerpiece of a revamped evening schedule for Channel 4, that includes 'Lost' on Tuesday nights and a four-part series in June called 'Ricky Gervais Meets...' where 'The Office' star meets comedy idols such as 'Spinal Tap' co–creator Christopher Guest.
The summer also features a series of programes about offensive comedy, including a documentary about blue comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown and a rare screening of Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian'.
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