diff --git a/src/compiler/tsbuild.ts b/src/compiler/tsbuild.ts
index 3e2c7c0f241b5..e9b4dacc7c49d 100644
--- a/src/compiler/tsbuild.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/tsbuild.ts
@@ -347,13 +347,13 @@ namespace ts {
         return host;
     }
 
-    export function createSolutionBuilderHost<T extends BuilderProgram = BuilderProgram>(system = sys, createProgram?: CreateProgram<T>, reportDiagnostic?: DiagnosticReporter, reportSolutionBuilderStatus?: DiagnosticReporter, reportErrorSummary?: ReportEmitErrorSummary) {
+    export function createSolutionBuilderHost<T extends BuilderProgram = EmitAndSemanticDiagnosticsBuilderProgram>(system = sys, createProgram?: CreateProgram<T>, reportDiagnostic?: DiagnosticReporter, reportSolutionBuilderStatus?: DiagnosticReporter, reportErrorSummary?: ReportEmitErrorSummary) {
         const host = createSolutionBuilderHostBase(system, createProgram, reportDiagnostic, reportSolutionBuilderStatus) as SolutionBuilderHost<T>;
         host.reportErrorSummary = reportErrorSummary;
         return host;
     }
 
-    export function createSolutionBuilderWithWatchHost<T extends BuilderProgram = SemanticDiagnosticsBuilderProgram>(system = sys, createProgram?: CreateProgram<T>, reportDiagnostic?: DiagnosticReporter, reportSolutionBuilderStatus?: DiagnosticReporter, reportWatchStatus?: WatchStatusReporter) {
+    export function createSolutionBuilderWithWatchHost<T extends BuilderProgram = EmitAndSemanticDiagnosticsBuilderProgram>(system = sys, createProgram?: CreateProgram<T>, reportDiagnostic?: DiagnosticReporter, reportSolutionBuilderStatus?: DiagnosticReporter, reportWatchStatus?: WatchStatusReporter) {
         const host = createSolutionBuilderHostBase(system, createProgram, reportDiagnostic, reportSolutionBuilderStatus) as SolutionBuilderWithWatchHost<T>;
         const watchHost = createWatchHost(system, reportWatchStatus);
         copyProperties(host, watchHost);
diff --git a/src/compiler/watch.ts b/src/compiler/watch.ts
index 1ad73c19382e1..8a94393e2cebd 100644
--- a/src/compiler/watch.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/watch.ts
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ namespace ts {
     /**
      * Creates the watch compiler host that can be extended with config file or root file names and options host
      */
-    export function createProgramHost<T extends BuilderProgram>(system: System, createProgram: CreateProgram<T> | undefined): ProgramHost<T> {
+    export function createProgramHost<T extends BuilderProgram = EmitAndSemanticDiagnosticsBuilderProgram>(system: System, createProgram: CreateProgram<T> | undefined): ProgramHost<T> {
         const getDefaultLibLocation = memoize(() => getDirectoryPath(normalizePath(system.getExecutingFilePath())));
         let host: DirectoryStructureHost = system;
         host; // tslint:disable-line no-unused-expression (TODO: `host` is unused!)
diff --git a/src/tsc/tsc.ts b/src/tsc/tsc.ts
index d53d5bd3bd62a..b5624b07ec15f 100644
--- a/src/tsc/tsc.ts
+++ b/src/tsc/tsc.ts
@@ -207,9 +207,10 @@ namespace ts {
             reportWatchModeWithoutSysSupport();
         }
 
+        // Use default createProgram
         const buildHost = buildOptions.watch ?
-            createSolutionBuilderWithWatchHost(sys, createEmitAndSemanticDiagnosticsBuilderProgram, reportDiagnostic, createBuilderStatusReporter(sys, shouldBePretty()), createWatchStatusReporter()) :
-            createSolutionBuilderHost(sys, createAbstractBuilder, reportDiagnostic, createBuilderStatusReporter(sys, shouldBePretty()), createReportErrorSummary(buildOptions));
+            createSolutionBuilderWithWatchHost(sys, /*createProgram*/ undefined, reportDiagnostic, createBuilderStatusReporter(sys, shouldBePretty()), createWatchStatusReporter()) :
+            createSolutionBuilderHost(sys, /*createProgram*/ undefined, reportDiagnostic, createBuilderStatusReporter(sys, shouldBePretty()), createReportErrorSummary(buildOptions));
         updateCreateProgram(buildHost);
         buildHost.afterProgramEmitAndDiagnostics = (program: BuilderProgram) => reportStatistics(program.getProgram());