ITV Secures OK Magazine To Sponsor Celebrity Awards

ITV has secured Richard Desmond’s OK! magazine as the exclusive broadcast sponsor of the Celebrity Awards 2004 – a new one off awards ceremony due to be screened on the channel later this year.

According to ITV, the inaugural event will bring together the biggest UK stars from the worlds of television, music and sport to celebrate those who have enjoyed a successful working year and have captured the imagination of the British public.

The sponsorship package includes full broadcast credits on ITV1, brand extension programming on ITV2 and sponsorship of a dedicated microsite. A special after party will also be hosted by OK! magazine, which has gone from strength to strength recently.

Commenting on the deal, Leigh Alexander, senior sponsorship executive at ITV Sales, said: “The Celebrity Awards is an exciting new programme on ITV and with OK! magazine on board this event will be a truly memorable occasion. The fit could not be better, and we look forward to an excellent sponsorship.”

OK! magazine’s marketing director, Roland Agambar, added: “OK! is the number one celebrity magazine in this country and associating with a programme of this calibre reinforces its position in an increasingly crowded market.”

The public’s obsession with the lives of the rich and famous shows no signs of slowing and a number of rival magazine publishers have tried to challenge OK!‘s position in the sector. The latest ABC results for the six months to July 2004 reveal an impressive performance for Emap’s Closer and Chic Magazine’s New!, which saw circulation increase by 43.5% and 19.1% respectively

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com

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