ITV Secures Cadbury’s For Heartbeat Sponsorship
ITV has secured FMCG giant Cadbury’s as the new sponsor of prime-time 60s police drama Heartbeat, marking the company’s second sponsorship deal with the broadcaster, building on the success of its Coronation Street partnership.
The new deal is worth £1.6 million and will see Cadbury’s, owned by Premier Foods, receive branding through sponsorship credits on the fourteenth series of the long running drama, due to be shown this autumn on ITV1. The deal will also give the company coverage on a dedicated internet microsite, available through www.itv.com.
Heartbeat is a Sunday night favourite amongst ITV viewers, with the last series attracting an average of 9.63 million to the 8pm to 9pm timeslot, a statistic which is sure to please Cadbury’s as it promotes its drinking chocolate through the programme.
ITV is currently understood to be preparing spin-off series’ to build on the popularity of its most high-profile programmes, a tactic which has already been proven in the creation of The Royal, a hospital drama based around Heartbeat. The series attracted an average audience of 9.2 million during its last run (see ITV Planning Soap Spin-Offs To Boost Autumn Schedule).
Commenting on the deal, Stewart Hunt, senior sponsorship executive at ITV Sales said: “Heartbeat and Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate are a great partnership, and we are very pleased that such a well loved and well known iconic brand is sponsoring one of our most popular programmes.”
Jamie Crofts, Cadbury marketing manager at Premier Foods added: “Heartbeat gives us a fabulous opportunity to communicate our brand message to such a large and loyal audience. It’s not only good news for us, it’s good news for the whole category of hot beverages”
Earlier this year ITV secured Heinz Salad Cream and Tomato Ketchup as the sponsor of its high-rating soap Emmerdale for the second year running, building its association with FMCG brands. The partnerships have been proven successful for both broadcaster and brand owners, with record sales reported by Heinz during the sponsorship period (see ITV Secures Heinz Salad Cream As Emmerdale Sponsor).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
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