ITV Retains Cadbury As £10m Corrie Sponsor

ITV has retained chocolate giant Cadbury as the exclusive sponsor of prime-time soap, Coronation Street, guaranteeing the confectioner’s coverage for a further two years in a deal worth £10 million per year.

The deal sees Cadbury retain the Coronation Street coverage for its 12th year, covering all episodes transmitted on the ITV family of channels, including ITV1 and ITV2.

Celebrating the sponsorship, which will run until the end of 2007 under the new agreement, Tony Bilsborough, UK and Europe media relations manager at Cadbury Schweppes, said: “The most famous sponsorship in UK TV history will continue for a further two years.

“2006 marks the 10th anniversary of Cadbury’s sponsorship of Coronation Street and, in that time, the well-loved credits have helped reinforce Cadbury’s position as the number one name in confectionery. It has also proved a successful marketing vehicle for several new product launches.”

Bilsborough also confirmed that Cadbury would seek to exploit the sponsorship in more “innovative” ways over the coming months, but was unable to give specifics on what shape any extension of activities would take.

The new agreement, which is the largest sponsorship deal in Europe, was described as a “testament to the very powerful affinity built up between two of Britain’s biggest and most trusted brands and our viewers” by ITV Sales’ brand partnerships director, Gary Knight, who welcomed the extended sponsorship with open arms.

Cadbury’s continued sponsorship of Coronation Street contradicts reports early last year that the chocolatier believed it was paying too much for the deal. Speculation at the beginning of 2004 suggested that competition from multi-channel broadcasters, and the programme’s sliding viewing figures, had the potential to turn the deal sour (see ITV Negotiates To Keep Coronation Street Sponsor).

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