Amazon's Ring and Alfa Romeo ink broadcast sponsorship deals with Channel 4

Channel 4 Sales has secured sponsorships with Ring and Alfa Romeo for its Friday night and Film4 programming.

Ring, the home security company owned by Amazon, will become the brand sponsor for “Channel 4 Friday Nights In” from 12 April, covering entertainment on the broadcaster’s biggest night of the week.

The sponsorship is the brand’s first partnership with Channel 4 and focusses on ” bringing in an upmarket 25- 54-year-old audience”.

The campaign includes a series of 10 idents starring actor and comedian Joe Wilkinson, created by The Outfit. These will run across linear between 6pm and midnight on Fridays, and will also be amplified on Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 YouTube channels with upweighted activity between 4pm and midnight on weekends.

There is also a licence to use a bespoke Ring logo with “Channel 4 Friday Nights In” branding.

Tom Cocker, executive director of MG OMD, the Omnicom media agency which brokered the sponsorship, said: “As Ring’s first UK broadcast sponsorship, it was important we found a partner that not  only creatively and strategically aligned with the brand but also one that we could amplify across digital and social platforms too.”

The partnership also forms part of Channel 4’s “Fast Forward Strategy”, shifting the broadcaster into a digital-first business.

Rupinder Downie, sponsorship and commercial partnerships Leader at Channel 4, said: “Channel 4 Friday Nights In presents an exciting opportunity for Ring to reach a broad audience, as viewers look forward to a night on the sofa to kick-start the weekend with entertaining and fun programmes. We’re also pleased to be leading the way with an increasing digital presence for the brands we partner with.”

Further to this, Channel 4 Sales has inked an agreement with premium car maker Alfa Romeo as brand partner for Film4’s 9pm film slot from 14 April.

This deal was negotiated by Publicis Groupe agency Starcom and means Alfa Romeo idents will run against 365 films a year, with 2024’s film slate including West Side Story, 12 Years A Slave, The Father and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Downie said it was “only right to partner with a quality classic brand” for this slot, and allowed Alfa Romeo to connect with the Film4 audience in a brand safe environment where viewers are relaxing and unwinding in the evening.

Jules Tilstone, managing director, Alfa Romeo, commented: “Alfa Romeo has a long history of working with the film industry, playing leading roles in some of the most iconic movies to grace our screens, so partnering with Film4 was a natural fit. The 9pm film slot offers us the chance to showcase Alfa Romeo models, including the new electrified Tonale, to a premium audience who appreciate visceral experiences”.