Branson Secures Big Brother Sponsorship
Virgin Media has been confirmed as the sponsor of the next series of reality behemoth Big Brother, taking over the reigns from Carphone Warehouse who dropped their deal following the allegedly racist bullying row (see Carphone Warehouse Hangs Up On Big Brother).
Sir Richard’s company will promote its Virgin Mobile brand through the multi-channel sponsorship, with the package including branding and advertising opportunities across TV, video-on-demand, online, radio and mobile.
James Kydd, managing director of marketing at Virgin Media, said: “Big Brother has always come under the spotlight and courted a lot of attention. Virgin is known for facing challenges head on and we know that our customers enjoy Big Brother because it’s the most unpredictable and exciting TV programme there is.
“We want to take the show to the next level by engaging viewers and pushing the boundaries of interaction across platforms in a way never seen before.”
David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, added: “We share so much with Virgin in both brand and business so look forward to pooling our expertise to create a ground breaking sponsorship.”
The news puts an end to speculation that rival company, BSkyB, would outbid Virgin with an 11th hour swoop to sponsor the programme.
The two companies have been locked in an increasingly public battle over channel carriage. Virgin Media customers have not been able to watch hit shows such as 24 and Lost since Sky pulled its basic channels from the cable network at the beginning of this month (see Sky Anytime? Not For Virgin Media Cable Homes).
Virgin Media is preparing its legal team for a courtroom battle, with the cable broadcaster saying that it will sue the satellite giant if the carriage dispute is not dealt with within the next few days (see Virgin Media Threatens Legal Action Over Sky Channel Dispute).
Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading are carrying out separate investigations into BSkyB’s acquisition of an almost 18% stake in ITV, which arguably sparked the current war with Virgin Media after it effectively blocked the then NTL’s merger bid with ITV (see BSkyB Chief Exec Defends Company’s Swoop On ITV Shares).
Virgin Media: www.virginmedia.com Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com Sky: 08702 40 40 40 www.sky.com