Channel 4 Talks Up Big Brother Sponsorship
Channel 4 has secured TalkTalk, the new home phone company from The Carphone Warehouse, as the exclusive broadcast sponsor of this year’s Big Brother.
The deal, negotiated by Matters Media, includes a range of branding and idents that will be screened with every episode of the now infamous reality-TV marathon on both Channel 4 and E4.
The sponsorship also includes branding on the Big Brother website and interactive television service, both of which have proved extremely popular with reality-TV fans in the past.
The multi-million pound venture represents The Carphone Warehouse’s first foray into television sponsorship. It follows a similar arrangement between Channel 4 and mobile phone giant, O2, which has sponsored the last two series of the show.
TalkTalk’s service allows users to call each other for free, a prospect which the company hopes will entice Big Brother viewers, eager to gossip about the on-screen happenings as they happen.
Commenting on the deal, David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, said: “It’s an exciting new partnership for the new Big Brother, TalkTalk is the perfect match for such talked about television”
Tristia Clarke, marketing director at The Carphone Warehouse, added: “This is the next exciting step in the brand development of TalkTalk. The stature that Big Brother brings and its mass market appeal are an ideal platform for us to grow TalkTalk even further, and to remain the UK’s fastest growing phone company.”
The last series of Big Brother attracted consistently high ratings to Channel 4, with the season finalé drawing a staggering 7.4 million viewers at its peak, making it the second most watched programme on the channel last year (see 7.4 Million Watch Big Brother Go Out With A Bang).
Channel 4 will no doubt be hoping for a repeat performance this year. The broadcaster is kicking off the series launch with a two-show spectacular on 28 May bolstered by the last ever episode of US sitcom Friends separating the event (see Channel 4 To Stage Ratings Coup With Friends And Big Bro).
Channel 4’s advertising revenue is set to receive a boost from Big Brother‘s launch night. Advertisers appear willing to pay up to £100,000 for a standard 30-second spot as they rush to target a core audience of lucrative 16 to 24 year-old viewers (see Advertisers Line Up For Channel 4 Friends Finalé).
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com
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