Mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse is to sponsor ITV's The X Factor in a reported £20 million deal.

This will be the first TV sponsorship the company has been involved with since withdrawing its £3 million sponsorship of Celebrity Big Brother in January, due to the alleged racism row surrounding the Channel 4 reality show.

Carphone Warehouse's X Factor sponsorship, believed to cost £7 million a year for the next three years, covers repeats and brand extensions including the spin-off shows on ITV2, as well as broadband, interactive, licensing and merchandising rights.

Previous X Factor sponsor Nokia ended its relationship last month due a change in strategy with the company's marketing department.