ITV attracts new sponsors to top shows

ITV has announced sponsorships deals with two of its most successful shows, which will hopefully ease the pressure of its falling ad revenues.

A new series of Wild at Heart will return to ITV later this month, with Belgian chocolate brand Cote d’Or the new sponsor on board, with the extensive deal covering the new series on ITV1, the first series repeats on ITV3, online, mobile interactive bumpers and on and off air marketing.

The second series, which begins on January 14, sees Stephen Tompkinson, Amanda Holden and Lucy-Jo Hudson return to the African plains among lions, elephants and rhinos.

The first series ran last winter and averaged 9.6 million viewers and a 37.1% audience share.

Luciana Limongelli, sponsorship executive at ITV Customer Relations, said: “We are delighted that Cote d’Or has decided to kick start their campaign in the UK with ITV sponsorship. em>Wild at Heart is one of our top performing dramas and provides a great platform to reach Cote d’Or’s target audience.”

McCain Foods today also announced a £1 million deal to sponsor cookery strand Saturday Cooks and its new sister programme Daily Cooks.

McCain's first ever TV sponsorship deal will include new idents for the two shows.

Simon Eyles, McCain’s director of communication, said: “This is a good deal for McCain. We believe that TV sponsorship can help McCain communicate effectively with its key audience and encourage viewers to develop an interest in cooking and enjoying themselves in the kitchen.”

Daily Cooks appears on ITV1 each weekday until February 9, with Saturday Cooks on Saturday mornings.