Virgin Media will sponsor BB8

Virgin Media has signed up to sponsor Big Brother 8 this spring.

The deal includes 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."

Kydd added that the company wanted to "take the show to the next level" by making it more interactive across all platforms "in a way never seen before."

Carphone Warehouse pulled its sponsorship of the show earlier this month following the alleged racism row that surrounded January's Celebrity Big Brother. Mobile company Orange had considered the sponsorship deal but declined following objections from staff.

David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, said: "We share so much with Virgin in both brand and business so look forward to pooling our expertise to create a ground breaking sponsorship."