esure becomes new ITV weather sponsor

Insurance firm esure is to replace Powergen as the sponsor of ITV's national weather bulletins.

The two-year deal - rumoured to be worth £10 million - was negotiated by Carat Sponsorship and will begin on January 1, 2008. Powergen ended its sponsorship of the bulletins in September after 18 years in the role.

"Broadcast sponsorship is working really well for our insurance portfolio, which is why we decided that it would be a key advertising platform next year," said Chris Bowden, esure's head of marketing. "We were naturally delighted when the opportunity to sponsor [ITV weather] presented itself for the first time in 18 years."