Channel 4 Sales has secured Tesco Whoosh as the new sponsor of its ‘Channel 4 Comedy’ strand of programming. The innovative deal marks the first time Channel 4 has included YouTube inventory as part of a sponsorship and a first foray into TV sponsorship for Tesco Whoosh – the grocery retailer’s own rapid delivery service.
Tesco Whoosh was initially launched in 2021 to provide even more ways for Customers to shop with greater ease and convenience; offering Customers the chance to order from a curated list of easy-to-prepare meals, ingredients and more to arrive, store to door, from as little as 20 minutes. Serving up to two-thirds of the Nation already, Tesco Whoosh has surpassed its ambitious targets, with plans to continue the rollout of the on-demand service to serve even more households, nationwide, on-going.
Commencing from January, Tesco Whoosh will sponsor around 90 hours of premiere programming in 2024 across Channel 4, E4 and More 4. Tesco Whoosh will also feature on Channel 4’s social platforms, including brand presence on a selection of Channel 4 comedy clips carried on Instagram and Facebook.
The sponsorship showcases the innovative cross-platform solutions Channel 4 can offer brands. Building on the first-of-its-kind partnership with YouTube, struck in 2022, whereby Channel 4 directly sells commercial opportunities around its shows on the platform, Tesco Whoosh will feature on Channel 4 comedy content on YouTube. The deal also allows Tesco to use a ‘Channel 4 Comedy sponsored by Tesco Whoosh’ logo lock up in selected promotional materials.
Spanning Channel 4’s comedy strand, the sponsorship will cover favourites such as Taskmaster, The Last Leg, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The Windsors and I Literally Just Told You. In addition, the sponsorship covers catch up comedy programming across Channel 4 streaming as well as of classic on demand archive content such as Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, Derry Girls, Spaced and Friday Night Dinner.
Channel 4 Sales and EssenceMediacom brokered the deal. EssenceMediacom’s insights into demographics highlighted that comedy resonated well with Tesco’s target audience, with the Channel 4 platform providing the ideal always-on solution to raise awareness of its offering while connecting people to the content they love.
Rupinder Downie, sponsorship and commercial partnerships leader, Channel 4 said: “This sponsorship opportunity promises year-round value. Channel 4 is renowned as the 'Home of Comedy,' boasting a coveted audience of young and upscale viewers. With our ability to offer brands presence on YouTube and Meta platforms, allied to a quality line-up of programming, this deal highlights once again why Channel 4 is the best partner to do business with.”
Lauren McGurran, Business Director, Tesco Planning, EssenceMediacom: “We’re thrilled to have helped this partnership come together; opportunities like this are perfect for building Tesco’s reputation as one of the UK’s most beloved supermarkets and engaging with new consumers. Channel 4 comedy has a reputation for producing some of the funniest content on television, and this sponsorship, including presence on the channel’s social media platforms, will provide Tesco with new, innovative ways to break through to younger audiences.”
--Ends--
For more details contact Tristan O’Carroll tocarroll@channel4.co.uk
About Channel 4
Channel 4 exists to create change through entertainment. Publicly owned yet commercially funded, Channel 4 generates significant and sustainable cultural, economic and social impact across the UK – at no cost to the taxpayer.
The broadcaster’s distinctive remit is set by Parliament, and it has a role to represent unheard voices, challenge with purpose and reinvent entertainment. For over 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people.
Through a unique publisher-broadcaster model, Channel 4 commissions its content from the UK independent production sector. Working with around 300 creative companies every year, Channel 4 makes a major contribution to the local, regional and national economy, creating and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country.
In 2020, Channel 4 launched its Future4 strategy to become a digital-first public service media company and to continue to deliver significant impact for UK audiences and investment into the UK creative economy.
Across its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is turbocharging its efforts to find, nurture and develop talent across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills, Channel 4 is opening up opportunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people, and addressing skills gaps across the Nations and Regions.
Channel 4 has the UK’s biggest free streaming service plus 11 television channels including: Channel 4, E4, E4 Extra, More4, Film4, 4Seven and The Box Plus Network. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 37 Oscar wins and 88 BAFTA wins in its history.
About EssenceMediacom
EssenceMediacom UK is part of GroupM’s newest and largest agency, committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs for brands. It has disrupted the old models across media, creative, innovation and analytics to find new opportunities for advertisers and deliver truly integrated media solutions.
Born out of two pioneering agencies, EssenceMediacom fuses Essence’s performance, data, analytics and creative technology DNA with MediaCom’s scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise.
As part of WPP, the world's largest marketing communications services group, and GroupM, WPP’s consolidated media investment management arm, we have access to the richest data, most robust benchmarks and most advanced capabilities in the market. This helps us provide comprehensive solutions to all marketing challenges.
Our ‘breakthrough’ ambition is underpinned by our commitment to ‘continuous learning’. We aim to ensure our people fulfil their potential by investing their whole-person wellbeing, careers and capabilities, which in turn helps grow our clients’ businesses.