Plusnet to sponsor Celebrity Big Brother

By Maisie McCabe, mediaweek.co.uk, Wednesday, 21 December 2011 09:15AM

Plusnet, the BT-owned telecoms provider, has signed a six-figure deal to sponsor next year's 'Celebrity Big Brother' on Channel 5.

Celebrity Big Brother: set to return on Channel 5 in 2012

The sponsorship will include Plusnet credits, created by Karmarama, before and after 'Celebrity Big Brother' and its sister show, 'CBB's Bit On The Side', and before and after each ad break.

There will also be Plusnet branding on the show's advertisments, on the 'Celebrity Big Brother' microsite and on short-form content on the official Facebook site, as well as on mobile and iPad.

The first show of the 2011 series of 'Celebrity Big Brother' was the most-watched show on Channel 5 this year, with a peak audience of 5.6 million viewers.

The sponsorship was negotiated between WPP media agency Maxus and Channel 5.

Nick Rawlings, commercial director at Plusnet, said: "We're delighted to be kicking-off 2012 with such a cracking TV sponsorship, bringing our brand to a whole new audience."

This year, the sponsor for the first series of 'Celebrity Big Brother' and 'Big Brother' on Channel 5 was skincare brand Freederm, which also sponsored the last series on Channel 4.

Agostino Di Falco, partnerships director, Channel 5, said: "'Celebrity Big Brother' will reach more young adults than any other programme in January.

"The show kick starts Channel 5's year, and it's great to see Maxus and BT thinking along the same lines in developing this partnership."

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk