Waitrose and C4 dish up Saturday morning cookery show

Waitrose is to fund a Saturday morning cookery show on Channel 4 as it increases its investment in content marketing. 

Weekend Kitchen With Waitrose
Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose to air on Channel 4.

Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose will be presented by Lisa Snowdon and Steve Jones and looks to reflect the style of the supermarket’s free weekly newspaper Waitrose Weekend.

Content will include entertainment, lifestyle, culture and food – featuring chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux Jnr. The 9am airing means the 60-minute show will air an hour ahead of the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen programme.

Last month Waitrose told Marketing Week it was increasing its investment in content and shifting the role of its marketing communications from selling to inspiring customers. 

The programme – jointly created by Waitrose and Spun Gold TV – will be supported by Waitrose in-store promotion, direct marketing to myWaitrose customers and inclusion in the Waitrose Weekend newspaper and Waitrose Kitchen magazine.

The Waitrose partnership marks the first major deal struck by Channel 4’s recently appointed partnership controller of funded content and creative solutions Simon Wells, who joined the broadcaster’s sales team in December. http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/media/news/channel-4-aims-for-a-quarter-of-its-vod-ads-to-use-demographic-targeting-in-2014/4008895.article

Channel 4 generated £844m in advertising and sponsorship revenue in 2012, slightly down from the £845m reported in 2011 as it was impacted by major events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and The Olympics being broadcast on other channels and a weaker ad market compared with previous years. Channel 4’s 2013 annual report is due in May 2014.

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