Pepsi’s 7 Up to sponsor ITV prime-time show…

Pepsi-owned soft drink company 7 Up is to sponsor ITV’s new prime-time show Ice Warriors, which will lead the network’s Saturday night winter schedule.

The new show, dubbed “Gladiators on ice”, is a strong element in ITV’s attempts to beef up the network’s Saturday evening programme output and win back its declining audience share.

The 13-part action game show is produced by London Weekend Television and gets its first screening on January 24. It involves teams of professionals from around the UK competing against each other in a variety of challenges. The deal was broked by ITV sales house Laser.

Ice Warriors is the first series to come on air as part of new ITV programme director David Liddiment’s 200m winter schedule. At the unveiling of the network’s winter programmes last November, Liddiment said: “I have put more resources into Saturday night entertainment, increased the number of distinctive drama ‘events’ in the schedule and extended network programming after News at Ten.”