Volvo signs C4 deal to be first terrestrial sponsor of ER

Volvo will be the first terrestrial broadcast sponsor of hospital drama series ER when it airs on Channel 4 next month.

The deal is understood to be worth about 1m. This is the fifth series of ER, which is regularly among the network’s top ten-rated programmes with 3 million viewers per episode.

Volvo marketing manager Sarah Buckle says: “ER is the perfect opportunity. Not just for standing out in a crowded television marketplace but also as the ideal opportunity to communicate the changing face of Volvo.”

The deal was devised by New PHD, brokered by sister sponsorship specialist company Drum PHD, while the bump breaks were created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO.

C4 controller of sponsorship David Charlesworth says: “Volvo’s sponsorship plugs into the established values of ER, with creative work from an award-winning team.” ER will run on C4 from February 3 for 22 weeks.

ER has been sponsored on BSkyB by Unilever brand Persil since October 1997, in a deal which was renewed for a second year last November for an undisclosed sum. This deal was brokered by MGA Broadcasting.