C4 signs Net recruitment sponsor to replace £3m VW deal

Channel 4 is understood to have signed up an online recruitment company to take over sponsorship of its entire sports programming following Volkswagen’s (VW) decision to pull out of the &£3m deal.

StepStone, formerly Jobshop, which launched in the UK in November will take over the sponsorship from VW in May.

The Norwegian-owned company, which has been rapidly expanding across Europe, is running an advertising campaign across TV, magazines and the trade press through integrated agency Arcom.

The sponsorship deal has been negotiated by StepStone’s media buying company Booth Lockett Makin.

StepStone, which was founded in 1996, floated on the stock market this week. It offers online recruitment services in the Nordic countries, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy. It also plans operations in Austria and Ireland.

It claims to have 170,000 registered candidates with CVs, and advertises 63,000 jobs across Europe.

Sport on Four programmes include C4 racing, Football Italia, basketball and American football. Last year, C4 snatched the English Test cricket from the BBC in a &£103m four-year deal.

VW, which had run the sponsorship for two years, declined to renew the contract because it felt the sponsorship had served its purpose (MW February 10).

C4 is seeking a sponsor for its drama programming after Beck’s declined to renew its sponsorship.

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