Blossom Hill to sponsor Will & Grace

Channel 4 has signed up wine brand Blossom Hill to sponsor the third series of US comedy show Will & Grace in a deal worth &£850,000.

The channel is also talking to sponsors about a potential new documentary series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at Glamour magazine, which is published by Condé Nast. The series has yet to be formally commissioned by Channel 4; it is already filming a documentary about Vogue, also published by Condé Nast.

The Will & Grace deal will run over 24 weeks and it is the first time Blossom Hill has sponsored Channel 4 programming. It is also the first time that award-winning Will & Grace has taken a sponsor on Channel 4. The deal was negotiated by Oliver Croom-Johnson at SPP on behalf of Walker Media.

Blossom Hill marketing manager Emma Chamberlain says: “The show is about friendships and loving. It is a new breed of grown-up, witty, contemporary comedy and is perfect for Blossom Hill.

“The break bumpers will be seen by exactly the right market for us, so it’s a mutually beneficial partnership.”

The wine brand has taken a similar strategy to rival Jacob’s Creek, which has sponsored US comedy Friends in the past.