Jamie Oliver to star in 3G ‘television’ series

Jamie Oliver could soon be appearing in sponsored television-style cookery programmes shown on mobile phones. The programmes are being marketed to potential sponsors under the title Jamie Oliver’s Three Minute Recipes.

It has not been decided whether the series, which will be made available on third-generation mobile phones, will carry the Sainsbury’s logo. The recipes have been edited from material originally filmed for broadcast in the US, so they have not yet been seen in the UK.

Mobile content company Inventa has signed a contract with Oliver’s TV company, Fresh One Productions, to edit a series of videos that will be marketed to potential sponsors under the Inventa brand. Inventa, a joint venture between digital agency Profero and youth PR company Slice, is behind a series of two-minute programmes featuring Radio 1 DJs Pete Tong and Zane Lowe.

Profero also helped to broker a deal with Apple Computers for the music-downloading service iTunes to sponsor the programmes. Inventa managing director Youssef Hammad says the plan is to seek a sponsor for the Jamie Oliver recipe shows in the same way.

Oliver currently appears in ads for Sainsbury’s, created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO. The retail giant called a review of its £47m advertising account in February.