Estate agent is first sponsor of entire TV channel
An estate agent will be the first brand to sponsor a television channel following Ofcom’s decision to relax its broadcast guidelines late last year.
Resale Espana, a Spanish overseas property agent, will sponsor 24-hour property channel Real Estate TV from this month.
Ofcom amended its Broadcasting Code to allow brands to sponsor entire TV channels, subject to certain guidelines, as well as programming and subject strands following a consultation. The safeguards are designed to preserve editorial independence, protect under-18s and make sure the audience is fully aware of the sponsorship relationship.
The deal was brokered between the TV channel and direct response TV (DRTV) agency ARM Direct. It will run initially for two months, with the option to extend for up to a year.
The cross-platform initiative will run across Real Estate TV’s digital satellite and cable television service, broadband TV station and website. It will also give Resale Espana a series of branded strings within Real Estate TV’s channel promotions.