Qatar makes TV debut with Sky Weather sponsorship

Qatar Airways is the new sponsor of Sky News Weather.

Qatar Airways is the new sponsor of Sky News Weather.

The 12-month deal marks a first for Qatar Airways, which has never before used television as a promotional tool in the UK. It is part of a strategy to target the business and premium leisure market.

Starcom Plus, the sponsorship arm of Starcom UK, negotiated the deal, which exposes the airline to a potential new audience of 21 million people through 20 bulletins per day. Starcom handles planning and buying for the airlines.

Starcom Plus director Adam Bishop says: “The broadcast exposure and integrated nature of the sponsorship means that awareness of Qatar Airways will be significantly boosted in the UK.”

The online element of the deal will enable Qatar Airways to stream interactive ads through Sky Active, allowing consumers to go onto Sky Digital Text and get the best flight deals and prices, while also streaming ads through the live programming part of the news site.

Starcom Digital group account director Richard Hollidge says: “It was important to ensure the online look and feel was identical to the TV sponsorship, so the streaming of the bumper ads was used when people entered or exited the online weather reports too.”

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