Sega’s Sonic new sponsor of The Simpsons
Sega has signed a deal with Sky to become the sponsor of The Simpsons as it looks to promote its latest Sonic the Hedgehog game as a Christmas stocking filler for boys.
The Simpsons was chosen following a “substantial” research project by Sega that found it was the programme that resonates across the widest demographic.
Sega hopes that 40% of boys in the UK will see the sponsorship idents more than 60 times. The gaming company is also hoping the campaign will appeal to parents, girls and female gamers as it looks to promote Sonic Generations.
Sky claims that across its 22nd season, an average of 342,000 people were watching The Simpsons at any time, with 753,000 viewers watching the top performing episode. The company also claims that more than 17 million people say they saw The Simpsons on Sky 1 in a six month period in 2010.
The sponsorship marks the longest campaign Sega has ever delivered for the Sonic franchise, which like the Simpsons, found fame in the 90s.
The Simpsons does not currently have a sponsor. Other previous sponsors of the programme on Sky 1 have included Domino’s Pizza, Bing, Currys and Change4Life.
