Teenage title Sugar to try masthead TV

Teenage girls magazine Sugar is to launch a masthead-TV show on the Flextech-owned channel Trouble.

The show is to be called Sugar’s Real Life Stories and features teenagers telling true stories about extraordinary things that have happened to them. The 13 half hour shows will be launched in January.

Flextech director of marketing Jonathan Webb says: “What we’ve proved with the Sugar deal is that, in spite of all the difficulties in bringing it to the table, these deals can work when the brands are perfectly matched.”

Sugar, published by Attic Futura, is the biggest selling teenage magazine in the UK, with Audit Bureau of Circulations figures of 459, 984. In January, it launched a clothing and lingerie line through Littlewoods catalogues.

Sugar publisher Clare James comments: “Trouble’s profile is a perfect match for Sugar, which has already proved itself to be a powerful brand with huge appeal to the teenage market.

“Real life stories are hugely popular with readers, they love to share the experiences of their peer group and this new series of programmes will bring the Sugar experience right into their homes.”

In May, Flextech and Attic Futura signed a 350,000 deal to cross-promote each other’s titles in each other’s media. The latest deal adds to the previous agreement.

The teenage-oriented Trouble, screens dramas and comedies such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Hollyoaks, and Saved by the Bell.

Trouble also makes a number of original productions such as Blast, T-Spot and What A Life.