Big Brother inundated with calls from potential sponsors

by Darren Davidson, Brand Republic 19-Jan-07, 11:00

LONDON - Channel 4 has been approached by up to nine companies seeking to sponsor 'Celebrity Big Brother', despite the show being dogged by accusations of racism.

After Carphone Warehouse announced it was to suspend its sponsorship of the series, a wide range of brands including a newspaper, a magazine, a car manufacturer and a high-street retailer have approached Channel 4 with offers to sponsor the series, according to media agency sources.

However, Channel 4 is still locked into a contract with Carphone Warehouse, which yesterday pulled its sponsorship idents from last night's 9pm episode.

The commercial broadcaster is expecting the company to resume its sponsorship of the main Big Brother strand, featuring contestants from the general public, when the eighth series starts in the summer.

The broadcaster replaced the idents, which featured an animated character called ‘Mowbli', with teaser clips from the diary room.

The publicity surrounding the show has generated additional interest from viewers. According to unofficial figures, ratings leapt to an average of 5.7m last night, up from 4.5m on the previous evening's episode.

However, 'Celebrity Big Brother' was not the most watched programme during its 9pm-10 pm time slot. BBC crime drama, 'Judge John Deed', averaged 6.3m on BBC One.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.