UKTV, owner of channels including Gold and Dave, is to make its first foray into product placement in a multi-layered deal with the owner of Friends Reunited that includes co-funding a new TV show and programme naming rights.
The pay-TV broadcaster has struck the product placement deal with Brightsolid, the DC Thomson-owned company that is home to online genealogy tools including Find My Past and Genes Reunited, to launch a show on factual channel Yesterday.
In UKTV's biggest advertiser-funded programming deal to date, Brightsolid will pay for a new 10-part one-hour series called Find My Past. In return the company gets brand exposure in the titles, end credits and all marketing associated with the new series.
Each week the show, which is being made by independent producer Lion Television, will use the findmypast.co.uk website to focus on a famous moment – such as Dunkirk or the Jack the Ripper attacks – to connect "three seemingly unrelated members of the public".
UKTV, which is jointly owned by the BBC and Virgin Media, will broadcast the show this winter on Freeview channel Yesterday.
"Findmypast.co.uk already has a strong commercial association with us as Yesterday's main sponsor, so finding and developing a fresh genealogy TV format to co-fund has been a natural next step," said Sally Quick, head of commercial partnerships at UKTV.
"Born out of what was originally an AFP [advertiser-funded programme] deal, Yesterday's Find My Past offers Brightsolid the perfect product placement opportunity as we're able to seamlessly integrate its websites into the content."
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