Endemol UK Debuts Branded Entertainment Arm

Article Source: http://www.worldscreen.com

Article Link: http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=endemol052208.htm

LONDON, May 22: Endemol UK has launched New State, a new division dedicated to securing brand partnerships for the U.K. group’s programming output, to be helmed by Cody Hogarth as the managing director.

Hogarth was previously Endemol UK’s head of commercial partnerships. The new unit will work alongside Endemol UK’s production arms in pairing top brands with TV and digital-media content. New State is part of Endemol’s global strategy to increase its branded entertainment activities across all platforms, including TV, online and mobile. The launch of New State follows last week’s announcement that Marco Di Gioacchino has been appointed as the executive director of branded entertainment at the Endemol Group.

Endemol UK’s recent successes in the branded-entertainment arena include Channel 4’s flagship Vodafone TBA, which sees top artists performing free gigs in venues around the U.K. and The Vodafone Live Music Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the best of live music. Both of these have been commissioned for a third season on Channel 4, and will return later this year. Endemol UK has also secured sponsors for The Gap Year, its online reality series for social-networking site Bebo.

Other credits include ITV1’s music entertainment series Orange Playlist; international fashion event Armani One Night Only, which aired on Channel 4; Calling The Shots for Pepsi International and the charity event Soccer Aid for ITV1 and Unicef, which was sponsored by T-Mobile.

Lucas Church, the COO of Endemol UK, commented: “All the signs are that brand partnerships will play an increasingly important role in delivering quality content across TV and digital-media platforms. This is an area where we see significant opportunities for growth and one which we now plan to bring into the heart of Endemol UK’s business.”

Hogarth added: “Endemol UK already has one of the production industry’s longest and most successful track records in marrying content with leading brands. The launch of New State demonstrates how serious we are about further expanding our role in this rapidly growing part of the market.”

—By Irene Lew

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