This article was originally published in Campaign UK – here.
Channel 4 has signed up Laithwaites Wine as the launch partner of its social-first food and drink channel, Channel 4 Served.
The partnership with the wine retailer includes sponsorship across Channel 4 from today (1 April) covering food content such as Come Dine with Me, Jamie’s Recipes and Kitchen Nightmares.
Laithwaites has developed a series of branded idents to run alongside the programming, created and produced by Adam & Eve/DDB. It was directed through Unit9. The idents are designed to celebrate the pairing of food and wine, with characters led by a charming bottle opener, voiced by actor Toby Jones.
Media planning and buying was handled by Medialab Group, which also brokered the deal.
Channel 4 Served will launch in May across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, offering short-form recipes from chef creators across the UK, centred on relaxed cooking.
Rupinder Downie, content solutions leader at Channel 4 Sales, said that the “broad partnership connects Laithwaites with Channel 4 food and drink fans across sponsorship, streaming and branded entertainment touchpoints”.
Speaking to Campaign in February on the channel’s launch, Matt Risley, managing director of the broadcaster’s social content studio 4Studio, said that social media and TV are coming closer together as a “convergence of the audiences and consumption habits”.
James Morrison, head of brand at Laithwaites, added: “Channel 4’s food content and integrated channels are the perfect ingredients to continue to build the Laithwaites brand in a topical and appealing way.”
