C4 says no to sex and alcohol brands for Big Brother 6

Sam Matthews,, brandrepublic.com, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 2:20pm,

LONDON - Channel 4 is saying no to alcohol and sex brands for 'Big Brother 6' because it does not want the show to be associated with such products as it searches for third-party brands to develop merchandise for 2005.

Channel 4 has been approached by a number of condom manufacturers and drinks companies interested in developing branded merchandise for the hit show.

In a statement released today, Channel 4 said: "The channel will be looking at all kinds of products that add value to the 'Big Brother' brand. However, this will not include condoms or alcohol."

On Monday, Channel 4 said it was on the look-out for promotional brand partners for 'Big Brother 6', including soft drinks, snacks, alcohol, confectionery and retail companies.

Past brand sponsors and extensions have included Talk Talk, O2 and its predecessor BT Cellnet, and the Walkabout pub chain.

'Big Brother 5' was a ratings success for Channel 4 this summer,

regularly commanding audiences of more than 6m. The finale, which saw transsexual Nadia win, pulled in over 9m viewers, making it the one of most watched shows in the channel's history.

4Ventures, Channel 4's commercial arm, is keen to maximise profit on the show owing to its resurgence this year after 'Big Brother 4''s ratings disaster.

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This article was first published on brandrepublic.com