ITV will have no single Christmas sponsor brand

The broadcaster said that the number of individual programmes backed by a single brand for the festive period meant that there would not be an overall Christmas package sponsor.

'It's testament to the great work the ITV sponsorship team have done this year in selling most of the programming in the Christmas schedule already so there is no Christmas showcase package available to sponsor,' a spokesman said.

Aside from ongoing deals such as Iceland's tie-up with I'm a Celebrity..., sponsored shows in the run-up to Christmas include a series of one-off Sunday primetime music specials on ITV1, backed by watch manufacturer Sekonda. These begin this Sunday with Divas II, hosted by Myleene Klass, and will include a Take That special and The Girls Aloud Party.

Adam Turner, head of investment at PHD, said: 'ITV has so many other properties with sponsorship, it is not going to compromise a deal for a few days of programming.'

Rennie's six-year tie, which began in 2000, covered films, drama and entertainment.

This article was first published on Marketing