Heinz Big Eat is ITV's Saturday Night Takeaway Sponsor

Heinz's Big Eat snack pot brand will be beamed into the nation's front rooms this autumn as the sponsor of ITV's award-winning Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway series. Big Eat will sponsor the fourth series across all ITV channels. The last series averaged 7.3 million viewers, peaking with 8.2 million viewers. Big Eat will have eighty seconds of airtime per show and airs before the channel's flagship X Factor show. "Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway hits the bullseye when it comes to reaching our target audience," says Suzanne Douglas, Chief Marketing Officer, Heinz UK and Ireland. "The show is watched by mums, who buy Big Eat, and by teenagers, who eat it. This sponsorship will allow us to build on the early success of the brand and to grow the pot snacks category." Big Eat will also be supported in store throughout the TV series with account specific activity and further promotional mechanics. Since its launch in April 2007, Big Eat has amassed an impressive 13.1% value and 8.5% volume share of the pot snacks category and is now the number two in the market. Big Eat comes in a ready to heat and eat pack and varieties available are: Spicy Chicken Tortellini, Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Penne, Creamy Cheese Pasta, Chunky Vegetable & Tomato Hotpot and Chicken & Vegetable Curry. The 350g portions come in an ergonomic, portable pot with a thermo-sleeve insulator which is heated by microwave for up to two and a half minutes depending on the variety. Continues Suzanne Douglas: "The exclusive sponsorship of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway is further proof of Heinz's commitment to investing in its portfolio to support the trade and grow profits for our retail partners". Michael Grade, ITV's Executive Chairman, said: "This deal is a strong endorsement of broadcast sponsorship on ITV and a great example of collaboration between our customer relations team, Heinz and their media agency, Vizeum. We are delighted that Heinz has chosen to exclusively sponsor Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as the key launch pad for its marketing campaign around the Big Eat."   E&OE