Cobra Beer £2m TV deal with Dave is ids's biggest ever
 

Cobra Beer has announced that it has signed up as the main prime-time sponsor of programming on UKTV channel, Dave. The twelve-month deal, which is worth in excess of £2 million, is due to start on 1st April and as well as significant broadcast sponsorship will include online content and off-air consumer marketing.

Cobra will become the exclusive broadcast sponsor for all programming aired between 2100 and 2340 on Dave, seven nights a week. As the destination channel for "men who enjoy intelligent, smart humour", the sponsorship will give Cobra access to programmes such as QI, Mock the Week, Dragon's Den, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News for You, as well as themed nights. Engaging Will Ghali, Marketing Director, Cobra Beer, said: "As one of the UK's fastest growing UK beer brands, it is really important for Cobra to continue to find new ways of engaging with our target audience of 28-34 year old men. Our sponsorship of Dave will give us exactly that opportunity, allowing us to reach a high proportion of our core consumers on a daily basis and become associated with quality TV programming." The deal was negotiated between ids, advertising sales house for Virgin Media TV, the UKTV network and Setanta Sports, and Manning Gottlieb OMD, Cobra's media agency. It is ids's biggest ever sponsorship deal. Angus Mitchell, Commercial Development Controller, ids, added: "The success of Dave has allowed us to create an innovative commercial partnership for Cobra and Dave offering unmatched scale and quality of content." Since it was re-branded and launched as a Freeview channel in October 2007, Dave has enjoyed rapid   growth, becoming a top five channel for ABC1 men and men aged 18-34. It is estimated that Cobra's broadcast sponsorship alone will reach nearly 30 million adults across the twelve months and more than three quarters of 18-34 year-old men in digital homes. Unique The partnership will extend to the Dave website, which will feature unique content, competitions and information on Cobra Beer. There will also be an off-air joint experiential marketing campaign, co-funded by UKTV and Cobra, bringing both brands directly to consumers. Cobra had previously sponsored ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 movies for the past three years, an arrangement which is due to end on 31st March, 2008.