Sony to sponsor ITV's 2008 F1 coverage
 

ITV has announced that Sony is to be the new sponsor of the 2008 Formula 1 Championship on ITV. The integrated partnership was negotiated between ITV Customer Relations and OMD UK.

It will include broadcast sponsorship of races and qualifying programmes on ITV1 and highlights on ITV1 and ITV4 as well as interactive coverage. The deal also includes sponsorship of ITV.com/f1 - the UK's most popular F1 website. Coverage begins on the weekend of March 15th with live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix. The eighteen race championship includes two new races for 2008 - with a new street circuit in Valencia for the European Grand Prix and the first ever night time race at the Singapore Grand Prix. Live ITV is the exclusive UK broadcaster of Formula 1 in the United Kingdom, with live coverage of each and every race on ITV1 as well as live coverage of qualifying and comprehensive highlights. Steve Rider presents the coverage, alongside Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell, with commentary from James Allen. Viewing figures for the 2007 F1 season were their highest since 2001, with an increase of 41 percent on the previous year's coverage, say ITV. A peak of 10.6 million viewers (47 percent audience share) watched British star Lewis Hamilton narrowly miss winning the driver's championship, finishing as runner-up in the final race at Brazil.   Mikah Martin-Cruz, General Manager, Marketing, Sony United Kingdom Ltd, said: "Sony is very pleased to be the new sponsor of the 2008 Formula 1 Championship on ITV. Sony represents best in class technology and entertainment and fits perfectly with Formula 1 especially with the heightened excitement surrounding sport from the interest surrounding Lewis Hamilton. "The sponsorship is a great opportunity for us to showcase our High Definition offering in an engaging and entertaining way."