How TV Programme Sponsorship Can Elevate Your Brand

Imagine your brand becoming part of your audience’s viewing routine without disrupting their experience. That’s the kind of subtle power TV programme sponsorship delivers. Rather than a loud advert to skip past, sponsorship embeds your brand through idents or credits in breaks before, during, or after a show. It gives repeated exposure over time, creating associations in viewers’ minds so your name becomes (almost) part of the content.

Television still holds enormous influence, even with streaming booming. For instance, Channel 4’s Sponsorship Rocks study (based on 15 years’ data and over 400,000 viewer interactions) found that broadcast sponsorship improves metrics like awareness, consideration, trust, and brand relevance by 5-8 percentage points.

What that means: people don’t just “see” the sponsor, they perceive it more positively. They think the brand is successful. They feel more likely to engage.

So when done well, a TV sponsorship is more than just visibility, it’s long-term brand equity.

Benefits of TV Sponsorship for Brands

TV sponsorship isn’t just another type of advertising format. Rather, it’s a game changer for brand visibility and consumer engagement. Here’s why businesses continue to invest millions in this strategy

1. Lasting Brand Awareness

Sponsorship idents show up repeatedly in a show’s lifecycle. Viewers come to expect them, which means even when they’re not paying full attention, the brand name or logo registers.

Think about this, how many times you’ve seen a sponsorship ident before a prime-time show without even realising how effectively it’s cementing that brand in your mind? Many, right? Channel 4’s data shows that if a sponsorship ident is seen more than 60 times, there’s a 57% increase in prompted brand awareness over campaigns with less exposure.

2. Reaching the Right Audience

By carefully selecting the right programme to sponsor, brands can tap into their ideal audience with pinpoint accuracy. For instance, a reality show might attract younger, trend-conscious viewers, while a long-running drama could connect with family-focused demographics. Thus, TV sponsorships ensure that your brand aligns with the right customers, at the right time, in the right mindset.

Picking the right programme to sponsor matters. For example, Petits Filous sponsoring the Milkshake! morning block on Sky (kids & co-viewers) from dawn till mid-morning meant engaging parents and children in their breakfast routine. That’s more effective than blasting ads at mismatched slots.

3. Building Credibility

When viewers associate a brand with their favourite TV show, it fosters a sense of familiarity and trust. Unlike an intrusive ad, sponsorship feels more like an endorsement, a subtle but powerful psychological advantage. The result? Greater consumer confidence and stronger brand affinity.

In YouGov + House 51 research, 78% of viewers said that a brand sponsoring a TV show seems more popular or successful, compared to 68% for non-sponsor brands. This “costly signal” works in your favor.

4. Cost Efficiency Over Time

While the upfront investment can be sizeable, sponsorships often deliver more stable exposure and perception boost than intermittent ads. Longer durations (over 2 years) tend to yield significantly better consideration rates. Also, compared to high-cost prime ad slots, sponsorships often give you more guaranteed exposure.

5. Multi-Platform Leverage & Activation

Sponsorship today isn’t limited to the TV signal. Brands are integrating their sponsorships into streaming, social, digital content, and app platforms. Case in point: Crown Paints did a sponsorship of Channel 5’s Great British Stories, which included idents on linear TV, VOD, Sky Go/My5 platforms, and online/digital extensions. That extended the reach and made the campaign more coherent.

6. Trust and Long-Term Brand Health

Over time, repeated exposure via sponsorship builds trust and strengthens how people feel about your brand. Channel 4’s Sponsorship Rocks shows that relevancy and trust improve along with awareness and consideration. Also, the longer and more frequent the sponsorship, the stronger the brand recall and loyalty.

TV Sponsorship Deals of 2025

Some of the most famous brands have leveraged TV sponsorships to dominate their markets. Below are a few of the biggest, most lucrative deals of 2025:

Petits Filous & Milkshake!

Their first kids’ TV sponsorship ran in UK mornings with idents during Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol, etc. The campaign increased spontaneous awareness and purchase intent among co-viewing parents and children.

ITV & ViewersLogic Measurement

Partnerships that allow measurement of website visits, app downloads, brand uplift and tie-ins with sponsorships have shown clear positive effects, both short-term and long-term.

Apple & The Morning Show ($50 million/yr)

Apple’s sponsorship of The Morning Show on Apple TV+ demonstrates the power of premium brand alignment. Since it’s one of the most talked about dramas, the show appeals to Apple’s target audience of professionals and media enthusiasts, thus ensuring maximum brand impact.

Amazon & Premier League ($120 million/yr)

Moreover, Amazon’s growing presence in live sports broadcasting, its sponsorship deal with the English Premier League is a groundbreaking move. Not only does this ensure Amazon Prime Video stays at the forefront of sports streaming, but it also boosting sales of Alexa and Fire TV products.

Verizon & NFL Sunday Ticket ($500 million/yr)

Similarly, Verizon’s record-breaking sponsorship deal with NFL Sunday Ticket isn’t just a TV sponsorship, it’s a massive media investment. In turn, this ensures the telecom giant stays at the forefront of live sports broadcasting. Additionally, the deal reinforces its dominance in 5G technology, streaming, and sports entertainment.

 

TikTok & Eurovision ($25 Million Per Year)

TikTok’s sponsorship of Eurovision 2025 solidifies its role as a major player in music and entertainment marketing. Also, the partnership drives record-breaking user engagement, with millions of viewers using the app to share performances and behind-the-scenes content.

Trends & What’s Next in TV Sponsorship

Because we’ve been doing this a long time, we keep our eyes peeled on what’s changing so we can offer smart advice. TV programme sponsorships are no longer just about slapping a logo on a TV, they’re evolving in exciting new ways. Here are what we see heading into the future:

1. Interactive Sponsorships

Viewers want to lean in. Brands are using idents, sponsorships that interact with viewers, polls, QR codes during breaks, second-screen activations. It gives more engagement + measurable data.

2. AI & Data-Driven Placement

Choosing programmes and slots based on viewer data (who watches what when) rather than just reach. More tailored sponsorships mean better relevance and ROI.

3. Streaming & Ad-Supported Models

As streaming TV grows, shows on services that allow sponsorship or brand integration are becoming attractive. Viewers are adopting hybrid models: traditional TV + streaming.

4. Purpose-Driven & Value Alignment

Brands increasingly pick shows that align with their values (e.g. sustainability, diversity, social responsibility). It’s not just visibility, it’s about what you stand for.

Discover our TV sponsorship services and take your brand’s visibility to the next level!

How to Do TV Sponsorship Right (From Us at Impress Video)

Because we’ve arranged and consulted on dozens of these, here are tips we’ve learned along the way:

  • Begin with clear objectives: Do you want awareness, consideration, product sales, or trust? Each objective might favour different shows, sponsorship duration, or creative executions.
  • Frequency matters: The more people see your idents, the more the impact. One-off sponsorships are less effective than ongoing partnerships.
  • Creative consistency: Sponsorship idents should match your brand identity (tone, aesthetics). If the ident feels disconnected, viewers might see it as jarring.
  • Blend in the digital: Sponsor the TV show plus integrate into socials, online platforms, VOD. That amplifies reach and helps people who missed the live slot.
  • Measure broadly: Don’t just look at viewership numbers. Track web traffic, mentions, sentiment, searches, conversions. Then iterate.

 

Ready to Boost Your Brand’s Visibility? Work with Impress Video!

TV sponsorship isn’t just for the big guns. When done right, it offers brand visibility, trust, and long-term gains for any company with the budget and vision. At Impress Video, we help you pick the right show, craft the sponsorship ident, manage integrations, and measure impact so you get more than just your logo on screen—you get memorable brand presence.

If you’re ready to make your brand unforgettable through strategic TV sponsorship, let’s chat and turn that exposure into real impact. Contact us today!