The drama continues as Simba’s 2024 sponsorship becomes
Channel 5’s biggest ever deal

Sky Media and Paramount UK have announced that Simba Hybrid will be the official sponsor of drama on Channel 5, plus the broadcaster’s ‘Evening’ programming strand, as well as on demand platform My5 throughout 2024.

The seven figure, one-year partnership represents Channel 5’s biggest ever sponsorship and sees the British sleep tech brand renew its successful 2023 sponsorship campaign.

Across 2024, Simba’s 15, 10 and 5” idents will showcase the brand’s Hybrid Mattress and feature around new and returning original dramas and popular titles including Dalgliesh and The Hardacres, Wife on Strike and Police: Suspect No.1.
Simba first aired as a Channel 5 sponsor in July 2022 for 6 months and doubled its investment in 2023 – sponsoring My5, Dramas on Channel 5 and Evenings on C5 across the year, which helped the brand reach 60% of all ABC1 Adults and 25-54 year olds.

This was driven by the continued success of new Channel 5 dramas such as The Inheritance and The Catch as well as the return of The Madame Blanc Mysteries and much-loved All Creatures Great and Small. Portillo’s Andalucia, Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out and Police Interceptors also drew viewers to Channel 5’s evening schedule of programming.

In October, Simba co-sponsored the broadcaster’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup coverage, further extending their relationship with Channel 5 and reaching a broader male audience. The 2024 renewal deal was brokered by media agency, Wake the Bear.
Channel 5 is the only commercial PSB channel to have grown its total share of audience across peak time so far this year.

Jonathan Moore at Simba said “Partnering with Channel 5 has been a game-changer for us in the advertising landscape. Their dynamic approach, coupled with a commitment to excellence and continued audience growth, has provided our brand with unprecedented exposure and success.”

Peter Dale, VP, UK Ad Sales & Commercial Development, Paramount has said “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Simba into 2024. It’s testament to the strength of being associated with Channel 5’s popular peak time shows and critically acclaimed original drama, which delivers strong audiences on both Channel 5 and My5.”

Karin Seymour, Director of Client and Marketing at Sky Media said: “It’s fantastic to see the partnership between Simba and Channel 5 continue. This is Channel 5’s biggest ever sponsorship deal and shows the faith brands have in using TV to drive ROI and brand fame.”

Remitly and Simba to sponsor Channel 5’ daily highlights of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

• Remitly’s sponsorship marks its first ever TV partnership with a mainstream channel
• This expansion of Simba’s partnership with Channel 5, make the deal its largest with any broadcaster, and its first sports focused sponsorship

Today, Sky Media announced leading digital financial services provider Remitly, and sleep specialists Simba, as co-sponsors of Channel 5’s daily highlights of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The significant new partnership launches on Thursday 5th October and runs for the duration of the tournament to Sunday 19th November.

The renowned and hotly anticipated event takes place in India where ten teams will battle it out across 47 games and England are set to defend their title as reigning champions.

Remitly and Simba’s 15, 10 and 5” sponsorship idents will run alongside daily one hour round up shows across Channel 5, My5 and Sky On Demand, including at least nine England games scheduled at 7 pm.

Here and Now 365 and Defy Studios are responsible for Remitly and Simba’s creative, respectively.

Simba’s sponsorship represents an expansion of the sleep technology specialists’ already successful Channel 5 partnership which was renewed in January, it sees them sponsor Evenings on Channel 5, Drama on Channel 5 and My5.

This new partnership also forms a key part of Remitly’s marketing strategy and was established through its long-standing relationship with multicultural marketing agency, Here and Now 365; and Sky Media. The brand’s sponsorship aims to create awareness of Remitly’s money transfer service with a broader audience, largely focused on the South Asian community, with whom the tournament has a strong cultural resonance.

Pankaj Sharma, EVP, Global Remittance Business Management at Remitly said “We are excited to partner with Channel 5 on this TV sponsorship for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will allow us to gain access to the broadcaster’s huge reach across the country. Our vision is to transform the lives of millions of immigrants and their families by providing the most trusted financial services on the planet. For a huge proportion of our customers cricket is such a huge cultural passion, so we are excited to be a part of that.”

Jon Moore, Ecommerce & Marketing Director, Simba Sleep said “Working with our long-term marketing partner Wake The Bear, we’ve really seen the huge impact a strategically relevant and well executed sponsorship can do for our brand as well as our bottom line. We’re excited to expand our partnership activities with Sky Media as ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup coverage is a great fit for Simba’s audience and brand profile.”

Pete Dale, VP, UK Adsales & Commercial Development, Paramount said “The Men’s Cricket World Cup marks an exciting moment in this year’s sporting calendar and Channel 5 will be the number one, free-to-air channel for cricket fans up and down the country to enjoy all the highlights from India. We’re looking forward to seeing our partnership with Simba and Remitly come to life throughout what promises to be a thrilling competition.”

Debarshi Pandit, Head of Multicultural Business, Sky Media has said “Cricket as a sport elicits a totally different unprecedented level of passion, especially within the South Asian communities that form a significant base of Remitly’s clientele. And casting the net wider and further in terms of audience reach, through Channel 5, both Remitly & Simba stand to get the best of both mainstream and multicultural audiences.”

Channel 5’s coverage is part of a new partnership with Sky, bringing daily highlights to free-to-air audiences. Every match will be exclusively live on Sky Sports.