Asda launches ‘Behind the Scenes’ taste test challenge with Sky’s hit show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, to showcase food quality

Asda is continuing its quest for a #foodrevolution to highlight the quality of its food by partnering with popular Sky TV series Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Asda has tasked celebrity comedians Judi Love and Buzzcocks regular panellist Jamali Maddix, along with the team from Sorted Food (a food community and YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers) to perform blind taste tests (and give their honest opinion) on Asda products and their Marks & Spencer equivalents. Taking place behind the scenes of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the ‘Taste Match’ campaign aims to challenge brand perceptions and target secondary shoppers by demonstrating the high quality of Asda products.

As the first-ever branded partnership with Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the campaign will launch primarily as a social content series on Sky social channels, comprising of three long form episodes hosted on YouTube with 60” cutdowns on Instagram and Facebook. The ads will appear across Linear and On Demand Sky Media channels, placed strategically during key show breaks. Each ad will feature a QR code, driving viewers to the longer form content and will run for six weeks, until 5th November.

Spark Foundry, Asda’s media agency, has handled the media planning and buying, with SPP Media managing the partnership, and content production by Sky Media Commercial Production.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks is available Wednesdays at 9pm on Sky Showcase, also on Sky Max and NOW.

With comedian, actor and writer Greg Davies back in the presenting chair, the new series of the much-loved music themed quiz also sees the return of team captains, Noel Fielding and Daisy-May Cooper and regular guest Jamali Maddix for a 9 x 45 series plus a Christmas Special for 2023.

Stephi Brett-Lee, Senior Director of Brand Communications at Asda, said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch our Taste Match campaign and prove that great quality doesn’t have to come at a price. In thousands of blind taste tests, 100s of Asda products were found to be as tasty, or even tastier, than M&S. Never Mind the Buzzcocks gave us the perfect platform to showcase some of these products and conduct Taste Tests in a fun and engaging way with some completely impartial guest celebrities.”

Sarah Jones, Director of Planning at Sky Media, said: “We’re thrilled to work with Asda on such a fun, engaging campaign. Through a first of its kind partnership with Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Asda are brilliantly harnessing the power of TV with social to put a spotlight on the quality of their products.”

Kat Broomhead, Managing Partner at Spark Foundry UK, said: “This campaign aligns quality video content – harnessing one of Sky’s leading shows and talent – with quality food, putting it to the test. The taste test is a brilliant way to leverage the power of TV and brand socials, and help shift key perceptions of the brand amongst a wide audience.”

To learn more, visit Asda.com/TasteMatch.

CENTER PARCS RENEWS SKY CINEMA PARTNERSHIP WITH A FIVE-MONTH SPONSORSHIP ACROSS FAMILY-FRIENDLY FILM CHANNELS

Family short break provider Center Parcs has today renewed its partnership with Sky Media for a five-month sponsorship of its family-focused movie channels: Sky Cinema Family, Sky Cinema Animation, as well as for family films on Sky Showcase and Sky Max.

The partnership encompasses linear, VOD and online. The deal was brokered by media agency Hearts & Science and is designed to drive brand awareness for Center Parcs ahead of the 2023 peak holiday booking season.

Sponsorship idents for Center Parcs will run across all four Sky channels for films certified 12 and under, which will include hits such as Sonic 2, Peter Rabbit 2 and Sing 2. Over the duration of the campaign, the Center Parcs brand will reach 2.3m viewers.

The partnership will be amplified across @SkyTV and @SkyCinema social channels including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, guaranteeing a further 1.8 million views. Brand tagging allows users to click through to Center Parcs’ website, and Sky will offer bespoke integration for social posts about the relevant films to engage parents.

Colin Whaley, Sales and Marketing Director at Center Parcs, says: “We know that families like to come together and watch films in the run up to Christmas, so this sponsorship is a great opportunity to remind them of the family time Center Parcs offers. We’re really excited to showcase Center Parcs to even more families through new creative and engaging formats.”

Garrett O’Reilly, CEO at Hearts & Science, adds: “While family time is increasingly spent across different screens, there’s still nothing better than a big Christmas movie to bring us all together on the sofa. Sky’s family-friendly movie channels are highly targeted so there’s no better streaming option for the Center Parcs brand.”

Sky makes changes to entertainment portfolio unveiling Sky Showcase and Sky Max

To help customers easily find programmes that they love and to discover new shows, we’re making some changes to our portfolio of TV channels and on demand destinations.

From September, we’re saying goodbye to the Sky One brand and we’ll be replacing it with a new flagship brand Sky Showcase, as well as launching a further new service, Sky Max. The changes include:

• Launching the newly branded Sky Showcase channel, a linear only main event channel that will curate a selection of the top shows from across Sky’s portfolio of entertainment brands. So when you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for, Sky Showcase is the place to go to find something new to watch
• Launching a brand-new destination Sky Max, a linear channel and on demand service, that is the new home for Sky’s blockbuster entertainment, including some of your Sky favourites such as original dramas A Discovery of Witches and COBRA and original comedy entertainment including panel shows like A League of Their Own and the return of Never Mind The Buzzcocks.  Sky Max is where you’ll now find all the addictive blockbuster entertainment you know and love.
• Updating Sky Comedy so it now becomes the home of Sky Original Comedy including shows such as Code 404 and Hitmen Reloaded, that were previously on Sky One, alongside the Best of US comedy such as The Office US, PEN15 and Miracle Workers.  So if you’re after a laugh, Sky Comedy is the place to go.

Sky Showcase will be Sky’s flagship channel, replacing the Sky One brand at 106 on the electronic programme guide, and it will feature a selection of programmes from across Sky’s portfolio of channels – airing content from Sky Witness, Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky Nature, Sky Arts, Sky Max, Sky Comedy, Sky History, Sky Kids, SyFy and E!. It will also air selected highlights from Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. At launch Sky Showcase will hero all new Sky Original drama Wolfe, documentaries such as Hawking and The Bambers: Murder at the Farm; high profile original nature series such as Shark with Steve Backshall, as well as the best of the US including Young Rock and SWAT.

Sky Max’s launch schedule will include blockbuster entertainment such as the return of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The Russell Howard Hour and DC Superheroes.

Sky Atlantic will remain the exclusive home of high-concept original dramas such as Landscapers, I Hate Suzie, Gangs of London and Chernobyl, as well as being the home of drama from HBO and Showtime.

The changes will come into effect from 1 September.

Commenting on the channel shake-up, MD of Content Sky UK & ROI, Zai Bennett said:

“In this golden age of television, the sheer volume of incredible programming can be overwhelming. Over the last 12 months we’ve been making it easier for people to find what they want to watch. From September those looking for the very best of Sky will find it at the top of their programme guide on Sky Showcase, while Sky Max will become the new home of blockbuster entertainment joining the host of genre-led channels launched in the past year – so whether you’re in the mood for true crime, a documentary or just a laugh there’s always a channel to suit. And if you’re not sure what to watch Sky Showcase will curate some of the highlights from our line-up so you can find something new to watch.”

The channels will be available to Sky customers at no extra charge. They will also launch on streaming service NOW and on Virgin and BT.