Endemol UK Debuts Branded Entertainment Arm

LONDON, May 22: Endemol UK
has launched New State, a new division dedicated to securing brand partnerships
for the U.K. group’s programming output, to be helmed by Cody Hogarth as the
managing director.

Hogarth
was previously Endemol UK’s head of commercial partnerships. The new unit will
work alongside Endemol UK’s production arms in pairing top brands with TV and
digital-media content. New State is part of Endemol’s global strategy to
increase its branded entertainment activities across all platforms, including
TV, online and mobile. The launch of New State follows last week’s announcement
that Marco Di Gioacchino has been
appointed as the executive director of branded entertainment at the Endemol
Group.

Endemol
UK’s recent successes in the branded-entertainment arena include Channel 4’s
flagship Vodafone TBA, which sees top artists performing free gigs in venues around the U.K. and
The Vodafone Live Music Awards, a
ceremony that celebrates the best of live music. Both of these have been commissioned for
a third season on Channel 4, and will return later this year. Endemol UK has
also secured sponsors for The Gap Year, its online reality series for
social-networking site Bebo.

Other
credits include ITV1’s music entertainment series Orange Playlist; international fashion
event Armani One Night Only, which aired on Channel 4; Calling The Shots for Pepsi International
and the charity event Soccer Aid for ITV1 and Unicef, which was sponsored by T-Mobile.

Lucas
Church, the COO of Endemol UK, commented: “All the signs are that brand
partnerships will play an increasingly important role in delivering quality
content across TV and digital-media platforms. This is an area where we see
significant opportunities for growth and one which we now plan to bring into the
heart of Endemol UK’s business.”

Hogarth
added: “Endemol UK already has one of the production industry’s longest and
most successful track records in marrying content with leading brands. The
launch of New State demonstrates how serious we are about further expanding our
role in this rapidly growing part of the market.”

—By
Irene Lew