Great British Bake-Off aims for record sponsorship deal

It was the largest event Channel 4 has ever held to promote an individual show, says The Guardian, as the broadcaster prepared to launch its version of the Great British Bake Off.

A "charm offensive held at Channel 4's London headquarters on Thursday" kicked off the bidding for a headline sponsor for the programme.

At a price of £75m for a three-year deal, Channel 4 bosses made a big gamble on Bake Off being able to bring in substantial advertising revenues when it bought the rights to the show last year.

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Despite having lost presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc and judge Mary Berry, the producers are confident on new team Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding and Prue Leith, who join original judge Paul Hollywood.

Bidding is said to have opened at £8m for the headline slot, which would include "sponsorship of spin-offs such as Bake Off Extra Slice, celebrity and Christmas specials and new Paul Hollywood show A Baker's Life".

The Guardian adds that "many advertisers are expected to be keen to associate themselves with the show" and says a bidding war "could eclipse the record near-£10m a year that TalkTalk paid to sponsor The X Factor".

Ad slots on Bake Off - which the BBC says will have to be 75mins long to ensure the content remains at one hour - are also expected to be lucrative.

"Channel 4 will aim to squeeze advertiser demand to the tune of £150,000 to £200,000 for a 30-second slot, compared with a typical peak-time ad price of as much as £120,000," says the Guardian.

"A huge England football fixture, or an X Factor final when the show was in its pomp, could bring in as much as £250,000 an ad."