UK broadcasters provide £10m free airtime to kids health campaigns
Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV and Sky have offered up a substantial cache of TV advertising spots for campaigns intent on improving the health and lifestyle of UK children.
UK broadcasters provide £10m free airtime to kids health campaign
A three-year partnership will signify the importance of healthy eating and exercise for kids. The commercial broadcasters say they will reach 90% of UK children.
Carolyn McCall, chief executive of ITV said: “TV has the power to shape culture and change behavior,” and that running campaigns like Eat Them To Defeat Them and The Daily Mile campaigns will help use the platform’s influence for good.
“Combining the power of our platforms and programmes enables us to make a significant difference to children’s health.”
The spots kick off February 2020.
Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said: “We’re excited to build upon our editorial work with airtime and a powerful TV sales house partnership to continue to inspire and assist young people.”
Finally, Stephen van Rooyen, the chief executive UK and Ireland of Sky, said: “Sky has a long history of encouraging people of all ages to get involved in sport and live healthy lives, from our Sky Sports Scholars to inspiring millions of people to start cycling through Team Sky," adding the partnership will build upon that.
The UK’s commercial broadcasters are increasingly banding together to speak up the power of the TV platform. Such philanthropic drives will serve to show the effectiveness of the medium and perhaps erode complaints that the broadcasters do not do enough to combat the prevalence of junk food ads.
ITV, in partnership with INEOS, launched The Daily Mile’s first TV advertising campaign in April 2018 alongside editorial support in ITV programmes. It encouraged primary school children to get outside and run, jog, walk or move for 15 minutes every day. ITV reports that more than 4,500 additional schools have signed up across the UK - a 237% increase on the schools taking part before the TV campaign.
Meanwhile, The Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign, a partnership with Veg Power and ITV, launched on ITV in February 2019. It claimed a 2.3% uplift in veg sales attributable to the campaign.