// Sainsbury’s has replaced Asda as the new sponsor of Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off in a multi-year deal

// The grocer’s Taste the Difference range will be promoted as part of the broadcast sponsorship

Sainsbury’s is the new sponsor of The Great British Bake Off after inking a multi-year exclusive sponsorship deal.

The grocer replaces Aldi, which sponsored the last series of three Channel 4 cookery programme in a deal understood to be around £4 million.

Neither Sainsbury’s or Channel 4 disclosed how much the grocer had for the new sponsorship deal, however the TV Channel said it was “the biggest sponsorship deal of the show to date”. 

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference range will be the broadcast sponsor across the franchise, which includes the upcoming thirteenth series of The Great British Bake Off, Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Bake Off: The Professionals, Junior Bake Off,  the festive specials and The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer.

The sponsorship spots will be created by ad agency Wieden + Kennedy and will  feature Taste the Difference products with “a surprising twist that pays homage to the Bake Off”.

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Sainsbury’s chief marketing officer Mark Given said: “We’re delighted to partner with The Great British Bake Off, an iconic show with mass appeal that never fails to bring warmth and fun to homes across the country. 

“This exciting new partnership provides us with the perfect opportunity to celebrate and showcase the quality and innovation that Sainsbury’s is known and loved for, whilst cheering on the nation’s best home bakers.”

Series 12 of The Great British Bake Off drew an average audience of 8.8 million viewers per episode, with an average audience of 9.3m tuning in for the final.  

It was the biggest non-scripted series on TV last year for young viewers, with an average 16-34 audience of 1.9m.

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