27 May 2021

UKTV has awarded its media planning and buying account to Havas Entertainment after a competitive, fair and open pitching process led by The Aperto Partnership and UKTV's director of media, Alasdair Weddell.

Alasdair said:

I was blown away by the level of creativity and innovative thinking demonstrated by all the agencies involved in our review process - we're very fortunate to have such a strong media planning and buying sector in our industry. As an entertainment specialist however, Havas Entertainment stood out as the agency best positioned to support UKTV in our next chapter due to the team's expertise in turning viewers into fans.

The specialist entertainment agency pitched alongside the incumbent agency Hearts & Science, who have held the business for over twelve years, as well as Starcom and Total Media.

Weddell added:

As we move our focus to transitioning UKTV's media buying business to Havas, I would like to express my huge gratitude to Hearts & Science for the significant role they have played in UKTV's growth.

Nick Wright, Managing Director of Havas Entertainment said:

Havas Entertainment exists for brands like UKTV: like-minded specialists who understand the needs of fans and how to engage with them through a carefully crafted blend of media and creativity that goes way beyond 'spots and space'. Our experience so far has been highly collaborative, engaging and inspiring. It's given us a clear understanding of UKTV's business and their desires, which has enabled us to 'bring out the best' in what we do and is the perfect springboard to a fruitful, long-term partnership. We can't wait to get stuck in.

The eight-figure account will move to Havas Entertainment at the beginning of July.

Andrew Mortimer of The Aperto Partnership said: "Hearts & Science, Starcom and Total Media all gave really good accounts of themselves. In the end though Havas Entertainment stood out and I wish them the very best in their new partnership with the brilliant UKTV team."

Garrett O'Reilly, Managing Director of Hearts & Science said: "We've had a brilliant decade-long award-winning partnership with UKTV and have thoroughly enjoyed working with the team, particularly during the last year where we have helped to grow their share of commercial impacts during the pandemic. We part company on a high, and we wish Alasdair and the UKTV team continued success."

UKTV recently announced record viewing figures for the first quarter of the year and reported a 8.32% share of commercial impacts (SOCI). The broadcaster's growth is on an upward trajectory and is attracting a significant share of 16-34s thanks to original programming across the network. Its latest slate on Dave features a stellar line-up of comedy talent including David Mitchell, Fern Brady, Darren Harriot, Ivo Graham, Richard Ayoade, Tom Allen, Kemah Bob and Jason Forbes. And on Alibi, UKTV's dedicated crime drama channel, there's a host of brand-new crime dramas and thrillers; from Ragdoll starring Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Thalissa Teixeira and Lucy Hale, to Annika a six-part series based on the hugely successful Radio 4 drama and starring Nicola Walker, The Diplomat, written by Ben Richards and produced by World Productions (the production company behind Bodyguard and Line of Duty), and the return of both Traces and We Hunt Together.

For more information, please contact:

Ali Laurie, Senior Publicist, UKTV

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About Havas Entertainment

Havas Entertainment creates meaningful moments in culture for entertainment brands battling for attention, as well as those who see entertainment as an effective vehicle to engage with their audiences.

With in-depth knowledge of film, TV, gaming, toys, music and culture, the agency turns consumers into fans and fans into consumers through a data-fuelled, connected blend of media and creativity, for clients including UMG, StudioCanal, Square Enix, NCSoft, Live Nation, Beats and Puma.

Havas Entertainment is part of Havas Media Group.

About The Aperto Partnership

The Aperto Partnership and is an independent, expert media advisor, run by Scott Moorhead and Andrew Mortimer. The business provides specialist expertise in building effective media operating models for clients, and in media agency search and selection. The Aperto Partnership is an ISBA partner and is widely recognised as the market leader in building sustainable media agency relationships and commercial models. Recent clients include the British Heart Foundation, Barclays, L'Oréal, Direct Line Group, Samsung UK and Bupa.