12th March 2024 - Award-winning broadcaster UKTV has today announced it has invested in the UK's first independent funeral-planning service, The Farewell Guide, using its multi-million pound investment fund, UKTV Ventures. The initial deal is worth £1 million of airtime, with a mutual option to extend the deal by a further £2 million once launched.
The Farewell Guide is a free, online service dedicated to making funeral planning simpler, more affordable, and more personal. The Farewell Guide provide support to individuals and families during what may be the most stressful times of their lives, helping them make informed decisions. Founded by entrepreneur Rebecca Peach in 2019 after witnessing first-hand the pain and fragmentation of organising a funeral, The Farewell Guide is the UK's only supportive digital funeral planner and price comparison site.
UKTV Ventures' £1 million airtime-for-equity investment sees The Farewell Guide launch its first TV advertising campaign from April on the broadcaster's seven linear channels - Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Drama, Yesterday, Eden. The Farewell Guide will benefit from access to an audience of over 25 million viewers a month to exponentially increase brand awareness and in return, UKTV will gain an equity stake in the business.
Rebecca Peach, Founder and CEO of The Farewell Guide, said:
We are delighted to collaborate with the team at UKTV and are incredibly happy to spread the word about The Farewell Guide, assisting consumers in navigating end-of-life and funeral planning. This exciting new partnership will allow us to bring our free and much-needed service into thousands more homes across the entire UK. It marks a significant step towards fulfilling our vision of becoming the go-to destination for funeral planning and support. With the costs of dying and funerals spiralling, there is no better time to bring our service to the masses.
Brendan Kilcawley, Director of UKTV Ventures, said:
We've been so impressed with Rebecca and the team, as well as the technology and vision they've crafted to support consumers freely in planning a funeral. We are excited by the launch of The Farewell Guide's first TV ad campaign, which is set to significantly boost awareness of their brand and valuable service. The powerful values of the brand are certain to strike a chord with UKTV viewers throughout the network, and we're genuinely excited to see The Farewell Guide become the go-to destination for funeral planning.
UKTV Ventures is committed to helping companies new to TV advertising build their brand and scale up by benefiting from the wide reach, trust and recognition only achieved through TV advertising. Similar to venture capital, UKTV Ventures is a funding model which invests airtime, instead of cash, in burgeoning high-growth companies looking to accelerate their growth. UKTV Ventures' deal with The Farewell Guide follows their recent investments in online raffle company Raffolux, plastic free shampoo bar company KinKind, and social media platform, WeAre8.
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For further information please contact: Rebecca Ferris, Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV
About UKTV Ventures
UKTV Ventures is UKTV's multi-million pound investment fund which offers high-growth start-ups an opportunity to enter the TV advertising market in exchange for a minority stake in their company. This is described as airtime-for-equity.
UKTV Ventures Website: www.uktvventures.co.uk
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 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.
UKTV Twitter: https://twitter.com/UKTV
UKTV Corporate Website: https://corporate.uktv.co.uk
About The Farewell Guide
Founded by serial entrepreneur Rebecca Peach in 2019 after witnessing first-hand the pain and fragmentation of organising a funeral, The Farewell Guide is the UK's only supportive funeral planner and price comparison site.
The Farewell Guide is a free, online service dedicated to making funeral planning simpler, more affordable, and more personal. We provide support to individuals and families during what may be the most stressful times of their lives, helping them make informed decisions.
Arranging a funeral can be stressful, frustrating, expensive, and hugely time-consuming, especially during a time of grief. To address these challenges, we offer digital pre-planning and at-need access, providing planners with a price comparison overview and direct contact to over 5,000 funeral providers. This allows them to make sense of the plethora of options without the need for manual interaction or visiting a funeral director, making the process easier and more accessible.
The Farewell Guide is proud to be partnered with and recommended by Money Saving Expert, Daily Mail, Marie Curie, Elizabeth's Smile, and Hospice UK.
The Farewell Guide Twitter: https://twitter.com/farewellguide
The Farewell Guide Website: https://www.thefarewellguide.co.uk/
The Farewell Guide Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefarewellguide
The Farewell Guide Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thefarewellguide/