TORONTO – The little talent show that could is showing that it definitely can. Canadian Idol has signed on five sponsors for season four, the most so far.
Kraft is returning for a third year, while the show welcomes newcomers General Mills Whole Grain Cereals, Procter and Gamble, TD Canada Trust, and TELUS. All will have product integration with the series.
Canadian Idol enters its three-week “Top 22” stage next Monday, June 26 with back-to-back special live 90-minute performance episodes at 8 p.m. ET on June 26 and 27 on CTV.
TELUS has been named the official wireless sponsor. TELUS SPARK clients will have exclusive wireless access to Canadian Idol content. In addition to text message voting, TELUS clients will be able to receive the latest Idol news on their mobile phones as well as download exclusive video footage, ringtones, images, and songs. They can also send text messages to contestants. Each text message will enter the customer into a contest to win a trip for two to attend the Canadian Idol finale.
“TELUS is proud to support CTV’s Canadian Idol and help showcase the talents of young Canadians from across the country. It’s the perfect initiative to leverage our innovative line-up of SPARK services to satisfy our clients’ hunger for the latest and greatest information and entertainment,” said Robert Blumenthal, TELUS senior VP of Products and Services.
TD Canada Trust will provide two comfortable armchairs for two fans out of the more than 1,000 who will attend the tapings, in the Fan Comfort Zone.
Last year, Canadian Idol was the most-watched summer program on Canadian TV. Its fourth season debuted a month ago with an average audience of 1.84 million viewers (aged 2+ as measured by Neilsen). Over its 33-episode run, the show has been Canada’s most successful English-language homegrown program since electronic measurement came into being.
