N.B. An amended version of this release was issued on 13.03.2008

 

BBC Worldwide today announced that Rolex will be the exclusive launch partner for the revamped BBC.com homepage.

 

This partnership marks the first in a number of sponsorship opportunities throughout the year with BBC.com and Rolex.

 

BBC.com is the commercial venture to offer advertising on the highly successful BBC website for users outside the UK.

 

This deal, brokered by Mindshare Interaction Worldwide, sees BBC.com add Rolex to its strong portfolio of sponsors who have already used the site to globally promote their brands to the BBC's international influential audience.

 

Luxury watch maker Rolex will be able to communicate with the BBC website's 28 million users from outside the UK (comScore stats) and the opportunity to associate with one of the world's leading and most trusted brands.

 

With the breadth of valued content available on the BBC website, premium brands like Rolex can optimise advertising space on high traffic pages outside the UK which include news, sports and weather.

 

These sponsorship deals will help deliver a new flow of income from international visitors into the BBC for investment.

 

Kym Niblock, Managing Director, BBC.com said: "We are delighted to be associated with such a prestigious brand such as Rolex. Advertising partnerships like these will help BBC.com deliver funds to invest in further growing the international reach of the site, and deliver revenues back to BBC."

 

BBC.com has been developed in order to generate revenue for the BBC from the non-UK, non-licence paying traffic to its web properties.

 

Developed by BBC Worldwide in conjunction with BBC Global News, the site taps into the vast audience that bbc.co.uk already attracts from outside of the UK.

 

The Geo-IP technology integrated into the site allows BBC Worldwide to distinguish between UK and non-UK users and enable only non-UK users to see the advertising.

 

 

Esther Brown