P&O Cruises has announced it will be the sponsor of the third series of the popular ITV period drama Downton Abbey.
Idents featuring the UK’s leading cruise brand will be shown at the beginning of each episode and either side of commercial breaks.
They will be filmed on a P&O Cruises ship and show different aspects of the holiday that appeal to new to cruise customers
The sponsorship package will include broadcast, online and mobile elements as well as social media.
P&O Cruises managing director Carol Marlow said: “We are delighted to sponsor such a celebrated programme as Downton Abbey. We know that many of our passengers and potential passengers watch Downton Abbey and we are excited to bring P&O Cruises to life for this vast audience.”
The most recent series of Downton Abbey averaged 11.8 million viewers and a 38% share of the audience, peaking with 12.4 million viewers and a 41% share of the audience on November 6, 2011.
Downton Abbey’s Christmas special was also rated as the most-watched Christmas Day show, achieving a consolidated audience of 11.6 million viewers.
ITV account sales manager Mike Barrett said: “Downton Abbey was the most watched drama of 2011 and has achieved a fantastic 16 nominations for the upcoming Emmy awards.
“It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that P&O Cruises will be the new sponsor of this drama phenomenon, and we look forward to working with them to deliver an engaging multi-platform partnership for the coming series.”