The Independent Film Channel said Monday that it has created a specialized in-house sponsorships department to accommodate its growing number of unique client partnerships.
The network said the new integrated-partnerships department will work closely with partners to platform their brands in its uncut, festival-like on-air environment.
The new department is made up of vice president Alan Klein; director, East Coast Kevin Cirrito; and director, West Coast Lee Sparer.
“The traditional television-advertising model is no longer the only game in town,” IFC general manager Evan Shapiro said in a prepared statement. “In the face of "my media" -- DVRs [digital-video recorders], VOD [video-on-demand], podcasting, streaming, blogging -- advertisers are looking for new, effective ways to reach audiences.”
He continued, “IFC is designed to do just that. IFC is TV, uncut -- an uncluttered environment that viewers rely on to be free from censorship and commercial interruption. We have a special relationship with our viewers, which we share with partners in a ‘TiVo-proof’ environment. Combined with our young, male, upscale, early-adapter viewers, IFC is a network advertising model built for the DVR generation.”
In other IFC news, the network announced Monday that it has signed W.J. Deutsch & Sons Ltd.’s [yellow tail] wine as a partner.
IFC and [yellow tail] will create a new film strand to air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (EST)/10 p.m. (PST) beginning Oct. 11.
“IFC attracts a distinctive audience of tastemakers and influencers that, combined with the network’s impressive film library and great originals, makes this partnership ideal,” [yellow tail] senior brand manager Lily Volpe said in a prepared statement. “This is the first time [yellow tail] is advertising on television, and we are thrilled to be taking this nontraditional avenue to reach consumers in a unique and uncut environment.”
