CBC seeks brand partners for baking reality show

CBC Television is looking to bake in food and food-related brands for an upcoming version of the hugely popular British reality show, The Great British Bake Off.

The new series, The Great Canadian Baking Show, will run for eight one-hour episodes beginning this fall. The show’s broad viewer appeal means it will likely run in the 8 p.m. time slot, says Jennifer Dettman, executive director of unscripted content for CBC.

Robin Neufeld, the CBC’s director, content marketing and strategic solutions, says the public broadcaster is currently seeking brand partners for the series. The show’s kitchen setting means it will appeal to a broad cross-section of advertisers, from appliance makers to companies in the baking space, she says.

“It’s a show about baking that takes place in a kitchen, so it naturally lends itself to an array of brand categories for very natural integration,” she says. “We’re also offering food category clients an opportunity to integrate in prime time.”

Neufeld says The Great Canadian Baking Show “delivers on several dimensions” for potential advertising partners, including a positive environment free from the occasional mean-spiritedness of modern reality TV, which tends to emphasize bickering and back-stabbing. .

“It’s something that’s uplifting and celebrates Canadians’ everyday accomplishments, while encouraging camaraderie among competitors,” says Neufeld. “It’s a very appealing positioning for advertisers.”

This summer CBC is planning to show episodes of the British version of the series, which debuted on the BBC Two network in 2010 and has run for seven seasons. To date, more than 23 countries – including the U.S., Ireland, Brazil, Italy and Sweden – have created their own version of the bake-off show.

“It’s a huge hit in the U.K., and we think it can translate here in Canada,” says Dettman. “You’ll see some people bake some remarkable foods, but it’s so much more than that – it’s really about celebrating everyday Canadians.”