Viking River Cruises has extended its partnership with the PBS series Masterpiece, a deal that will provide for more hours of PBS programming in 2015.
Starting in January, at least 20 additional hours of new Masterpiece programming will be funded by Viking, the exclusive corporate backer of these additional hours of programming.
“We at Viking are very proud to be a part of the growing PBS/Masterpiece family,” Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing, said at a preview event in New York last week for the Masterpiece series “Grantchester,” which is premiering in the U.S. in January. “Three short years ago we endeavored on this whirlwind journey, one that at the time we could never have predicted would be so successful.”
In 2011, Viking signed its first of a series of agreements with PBS to become a national corporate sponsor for Masterpiece. The move coincided with the enormous success of the PBS show “Downton Abbey” and was ultimately deemed a massive marketing feat.
Heading into 2015, Masterpiece is growing its new hours stateside by 50% thanks to donors such as Viking, according to Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton.
The enlarged Masterpiece footprint will kick off with “Grantchester,” a six-part mystery premiering at 10 p.m. Jan. 18 following new episodes of “Downton Abbey.”
On April 5, “Wolf Hall,” a six-part series based on Hilary Mantel’s novels “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies,” will also debut.
In celebration of the expanded Masterpiece deal, Viking will be showcasing new creative for its PBS ad spots, though no additional details were provided as to what the new ads will entail.