Simon Lands Sponsorship Deal
Mimi ON Dec 21, 2010 AT 9:53 am
Simon Cowell's raking in the cash for the US X Factor
Simon Cowell’s US ‘X Factor’ has signed $55 million sponsorship deal with Pepsi.
The 51-year-old star and his fellow judges will be seen drinking the beverage during the show and backstage in behind-the-scenes footage, with the music mogul is said to be delighted to have landed such a huge promotional deal.
A source said: “The deal is ostensibly between broadcaster Fox and Freemantle who make the show, not between Simon and his company Syco.
“But it’s a massive coup for him – and shows how the big brands are all desperate to be associated with a man deemed to have the midas touch.”
The sponsorship deal is a huge boost for the music mogul as he prepares to launch the Stateside show next year, with main rival, Simon’s former show ‘American Idol’, enjoying a similar yet smaller deal with Coco-Cola worth $35 million.
The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “The icing on the cake is that American Idol – which Simon used to be a judge on – is sponsored by Pepsi’s biggest rival. Simon is absolutely thrilled.”
Details of the show are still being kept under wraps with Simon set to announce the panel of judges – rumoured to include Cheryl Cole, Nicole Scherzinger, Noel Gallagher and George Michael – early next year.
Ofcom have just announced they’ll be revising the UK guidelines for product placement next year too, so we may see a similar brand endorsement on the UK X Factor next time around.
