or


[09/21/06 - 12:00 AM]
Bravo Announces Top Sponsors for Second Season of Hit Reality Competition Series 'Top Chef'

[via press release from Bravo]

BRAVO ANNOUNCES TOP SPONSORS FOR SECOND SEASON OF HIT REALITY COMPETITION SERIES 'TOP CHEF'

SEARS, TOYOTA, AND GLAD SERVE UP ADVERTISING SPONSORSHIPS FOR THE NEW SEASON OF THE CULINARY ARTS SERIES PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18

BRAVO RENEWS ITS OVERALL SERIES PARTNERSHIP WITH FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE FOR THE SECOND SEASON OF 'TOP CHEF'

NEW YORK, NY � September 21, 2006 � Bravo announced today that it has inked partnerships with Sears, Toyota, and Glad for full advertising sponsors for the second season of Bravo's hit one-hour reality competition series "Top Chef," which returns Wednesday, October 18 at 11:00 p.m. "Top Chef" moves to its regular 10:00 p.m. weekly timeslot on Wednesday, October 25.

Bravo also continues its overall series partnership with Food & Wine magazine to include the expertise of the publication's Gail Simmons as a regular on-air judge, and prizing for the winner of "Top Chef" to be featured in an upcoming issue of Food & Wine and appear at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

"We continue to develop exciting multi-platform opportunities for our promotional partners to bring consumer awareness and exposure to their brands, while also further delivering ways for viewers to engage and interact with 'Top Chef,' said Shari Post, Vice President, Ad Sales, Bravo.

Integrated product sponsorships for the new season also include TGI Friday's, Nestle, Kraft, Bailey's, Korbel, Calphalon, and Pepsi.

The partnerships with Sears, Toyota, and Glad include prizing and significant in-show integration, providing both valuable exposure for the brands and effective creative content and products for "Top Chef."

Sears and Glad will also sponsor the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway sweepstakes, which will award one winner with a trip to the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen next June 2007. The winner will also be awarded a Kenmore Pro kitchen and a generous supply of Glad products. Viewers can go to BravoTV.com between December 18, 2006 and January 15, 2007 to enter.

Bravo's newest hit reality competition series "Top Chef" offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. The series features fifteen aspiring chefs who compete for their shot at culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." Each episode holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and invention of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for a range of demanding clients. The competing chefs live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef, and each week someone is asked to "pack up their knives" and go home.

Best-selling author Padma Lakshmi will host the new season. Tom Colicchio, one of the culinary world's most celebrated figures and co-founder of New York City's Gramercy Tavern and Craft Restaurants, serves as lead judge and head chef to the competing chefs. Food expert Gail Simmons of Food & Wine magazine is as a judge for the series.

Elements of the advertiser sponsorships surrounding "Top Chef" include:

SEARS

The winner of "Top Chef" will be awarded with a state-of-the-art Kenmore PRO Kitchen provided by Sears.

"Top Chef" will feature the Kenmore Kitchen, a top-of-the-line main kitchen set outfitted with Kenmore appliances including Kenmore PRO cooktops, warming drawers, double wall ovens, twin refrigerators and Kenmore Elite microwaves. Built for the set located in downtown Los Angeles, the Kenmore Kitchen serves as the anchor location for the second season.

Sears will feature "Top Chef" tune-in in their national circular.

Sears will feature "Top Chef" in a direct mail piece distributed to their customer mailing list.

Sears.com will feature an exclusive "Top Chef" photo gallery and link back to BravoTV.com.

Will create "Top Chef" themed commercials to air exclusively during "Top Chef."

Official co-sponsors of the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway sweepstakes.

Sears Kenmore will sponsor various "Top Chef" features on BravoTV.com.

TOYOTA

Five Toyota RAV 4 vehicles served as the primary means of transportation on "Top Chef," with the competing chefs using the vehicles to make their way around Southern California for challenges and shopping.

GLAD

Glad will sponsor the $100,000 cash prize for the "Top Chef" winner to use to help seed their culinary career.

Glad products were used by the competing chefs throughout the series, including GladWare� containers, Glad Force-Flex� trash bags and Glad Press 'n Seal� Wrap.

Official co-sponsors of the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway sweepstakes.

"Top Chef" is executive produced by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves, who also produced "Project Runway" for Bravo. Shauna Minoprio serves as co-executive producer.

Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed drama series, movies, comedy and music specials, and by showing a whole different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the creative process, and making influential and inventive original programming. Its critically acclaimed original programming includes the Emmy-nominated "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," 12-time Emmy-nominated "Inside the Actors Studio," "The Real Housewives of Orange County," "Top Chef," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program, "Queer Eye," and the four-time Emmy-nominated hit competition series, "Project Runway."

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com.





  [september 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· PROJECT RUNWAY (FREEFORM)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)





[09/01/26 - 04:00 PM]
2026 Little League Baseball World Series Delivered Largest Audience Since 2015
The Championship Game between Curaçao and Henderson, Nevada, averaged 2.9M viewers on ABC, up 21% year over year.

[09/01/26 - 03:16 PM]
FOX IndyCar Continues Viewership Momentum
950,000 viewers watched Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward deliver the first of two victories from the Milwaukee Mile Sunday on FOX.

[09/01/26 - 03:01 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Is No. 1 Among All Networks
3,161,000 viewers tuned-in for a two-game slate highlighted by the Yankees' 9-2 win over the Red Sox in most of the country.

[09/01/26 - 02:55 PM]
Video: "Arena Access with Mariah Rose" - Official Trailer - Tubi Presents
Sports creator Mariah Rose takes viewers inside the arenas of major sporting events, exploring the culture, food, and community that define each city.

[09/01/26 - 02:54 PM]
ESPN Delivers Top Games in College Football's Week 0
4.9 million viewers tuned into the North Carolina Tar Heels defeat the TCU Horned Frogs in Dublin, Ireland.

[09/01/26 - 02:28 PM]
Players Era Volleyball Showcase Serves Second Most-Watched Volleyball Telecast Ever on FOX
1,040,000 viewers watched Nebraska beat Texas Sunday afternoon on FOX.

[09/01/26 - 01:31 PM]
A Fang-Tastic Halloween Treat Awaits: "Vampirina: Teenage Vampire" Returns for a Second Season, Premiering Oct. 6 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
Jodie Sweetin and Ava Jean join as recurring guest stars for the sophomore season, with Hollywood Records artist Hudson Stone set to guest star, alongside Kim Coles returning as Dean Merriweather.

[09/01/26 - 12:01 PM]
Tubi Announces New Original Short-Form Horror Anthology Series "Bite Size Terror" Coming This Fall
From executive producer Peter Rice and GJMD Studio, the series brings a fresh take on the short-form horror format to Tubi previously explored in Hulu's "Bite Size Halloween."

[09/01/26 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Announces "CBS Fall First Look" Special and Unveils Premiere Episode Storylines for the New Television Season
The special gives viewers an early taste of the stories, characters and moments that bring audiences together and is available Thursday, September 10.

[09/01/26 - 11:01 AM]
Paramount+ and Pluto TV Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of "Rocky" with Entire Collection of Films Now Streaming
The film franchise has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards, with the eponymous original movie winning three for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing, in addition to grossing almost $2 billion dollars at box offices worldwide.

[09/01/26 - 10:18 AM]
Food Network Picks Up a Third Season of "Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking"
In its sophomore season, the series notched year over year Prime ratings gains of 4% for Adults 25-54 and 15% for Adults 25-34 and reached more than 10 million total cross-platform viewers across linear, HBO Max and discovery+.

[09/01/26 - 10:10 AM]
Video: Meet the 100 Champions Competing on Season 6 of "The Floor" Hosted by Rob Lowe
Don't miss the special advance season premiere airing Sunday, September 13 immediately following the FOX NFL Doubleheader and "The OT" and its time period premiere airing Wednesday, September 23 on FOX and next day Hulu.

[09/01/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "NCIS" Season 24 - Official Full Length Trailer
The series returns Tuesday, October 6 on CBS.

[09/01/26 - 10:00 AM]
Stallone Reigns Supreme - "Tulsa King" Season Four Premieres October 16 on Paramount+
In season four, Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) fights to legitimize his empire and protect his crew as corrupt politicians, dangerous new enemies, and a crushing personal loss hit from every direction.

[09/01/26 - 09:02 AM]
Listen Up: Netflix Renews Initial Podcast Lineup; Announces Originals from Katt Williams, Harlan Coben and More
Netflix has more than 60 podcasts now available, with its catalog continuing to grow.