Top sponsors for new reality/DIY show

Oracle Airtime Sales says the now sold-out sponsorship packages were designed to include leverage opportunities for companies to further promote their products, such as licensing rights, viewer competitions, product placement and customised shows. The show was a huge success in Australia, where a 95% sponsor recall was achieved.

The Block is about four couples renovating four identical apartments with limited budgets, while living on the premises, holding down their usual jobs and keeping their relationships together. The couples are filmed around the clock, over 12 weeks, as they source their own experts and remodel the apartments, to fetch the highest selling price at a public auction. The winning couple is allowed to keep the profits of the sale and also wins a grand prize.

The Block will be broadcast from 5 September 2004 - 28 November 2004 on weekdays and Sundays on M-Net with more than just reality television as an offering. The Block Interactive service offering weekly competitions and weekly winners will be available on both MNet and on DStv's Channel 37.

The first competition will begin on 16 September and will run for 10 weeks. On M-Net the application will be a 1/3 overlayed screen with the week's competition details outlined and by pressing OK, the viewer will be taken through to Channel 37 on DStv to enter the competition. On Channel 37 the viewer will be able to access information on the show, contestant biographies, renovations done (products used), budget used, presenter biographies, judges' biographies, competition details, a floor plan for each couple's apartment and the latest news from The Block. Access to the application from Channel 37 will be via the DStv touch menu.