UKTV leads investment in wearable tech for dogs

Monday 16 September 2019

UKTV Ventures completes latest airtime-for-equity investment in tech start-up, PitPat

PitPat to launch first ever TV ad with £1m TV ad spend across UKTVs portfolio of channels

Dogs in living rooms across the UK will be going mad for walkies when PitPat launches its first ever TV advertising campaign today. Designed specifically to capture the attention of dogs, the ad will debut exclusively on all UKTV channels as part of the broadcasters airtime-for-equity deal with the pet fitness brand.

The ad will run on Alibi, Dave, Drama, Eden, Gold, W, and Yesterday until early 2020, benefiting from exposure on quality commercial airtime through UKTVs innovation fund, UKTV Ventures. The campaign will have a net value of £1million.

Director of UKTV Ventures, Sheena Amin, said:

Were delighted to be partnering with PitPat to help grow its brand through TV advertising on our network. UKTV Ventures is committed to helping companies new to TV advertising build their brand and scale up by benefiting from the wide reach, trust and recognition only achieved through TV advertising. Im looking forward to seeing the positive impact that PitPats engaging ad will undoubtedly have on the growth of its business.

The 30 film, directed by Wonderhoods senior creative, Sam Cadman, delivers a sequence of triggers designed to get dogs fired-up in anticipation of playtime outdoors. As the comedy unravels, it becomes clear that its not just dogs who love walkies with PitPat but their owners too - all thanks to the points, perks and prizes they get for keeping their pets happy and healthy.

Go Mad For Walkies TV Advert - PitPat Dog Activity Monitor

PitPat founder Andrew Nowell, said:

Our aim was to show that PitPat makes walkies as exciting and rewarding for owners as it is for their dogs. The concept also really speaks to one of our core brand values: PitPat is made for dogs and so is our ad.

UKTV Ventures launched in 2018 and offers commercial airtime to high-growth start-ups wishing to access the television advertising market for the first time. Under the terms of the multi-million-pound fund, UKTV obtains an equity stake in the company, helping to build brand awareness and scale the business.

UKTV reaches over 30 million viewers a month and its UKTV Original productions drive huge audiences. Series eight of Taskmaster averaged over 1.8m across the series on Dave, and Dads Army: The Lost Episodes launched to over 1.1 million viewers on pay TV channel, Gold, earlier this month. Alibis first UKTV Original crime drama, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston is set to air in December.

For more information, please contact:

Victoria Fairclough, Head of Network Communications, UKTV

Ali Laurie, Network Communications Executive, UKTV

About PitPat

PitPat helps you to manage your dogs exercise and weight in a fun and simple way. Its just like the activity trackers millions of humans now wear on their wrists, but for dogs.

Our tiny, waterproof and robust device is made with dogs in mind, and straps securely onto any collar or harness. With a year long battery-life (user-replaceable), charging will never get in the way of adventures.

Using the free PitPat app, you can track exercise, rest, distance, calories & weight - everything you need for a healthy dog. The app also recommends a tailored exercised goal based on your dogs breed, age and weight, and you can win fun stars and badges for hitting this goal.

There are two great ways to join our world:

1. You can buy our award-winning PitPat dog activity monitor for £39 including free next-day delivery from our website, Amazon and other retailers including Pets-at-Home.

2. Even better, you can join PitPat Life, our dog health and fitness club, for just £4 a month. Membership includes your dog activity monitor delivered next day, free app and access to exclusive perks (free dog food, dog show tickets, discounts off your favourite accessories, and so on). PitPat Life also lets you earn points for walking and weighing your dog regularly which in turn unlock a fantastic range of prizes for being a great dog owner.

Keeping your dog healthy has never been more fun, and through our #madforwalkies revolution were building a nation of healthy, happy dogs.

Originally, the company set tails wagging in 2016 when CEO and Founder Andy Nowell turned down an offer of investment from Deborah Meaden and Nick Jenkins on Dragons Den. The company has gone on to become the UKs no.1 pet-tech company, with around 16 staff based at their offices in Cambridge. Thousands of dog owners enjoy their products daily and the PitPat Pack has achieved over 1 billion minutes of exercise with PitPat.

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UKs most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the worlds leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

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