Mecca Bingo named sponsor of popular UK TV show

The Rank Group bingo brand is sponsoring ITV’s Loose Women.

UK.- Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo is sponsoring the ITV lunchtime talk show Loose Women starting this month. The show, which airs every weekday from 12:30 to 13:30, has been running since 1999 and is ITV’s main daytime panel show, with an estimated audience of 3 million.

Mecca has also launched a Loose Women-themed jackpot game.

Stewart MacKay, director of acquisition for Mecca Bingo, said: “We’re delighted to become headline sponsors of such an iconic show. Just like the Loose Women panelists, our customers love to keep up with current trends and news, so the opportunity to become headline sponsor was a natural progression from our existing partnership.

“The opportunities this new campaign presents will enable us to reach a significant UK audience and fans of the show across multiple touchpoints, including social channels.”

Alex Uprichard, Managing director at IMA-HOME, which is managing the tie-up, said: “We’re confident the sponsorship will really get to the heart of what matters for Mecca’s audience; by providing valuable opportunities for conversation and connection. The journey is just beginning.”

ITV executive producer, Sue Walton, added: “We are delighted that Mecca will be Loose Women sponsors in 2024. The existing bingo partnership has brought the iconic Loose Women brand to Mecca Bingo’s online players, and the headline sponsorship is a great way of further cementing our relationship by enabling Mecca to reach our highly engaged audience.”

In November, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) criticised an advert for Mecca Bingo for implying that gambling can boost self-esteem. The Instagram post from August featured two photos of the drag queen Baga Chipz: one with a neutral expression and one smiling while wearing a red sparkly dress and holding champagne.

The copy above the images read “Before playing Mecca Bingo vs after playing Mecca Bingo” while the caption read “A good game can transform you! Don’t you just love that post-bingo glow. Over 18s only. BeGambleAware.org. DrinkAware.co.uk. T&Cs apply.”