LONDON (Brand Republic) - BBC America, the BBC鈥檚 US cable network, has awarded its $10m (£6.84m) advertising account to Arnold Worldwide in McLean, Virginia, while Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, San Francisco, will handle media.
BBC America was launched in 1998 to showcase UK comedies and dramas, as well as offering news from the BBC. It currently broadcasts into 15m US homes via digital cable and satellite.
The broadcaster wants to build on widespread critical acclaim -- it was named a top highlight of 2000 by Time Magazine -- received for programmes such as The League of Gentlemen, This Life, Monarch of the Glen and Father Ted to extend its audience to 30m homes by 2003.
Kate Meyer, marketing director of BBC America, said, 鈥淥ur media plan will leverage this strong base of word-of-mouth communication in both targeted and guerrilla environments. We are firm believers that the media needs to be as creative as the work itself, and Kirshenbaum is incredibly smart about the media business and how consumers relate to brands.鈥