The channel still lacks a backer for this autumn's Rugby World Cup coverage after failing to secure sponsorship from the seven official event sponsors, which include Heineken, Coca-Cola, Visa, Qantas and BA. Granada Enterprises is now offering it to rival brands for a £3m package that covers ITV1 and ITV2.
The tournament is being staged in Australia from October 10 to November 22 and, like last summer's football World Cup, time differences mean that games will have morning and lunchtime kick-offs. However, with the importance of the UK market in mind, the home nations' first-round games have been scheduled for weekends.
A sponsor is also being sought for shows within a 'Summer Celebrity' strand on Saturday evenings, targeting 16- to 34-year-olds. Drop The Celeb features celebrities being pushed out of an aeroplane if they fail to convince voting viewers that they should stay on-board.
Celebrities being lined up for the show include Bobby Davro, Lady Victoria Hervey and Ally McCoist.
Following the success of the Being Victoria Beckham documentary, the strand will also see the airing of Being Simon Cowell and Being The Osmonds.
The strand begins on June 28 and airs between 9pm and 10pm, with a nine-week sponsorship being offered for £600,000. Other programmes in the series include a second How Do I Look? special - the controversial plastic surgery competition hosted by Ulrika Jonsson - a celebrity boxing bout and Celebrity All Right On The Night.
Granada is also looking for £300,000 for sponsorship of two 13-part CiTV series, Jungle Run and Seriously Weird, which air from September.
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