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The notion of offering viewers, who are currently being fed a constant stream of "pop" wannabe reality shows, live performances by established global music artists, can only be a good thing.

It is also truly reflective of a growing requirement from both broadcasters and record labels to find new live performance outlets for recording artists.

Is there a place for it? Yes. Appointment to view TV has always delivered for broadcasters.

Is there a place for advertisers? Definitely. Music is already becoming much easier to access now from a commercial point of view.

Festivals, artist tours and one off gigs are all becoming increasingly structured in an advertiser/sponsor-friendly way. Plus music, in comparison to sport for example, can often offer efficient access to discrete audiences at a lower capital cost.

What is crucial, from my point of view, is for Fremantle and Sony to ensure that, on the back of any advertiser or sponsor proposition, there are genuine, usable image and content rights, with clearly defined territory and term parameters.

Artist cooperation will also be vital. They have to truly see any sponsor involvement as a genuine marketing partnership, not just a source of revenue.

Another point to note is that live TV performance could dent box office sales for that artist's tour. So, not only does the artist need to be onside, but the tour promoter, too. The promoter has to see an upside in such projects and recognise that this will not undermine their business.

The growth in new media delivery platforms makes these opportunities a real consideration for advertisers. The emergence of 3G, interactive, online etc, are all now vital in order to amplify a sponsor's association with a television proposition. If this is the case with Sony BMG/Fremantle, I'm all for it.

It is my belief that in the not too distant future – and we're only talking a couple of years – the majority, if not all, of the major advertisers will be involved in some form of branded content provision.

The Fremantle and Sony deal seems to offer an opportunity for them to come to the table. It will be interesting to see how the broadcasters also warm to the opportunity.

Given that ITV has already unveiled its new WAP portal – obviously designed as a money spinner – I would anticipate that, when offered an event of this type, they too would be keen to control any content opportunity.

In principle, I see this as a real opportunity for broadcasters and advertisers alike – volume audiences with attractive profiles are a good thing (this assumes that the broadcasters will schedule the shows appropriately).

However, there are a number of stakeholders, not least the artist themselves, who similarly need to embrace it, and with diverse agendas of play that will not be easy.

Content is critical and it is meaningful content that makes this a brand opportunity with real depth.

By Paul Chard, managing director at Sponsorcom