This, the UK-headquartered plant-based meat company, has partnered with TV broadcaster ITV, securing a minority stake in the company in exchange for a £4m ($4.8m) advertising investment. This specializes in producing meat alternatives ranging from bacon and sausages to chicken, beef burgers, and mince.
The brand’s products are currently available in leading UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Asda, as well as in the foodservice sector. Recently, This expanded into international markets, gaining listings at the Netherlands’ largest supermarket group, Albert Heijn.
The financial support for This is facilitated through ITV’s Media for Equity fund, as part of its ITV Adventures Invest program. This marks ITV’s first foray into investing in the food category. The advertising investment will be spread across ITV’s network and its streaming channel, ITVX.
Andy Shovel, co-CEO of This, expressed excitement about ITV’s investment, stating, “ITV is a media powerhouse, and to have them as an investor, especially as their first food business investment, is super exciting. Not only did we get to make the porkiest plant-based TV ad ever, but the scale of the investment means that we can reach audiences across the country and get closer to making meat-free the norm.”
This is not the first time a UK broadcaster has invested in the alternative-food space. Channel 4 previously acquired a minority stake in The Meatless Farm Co., a plant-based meat company. However, The Meatless Farm Co. faced financial difficulties and eventually entered administration in June. VFC Foods purchased the brand following the company’s demise.
ITV’s investment in This represents the fourth investment by Media for Equity. Other companies that have received investments include pet-food and accessories company PitPat, pain-relief brand Flarin, and design business Resi.
Launched in 2021, the ITV AdVentures Invest program focuses on acquiring minority stakes in early-stage digital and direct-to-consumer businesses while also making venture-capital investments in exchange for advertising on ITV channels.
Sheena Amin, director of ITV AdVentures, commented, “With four new ITV AdVentures investments so far this year, we’re truly witnessing the power of TV in propelling brands during their scale-up stage. As consumer demand for conscious consumption continues to rise, This is the ideal brand to make conscious eating accessible to all. With its distinctive brand personality, I am confident that This’ upcoming TV campaign will make a lasting impression and establish the brand as a household name.”
When it comes to the food and beverage industry trends, This, a plant-based meat company headquartered in the UK, has strategically partnered with ITV, a prominent TV broadcaster. This collaboration involves ITV acquiring a minority stake in This in exchange for a significant advertising investment of £4m ($4.8m). Specializing in meat alternatives like bacon, sausages, chicken, beef burgers, and mince, This has successfully positioned its products in major UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Asda, as well as the foodservice sector. This month, This expanded its operations into the Netherlands, securing listings in Albert Heijn, the country’s largest supermarket group (“UK alt-meat company This makes international debut in Holland,” Just-Food).
ITV’s financial support for This is made possible through its ITV Adventures Invest program and the Media for Equity fund. This groundbreaking investment represents ITV’s first venture into the food industry. The advertising investment will be utilized across ITV’s expansive network, including its streaming channel, ITVX. Andy Shovel, co-CEO of This, expressed great enthusiasm about ITV’s involvement, stating, “ITV is a media powerhouse, and to have them as an investor, especially as their first food business investment, is super exciting. Not only did we get to make the porkiest plant-based TV ad ever, but the scale of the investment means that we can reach audiences across the country and get closer to making meat-free the norm.”
This partnership echoes a previous collaboration between a UK broadcaster and The Meatless Farm Co., a competitor of This in the plant-based meat sector (“The Meatless Farm Co. secures investment from broadcaster Channel 4,” Just-Food). Although The Meatless Farm Co. faced financial difficulties and entered administration in June, its brand was acquired by VFC Foods, an alternative-chicken company based in North Yorkshire (“VFC Foods seals deal for The Meatless Farm,” Just-Food).
ITV’s investment in This marks the fourth investment made by its Media for Equity initiative. Other investments include PitPat, a pet-food and accessories company, Flarin, a pain-relief brand, and Resi, a design business. Launched in 2021, the ITV AdVentures Invest program focuses on acquiring minority stakes in early-stage digital and direct-to-consumer businesses, combining them with venture-capital investments in exchange for advertising exposure on ITV channels. The program’s director, Sheena Amin, believes that This, with its wide range of attractive products and price points, perfectly aligns with the growing trend of conscious consumption. Amin is confident that This’ upcoming TV campaign will enable the brand to stand out and establish itself as a prominent household name in the conscious eating movement.
