Camelot, the operator of the UK National Lottery, has announced a sponsorship deal between the National Lottery and ITV Commercial for the forthcoming series of three of the network’s biggest Saturday night shows – The Masked Singer, The Voice UK and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

The partnership will see the National Lottery team up with all three shows to bring entertainment to viewers every Saturday night for three months, commencing from December 19. This will be the first time that all three of the channel’s Saturday night shows have been sponsored by one brand, taking the National Lottery and ITV into new territory.

Camelot’s Chief Marketing Officer, Keith Moor, said, “The National Lottery has been making Saturday night more entertaining for the past 26 years, with every ticket providing a moment of anticipation while also helping to raise around £30m each week for National Lottery-funded good causes.

“These are ITV’s flagship entertainment shows with the biggest audiences – so there’s a fantastic fit between the two brands with this partnership, and it will only help people to better understand the connection between the National Lottery’s unique purpose and play.”

The exclusive deal includes on-air sponsorship, multi-platform activation and a bespoke licensing package, as well as many ‘amusing, larger-than-life idents’ created by Aardman. This also encompasses visibility on the ITV Hub and the age-gated version of The Voice UK app, as well as the National Lottery’s and ITV’s owned channels.

Mark Trinder, Director of Commercial Sales and Partnerships at ITV, added: “Saturday nights on ITV have come to define quintessential family entertainment, and as we celebrate the return of three of our most talked about shows – The Masked Singer, The Voice UK and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – we’re welcoming on board our brand new sponsor National Lottery operator, Camelot, for this innovative partnership that will put all the titans of Saturday night TV under one sponsorship umbrella.”

Camelot has been running the UK National Lottery since 1994, and back in October, it confirmed its interest to retain the operating licence in the fourth tender, which will be decided in September next year.

Earlier this week, the operator also stated it fully supports the government’s decision to raise the minimum age to play the National Lottery to 18 years old following a review of the Gambling Act 2005.