- Product/Brand - ITV Encore
- Spot - Saturday Dramas
- Music Title - Bloodsport
- Artist - Raleigh Ritchie
- Composer - Anderson, Broad
- Publisher - Universal, BMG
- Master Rights - Sony
- Ad Agency - ITV Creative
- Creatives - Ben Knapp
- Film Company - ITV Creative
- Film Director - Ben Knapp
- Post Production - ITV Creative
- Air Date - 23/9/15
ITV’s Encore channel went on air in the summer of 2014 offering re-runs of some of the best television drama series of the last 20 years.
Yet the Sky-supported platform’s latest Autumn trailer could also help turn young Black British actor Raleigh Ritchie into a bona fide pop star!
The 25 year old Bristolean – real name Jacob Anderson – is already well-known to TV audiences the world over for his role as Grey Worm in the fantasy phenomenon Game Of Thrones.
In recent weeks however, UK festival and gig-goers have seen him revealed as an unusually self-assured soul singer able to master a wide range of urban and R&B styles.
Ritchie’s fan club includes creatives at ITV. Last year they launched the Encore service with a track from his 2013 debut Sony EP Black & Blue.
Now his latest single Bloodsport underpins on-screen promotion of a new Saturday night season which kicked off last weekend.
“Encore has a very versatile musical approach on air, but this kind of urban flavoured modern pop always works well and features heavily on the channel,” says ITV’s Ben Knapp.
“We always consider multiple tracks until we get a feel for what's working. We have history with Raleigh Ritchie and were thinking that we could use him again. Then we heard Bloodsport on the radio and we knew it was the one,” Knapp continues.
“It's nice to have a link there though – maybe one day he could pen a tune especially for us to release on-air?”
