Housemates on the new series of TV’s Big Brother will get their weekly shop from Morrisons following a ground-breaking deal.

In a reported six-figure deal, the Bradford-based business has become the first supermarket chain to sign a product placement agreement since regulator Ofcom changed the rules last year.

Bradford-based potato crisp manufacturer Seabrook has successfully used product placement in TV soaps such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks to promote its products.

Previously, products within the Big Brother house had white stickers over the labels but the contestants shopping in the current series will be delivered in Morrisons shopping bags and some of the products will be from the Morrisons own range or the M Savers range.

Morrisons has signed with broadcaster Channel 5 to become the official shopping partner of Big Brother, enabling the housemates to buy Morrisons-branded groceries in their weekly shop. Participants in a subsequent celebrity Big Brother series will also use Morrisons for their grocery, food and household shopping.

Rebecca Singleton, Morrisons marketing director, said: “Morrisons is delighted to be the official shopping partner. We are excited about the summer ahead and being a major part of the Big Brother routine for viewers and contestants alike.

“With the housemates’ challenging weekly shopping budget, Morrisons offer a fantastic choice of options for them to be able to eat great food, whilst making the most of every important penny”

Morrisons will support the partnership with in-store promotions.

Chantal Rickards, head of programming and branded content at MEC Access, which negotiated the deal, said: “We’ve worked really hard to agree a deal that makes Morrisons the official shopping partner of the Big Brother House.

“Being the first supermarket retailer to use product placement is a great opportunity for the brand to get fantastic exposure for its own range of products in front of a targeted audience.”

Ago Di Falco, partnerships director at Channel 5, said: “Shopping is a fundamental part of the Big Brother experience for both housemates and viewers and we are delighted to have agreed for Morrisons to become the Big Brother official shopping partner. Over the course of the summer we hope to reinforce the link between the Big Brother brand and Morrisons in a number of interesting ways.”

The latest series of Big Brother started on Tuesday and will run for about ten and-a-half weeks, after which Channel 5 will show a two-and-a-half-week series of Celebrity Big Brother.