NBC has renewed “Chuck” in what the network calls an “innovative advertising partnership with Subway.” The renewal “represents a triumph for fans and TV critics who waged a successful online and Twitter ‘Save Chuck’ campaign,” NBC continues, adding that “the multi-platform partnership with Subway will offer a variety of opportunities that will include significant integration into the show, as well as traditional advertising tie-ins.”

“Chuck” will return at midseason, after the Winter Olympics. But in the meantime, feel free to order a few $5 footlongs. A major component of the “Save Chuck” campaign had fans buy the sandwiches and leave notes in the Subway comment boxes saying they’d done so because the chain was a major sponsor.

Here is more of NBC’s announcement:

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - May 19, 2009 - NBC is pleased to announce that due to an innovative advertising partnership with Subway, the fan-favorite and critically-lauded series “Chuck” will return for the 2009-10 season. The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Mike Pilot, President, Sales and Marketing, NBC Universal.

“This innovative partnership is a perfect example of the effectiveness of the NBC Infront,” said Silverman. “By involving Subway early in the process, we were able to bring a quality show like ‘Chuck’ back to NBC for next season. Everybody wins — NBC, Subway, and the loyal fans who so enthusiastically lobbied for ‘Chuck’s’ renewal.”

“The synergy of the deal with Subway validates the Infront process,” added Pilot.  “Our goal with the Infront is to initiate early and ongoing dialogue with our advertising clients regarding the network’s programming.  We were thrilled when Subway, who had been integrated into the show lately, expressed a desire to expand their relationship with the series in a creative way.”

“Our customers love ‘Chuck’ so we are happy to help bring the show back through our partnership with NBC,” said Tony Pace, Chief Marketing Officer, SFAFT.  “We have been working with NBC Universal extensively, well beyond the traditional upfront marketplace discussions, to craft ground-breaking, multi-platform deals, which we believe provide a more engaging way of getting our messages to our consumer audiences. And, since program development is essentially year round, we have found NBC’s Infront process to be helpful in that we can be part of the conversation as programming decisions are made.”