Endemol Shine Cooks Up ‘MasterChef’ Deals Across Asia
By Tim Dams
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Endemol Shine has cooked up new deals across Asia for its long-running format “.”
In Thailand, producer Heliconia H Group has commissioned a first season of “MasterChef All Stars Thailand,” expanding its five-year relationship with . The new version of the format will continue to air in the Heliconia-owned airtime block on Sundays on free-TV station Bangkok Broadcasting and Television.
Meanwhile, the original “MasterChef” format has been renewed for a sixth season in Indonesia by RCTI, and a second run of “MasterChef” has just been completed in Myanmar on Forever Group’s MRTV- 4 with a third season coming soon.
Endemol Shine has also agreed seven new distribution deals for “MasterChef” with broadcasters across .
The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia has picked up season 10 of “MasterChef U.S.” and season seven of “MasterChef Junior,” both produced by Endemol Shine North America, to be aired on Fox Life for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, and Fox for Taiwan.
Meanwhile, India’s Star has snapped up season 10 of “MasterChef U.S.,” alongside season 11 of “MasterChef Australia,” which will continue to be aired on the network’s linear channel Star World and its digital streaming service Hotstar. Living Foodz in India has also signed a deal for season nine of “MasterChef Australia.”
“MasterChef Australia” season 11 has sold to A&E Networks Asia to broadcast across Asia, and Discovery has picked up season seven of Endemol Shine Australia’s show to air across Southeast Asia on TLC.
Some 53 versions of “MasterChef,” created by Franc Roddam, were produced in 2019 across 35 markets. The 63rd market to pick up the show was recently announced in a deal with PSM for the Maldives.
Rashmi Bajpai, executive director for Asia at Endemol Shine, said: “Audiences in Asia love ‘MasterChef’ and without a doubt the seven distribution deals for the U.S. and Australian versions will deliver excellent ratings in the region. Local productions are extremely popular too and “MasterChef All Stars” is a fantastic spin-off series featuring talented returning contestants, which is heading to Thailand for the first time.”
The “MasterChef” format launched in 1990 in the UK and aired for over a decade on the BBC. In 2005 the show was revived for the BBC and four years later Australia became the first country to adapt the format outside of the UK, with “MasterChef Australia” launching in 2009.
