Sony to premiere new season of ‘MasterChef India’ on 2 January

NEW DELHI: Media and entertainment company Sony Pictures Networks India will premiere the new season of cooking show MasterChef India on Sony Entertainment Television and its streaming platform SonyLIV starting 2 January.

MasterChef is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. The format and style of the show have been reproduced around the world in various international versions.

This March, Sony had said it was looking to introduce some international show formats, both unscripted and scripted, in India, building on the success of the first season of Shark Tank India.

The titles will include game show The $100,000 Pyramid which will feature two contestants, each paired with a celebrity, who attempt to guess a series of words or phrases based on descriptions given to them by their teammates, Raid The Cage, where couples complete trivia and physical challenges to win prizes from a cage before the doors slam shut and Can’t Touch This, a physical show where if a contestant touches a prize, they win the prize.

These three formats are not just well-liked by audience worldwide, but also bring an array of brand and product placement opportunities, Sony had said in a statement. Along with this, the company will explore a host of scripted formats such as Damages, The Big C, The Nanny, Mad About You, and Chosen, among others.

“The most significant aspect of curating unique entertainment offerings for the Indian audience is to take the right programming decisions at the right time to be able to connect with the masses. We aim to create a space for innovation by bringing our popular international formats to India, which will add value to our clients’ platforms and have high success rates,“ Sonika Bhasin, vice-president, sales and distribution, South Asia, Sony Pictures Television, had said in a statement. “We are optimistic about the scope of extending our iconic formats to leading broadcasters and Shark Tank India who are equally committed to bringing global properties to the native audience,” Bhasin had added.