WBD, Banijay revive MasterChef Asia after decade hiatus

Broadcasters across Asia have teamed up with Macao’s tourism body to greenlight the return of MasterChef Asia after a decade-long hiatus.

The format, sold by Banijay Rights, will be produced as a 10 x 60-minute series by Warner Bros. Discovery and Banjay’s CreAsia Studio.

The series will take place in Macao and sees 10 ex-MasterChef contestants returning to the kitchen for a second chance at being crowned a culinary champion.

The series will air on WBD-owned trio TLC, Discovery and the Asian Food Network across India, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Korea, as well as on Lala TV in Japan and the Fatafeat channel in the Middle East.

The series is being produced in partnership with the Macao Government Tourism Office.

Lynn Ng, group vice president and head of content for WBD’s APAC networks, added: “Expect surprising creations, high drama and intense competition - everything that is synonymous with a MasterChef kitchen - but with a distinct Asian flavour that celebrates the region’s unique cuisines.”

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director at Macao Government Tourism Office, added that the show was “a great example” of how it wants to combine “culture, creativity and international collaboration to support Macao’s journey toward a more diversified and vibrant tourism economy.”

Rashmi Bajpai, exec vice president for Asia at Banijay Rights, brokered the deal and said the revamped show would “reflect Asia’s extraordinary culinary creativity.” Deepak Dhar, founder and group chief exec at Banijay Asia & EndemolShine India, added that the return reflected the region’s expanding creative strength and scale.

MasterChef is the world’s most successful cookery TV format, according to the Guinness World Records, having been commissioned across 72 markets running to in excess of 16,000 eps. It was created by Franc Roddam and launched in 1990.

Banijay has been looking to capitalise on returning demand for unscripted formats followin lengthy spells off air, with gameshow format Deal or No Deal returning to Turkey and the Philippines after more than a decade’s hiatus in both countries.