MxMIndia

Tag: Masterchef India

  • Given the sameness to shows over the last five years, the new 'Daily unscripted content' format merits attention, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Reality Check

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorThe linear television business in India has been struggling to find its next big idea. The streaming originals marketplace in India is operating more cautiously too, with economic and industry considerations, both global and local, slowing it down. Amid this relatively low-action period, a new format is making its presence felt: Daily unscripted content.

     

    While Bigg Boss and Kaun Banega Crorepati have been around for years as dailies, non-fiction has largely been seen as a weekend content type. GECs rightly expect daily soaps to build loyal weekday audiences. In any case, most non-fiction shows in India are in the broad genre of talent competitions, and they tend to be upto five to 10 times more expensive that fiction shows, making them unviable as a staple proposition.

     

    But the advent of streaming may have changed things a bit. Sony LIV recently launched MasterChef India only for OTT. The show has been around on GECs for years, across two networks, but has never quite found the success it would have hoped to. No surprise, then, that Sony has given up on its ambitions for the show related to mass television.

     

    Shark Tank India is a more recent, and a more obvious, example of a streaming-friendly show failing to deliver on linear TV, despite the network backing it with up aggressive marketing. The third season will follow the MasterChef India template, with daily episode drops on Sony LIV.

     

    JioCinema (earlier Voot) has done two seasons of Bigg Boss OTT. MX Player did its own homegrown variant, produced by Balaji Telefilms, titled Lock Upp, in 2022. Tonight, the first-ever season of Temptation Island India, starts on JioCinema. All these shows are in the daily format.

     

    The weekday-weekend distinction related to fiction and non-fiction seems to have blurred in recent times. It could be a result of many factors: Less compelling fiction content on TV, change in audience habits in the OTT era (such as low appointment viewership), episodic content being more preferred to continuity-driven stories, etc.

     

    While the reasons are a subject of further analysis, daily non-fiction is finding its takers, both at the platform side and the audience side. The new season of Bigg Boss has opened very well from TV standards. The show has original content in the form of interstitials and spin-offs on OTT, which are carefully designed for better monetisation. In what’s increasingly an AVOD-SVOD hybrid environment for original content (compared to 2020-22), monetisation via advertisers has made non-fiction a more relevant option on streaming.

     

    The Indian non-fiction market needed this boost in its thinking. There has been a sense of sameness to the shows over the last five years, with the same formats being rehashed. But formats that were safe bets till before the pandemic have struggled to deliver numbers in recent times, and viewer fatigue is evidently one of the primary reasons.

     

    Daily non-fiction may help GECs and OTT platforms, especially those with a strong AVOD service, find a new business model. It may be just the right time too, given that the web-series (fiction) content on SVOD is beginning to look just a tad jaded. The audience will surely not be complaining if they get a legitimately-different option on the menu.

     

  • Collaborates with Endemol Shine India to bring up a new season

    Sony acquires rights to MasterChef India

    By Our Staff

     

    Sony Entertainment Television has acquired the rights for the Indian adaptation of the culinary reality show format, ‘MasterChef’ produced and distributed by Endemol Shine India.

     

    Said Sonal Yadav, Head – Programming (Non-Fiction), Sony Entertainment Television (SET): “MasterChef has revolutionised the global foodscape, changing the way cooking is perceived while transforming lives of amateur chefs globally who have a passion for cooking. The Pandemic has seen a swift rise in home chefs who embarked on culinary adventures experimenting and whipping up food recipes. Hence, now is an apt time to bring forth a platform like MasterChef India that puts the spotlight on such aspirants. We are delighted to be collaborating with Endemol Shine India to cook up a flavourful new season that will celebrate India’s diverse gastronomic excellence.”

     

    Added Rishi Negi, CEO – Endemol Shine India: “India has a wide demographic of talented home chefs who can impress and surprise in the kitchen. We at Endemol Shine India are thrilled to partner with Sony Entertainment Television for one of our flagship formats and hope to cook up a delicious new season of MasterChef together. Through MasterChef we hope to tap into their talent and equip them with the best tools and experiences to fulfil their dreams of achieving something extraordinary. The past few years have seen talented home chefs with a passion for cooking burgeoning across the spectrum and this will be a great platform for them to truly hone and test their talents by wowing our judges with their culinary creations. An inclusive format MasterChef is a warm and wonderful celebration of family and cooking so get set for some fantastic new MasterChef moments!”

     

  • Bertolli is owned by Deoleo, the biggest olive oil company in the world

    Bertolli appoints Ranveer Brar as brand ambassador for India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ranveer Brar

    Italy’s Bertolli Olive Oil has appointed leading culinary expert and celebrity chef Ranveer Brar as their first Indian brand ambassador for its olive oil portfolio in Indian shores. A global market leader in olive oil, Bertolli is owned by Deoleo, the biggest olive oil company in the world.

     

    A popular face on Indian television, Masterchef India judge and celebrity chef Ranveer Brar is famous for representing Indian food across the globe with over 20 years of experience in the food industry and more than 10 years at kitchen management positions across Indian and USA. One of the most celebrated Indian chefs across the world, he is renowned for his knowledge about the history of food, his expertise in various world as well as regional cuisines and also his proficiency in food styling and food photography, coupled with an unmatched passion for food that is healthy and delicious.

     

    “Olive oil consumption is growing worldwide every year and India is one of the countries with great potential. Ranveer’s contribution to the brand will be via multiple innovative marketing campaigns that will demystify cooking with olive oil in an Indian scenario and attract a new generation to the kitchen in a fun and easy way. Bertolli is an international food brand with its core product range of olive oil, which comes in 3 types for different uses: Extra Light and Classico, which are suitable for high heat cooking and Extra Virgin, which is recommended for cold dishes such as salad or bread dips” says Riddhi Kapoor, Deoleo – India Brand Manager.

     

    “We are committed to making India aware of olive oil’s benefits and its suitability for all Indian cuisine. It was only natural for us to induct Chef Ranveer Brar as the ambassador for our olive oil portfolio in India. His fresh and bold culinary style, his ability to transform a regular dish into a gourmet recipe with his twist and take on ingredients makes him an extraordinary Chef. His vast knowledge on Indian food and cuisines, with his widespread international exposure makes a great blend for the brand. Add to the mix his charming, passionate, and accessible personality and we have the perfect combination for Bertolli. We are looking forward to work with him,” says Susana Toribio Bustelo, Deoleo – India Country Manager.