Banijay pact sees TVN bring MasterChef back to Chile after four seasons on Canal 13

The Argentine version of much-travelled format MasterChef

Chilean public broadcaster TVN has acquired the rights to adapt the MasterChef format through an agreement with Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of media and entertainment giant Banijay Entertainment.

The acquisition will mark the format’s return to Chile, where it ran for four seasons on Canal 13. The last was broadcast in 2019.

“MasterChef is a universal, relatable and deeply emotional format. Beyond cooking, it connects with stories of hard work, dreams and personal growth – elements that are very important to us as a public broadcaster,” said Javier Goldschmied, TVN’s director of programming.

“MasterChef is a global phenomenon, so partnering with TVN for the first time on this project represents a fantastic deal for us, as well as demonstrating our commitment to this new audience. We are very excited to see how this new era of MasterChef in Chile unfolds,” added Michelle Wasserman, senior VP for Latin America, US Hispanic and Brazil at Banijay Rights.

According to the channel, the new Chilean version of the format will be shown in primetime and is set to premiere later this year.

Represented internationally by Banijay Entertainment, MasterChef is the world’s most successful cooking format, according to Guinness World Records, with adaptations in 72 markets and over 700 series produced to date. It was created by Franc Roddam (Quadrophenia) and first aired on BBC One in 1990.