MasterChef Pakistan to return after more than a decade with Pixel Entertainment deal

Pixel Entertainment is bringing MasterChef back to Pakistan

MasterChef is set to return in Pakistan after Karachi-based Pixel Entertainment agreed a deal with Banijay Rights to produce a new local version of the hit cookery format.

Under the agreement, Pixel Entertainment will produce a new version of MasterChef Pakistan after being handed the rights to secure its own broadcast partner, with its appointed channel set to be announced over the coming months.

The deal was brokered by Rashmi Bajpai, executive VP Asia at Banijay Rights. It has been 11 years since new episodes of MasterChef Pakistan have been made, when the show aired on Urdu1 in 2014.

Created by Franc Roddam and first launched in 1990, MasterChef is the world’s most successful cookery television format, according to Guinness World Records. Commissioned across 70 markets, the show has aired over 700 seasons and more than 16,000 episodes to-date.

Bajpai said: “More than 10 years have passed since a Pakistani version of MasterChef captured the hearts and minds of this nation’s viewers. To secure this world-famous format’s comeback is an exciting prospect for us and we can’t wait to use MasterChef as a platform to celebrate Pakistan’s rich culinary heritage.”

Rizwan Siddiqui, co-founder of Pixel Entertainment, added: “MasterChef Pakistan presents an amazing opportunity to explore and unearth the rich culinary traditions of the country and offers a tremendous forum for all participants to showcase their talent. The format is set to inspire aspiring chefs and nurture exceptional talent for many years ahead.”