MasterChef Singapore draws in 637k viewers as brands jump to get a slice

The first season of MasterChef Singapore has drawn in over 637,000 viewers on local broadcaster Mediacorp Channel 5. According to the Singapore Television Audience Measurement (SG-TAM), this was based on the first four episodes. Meanwhile on Toggle, Mediacorp added that the MasterChef Singapore has pulled in over 136,000 views on Toggle.On the viewership, Irene Lim, chief customer officer at Mediacorp, said in a statement that many of the viewers so far are watching the show with their families. She added that with the recently announced Michelin Guide Singapore, local culinary masters have clinched the top spots on the guide."It is our hope that the contestants of the first season of MasterChef Singapore will add to the local food buzz and spur many more aspiring chefs and restaurateurs to follow their passion and contribute to the vibrant food scene in Singapore," she added.A quick check by Marketing has also found that that on top of Cold Storage as a pantry partner, more brands such as Perennial and Chijmes have come on board as location partners. Meanwhile, others involved in the show include Bosch, Sin Chew, I.O Shen - The Cutting Edge, Whirlpool, Ariston, Arcoroc, Kitchenaid, Thermomix and Marshall Cavendish.MasterChef Singapore is produced by Beach House Pictures and Group M's Motion Content Group, and first hit the shores on 2 September 2018. Following a casting call, the show shortlisted 10 finalists who are now vying for the coveted MasterChef title."We always believed that a local version of MasterChef would appeal to Singaporeans of all ages. We couldn’t be happier that the program is driving ratings for our partner, Mediacorp," Steven Murphy, managing director, APAC of GroupM’s Motion Content Group said.“Endemol Shine is so pleased that the Singapore audience has embraced their own local version of the phenomenon that is MasterChef and it is a testament to our partners Beach House Pictures, Motion Content Group, and Mediacorp” Cathy Payne, chief executive of Endemol Shine International said.Earlier this year, MasterChef's casting call caused a stir for having a Mandarin-speaking requirement and being aired on Channel 8, which was chosen initially to "reach out to the largest audience base in Singapore", Mediacorp said at the time. However, the show was later shifted to English free-to-air Channel 5, following further negotiations with Endemol Shine Group which allowed Mediacorp to secure the English rights to the programme.The MasterChef franchise has been adapted in 61 markets with over 12 versions in Asia Pacific, represented internationally by Endemol Shine Group, based on a format originally created by Franc Roddam.Back in 2015, MasterChef Asia made its debut on Lifetime across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. MasterChef Asia Season One was presented by the Singapore Tourism Board and Knorr, in association with Panasonic, Changi Airport Group, Carlton Hotel Singapore and Air Asia.