Talk about a delicious starter.
MasterChef Australia is well and truly back, baby, and Network 10 hasn’t just plated up another season, it’s served a full-scale marketing feast.
The broadcaster launched Season 18 with a coordinated, multi-platform campaign designed to capture audiences wherever they’re watching, scrolling or saving recipes – and early numbers suggest it’s working.
In an interview with Mediaweek before the show’s 2026 launch, EndemolShine Australia’s director of content, Marty Benson, said the season would introduce a more contemporary lens.
“Not only are we focusing on our new contestants, but we’re also focusing in on the social media superstars of food,” Benson said.
Benson went on to say that the inclusion of digital-first talent reflects shifting audience behaviours and past performance data.
“It’s worked for us in the past. We saw a bit of a kind of uptick in our audience figures. So I hope that if they have lots of followers, then hopefully they’ll bring new audiences to MasterChef.”
That strategy has clearly paid off.
The premiere reached more than 1.3 million viewers, up 7% year-on-year, while BVOD audiences surged 64%, marking a record result for the franchise.
Andreana Walton, National Marketing Director – Broadcast & Digital at Paramount Australia, said the campaign’s structure was designed to maximise impact across channels.
“What makes this campaign special is the multiplier effect. Tactical partnerships, digital, social, offline and owned media were all anchored by the power of broadcast.
“This was a coordinated team effort, and the results show. The launch of MasterChef Australia was up 7% year-on-year, reached more than 1.3 million viewers, and delivered a record BVOD audience, which was up 64% year-on-year,” she said.
Partnerships extend on-screen moments
A central component of the campaign was a content partnership with Pinterest, aimed at converting broadcast engagement into ongoing digital interaction.
The integration highlights recipes from the show on a platform with 8.6 million monthly Australian users, including 2.7 million who are interested in food and drink, positioning the service as a secondary destination for viewers.
Jace Molan, Sr. Manager, Content Partnerships, Pinterest, said: “Our partnership with MasterChef Australia this season positions Pinterest as the go-to destination for the show’s most exciting and innovative recipes.
“As fans watch the drama unfold on TV, they can jump onto Pinterest to save and curate their favourite dishes throughout the season, creating their very own MasterChef recipe boards and bringing them to life in their own kitchens across Australia.
“It’s about turning on-screen inspiration into real-life action, week after week.”
Multi-channel rollout drives reach
The campaign launched with a sponsorship at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, extending brand visibility to a large in-person audience.
Out-of-home placements, including large-format outdoor, retail, street furniture, transit media and a Brisbane mural, were supported by radio, connected TV, digital and social channels in the lead-up to launch.
Network 10 also deployed first-party data targeting to reach past viewers and lookalike audiences, as well as high-impact takeovers for scale.
Owned media activity, including personalised emails, push notifications and in-app messaging, was sequenced to maintain engagement throughout the campaign.
EndemolShine Australia’s director of content, Marty Benson.
Promotions and creator activity build engagement
A national Watch & Win promotion with Nova Entertainment featured Chrissie Swan on The Chrissie Swan Show, encouraging viewers to tune in nightly for a codeword to win a share of $25,000 in Coles gift vouchers. Coles Radio extended the activation in-store.
Separately, ten content creators were invited into the MasterChef kitchen to take part in a mystery box challenge under judges Andy Allen, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.
The resulting content was distributed across creators’ channels to a combined audience of 2.7 million followers, extending reach beyond broadcast.
Despite the multi-platform execution, Network 10 positioned broadcast as the campaign’s anchor, with on-air promos highlighting the culinary stakes and contestant narratives to drive viewership across both linear and streaming.