CTV Cooks Up Another Homegrown Hit: MASTERCHEF CANADA Wins Monday as 1.4 Million Watch Series Premiere

- New series returns next Monday before special post-SUPER BOWL airing on Feb. 2 -

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/1cSli5H

"Canada's multiculturalism really shone through in the auditions, with an amazing variety of dishes from around the world."
- Amber Dowling, TV Guide Canada

"I've only seen the premiere but it's the perfect blend of bitchery, confidence and class -- from the judges and the competitors."
- Denette Wilford, The Huffington Post Canada

TORONTO, Jan. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - The series premiere of MASTERCHEF CANADA popped out of the oven last night on CTV to win Monday as the #1 program of the night. With a preliminary overnight audience of 1.4 million viewers, the new series was statistically tied* with CTV's CASTLE as the most-watched program in Canada Monday night.

"It's clear Canadians love this homegrown version of the worldwide MASTERCHEF sensation," said Phil King, President, CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming. "This is just the beginning of MASTERCHEF CANADA, with even more diverse culinary talent from across the country to be served up this season."

Among A25-54 MASTERCHEF CANADA led the night with 654,000 viewers. With growth through the hour with A25-54 and A18-49,  the premiere earned 9% more total viewers than the next most-watched program of the night THE BLACKLIST (NBC/Global, 1.25 million), and 18% more viewers than the #2 show in its timeslot, MURDOCH MYSTERIES (CBC, 1.16 million).

Ranking as CTV's top program of the night in Toronto, MASTERCHEF CANADA saw strong key demo ratings of 4.9 (A25-54), 4.7 (A18-49), and 4.4 (A18-34) in the market. MASTERCHEF CANADA also drew notable key demo ratings in Vancouver, peaking with a 5.2 among A18-34.

On Twitter, there were almost 3,000 posts pertaining to the series in the 24 hours leading in, with an estimated reach of 5.9 million.

Viewers can watch last night's episode on demand at CTV.ca and the CTV GO app.

**Media Note** - Download new episodic photos from MASTERCHEF CANADA at BellMediaPR.ca.

Next week on MASTERCHEF CANADA (Monday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on CTV and CTV GO), judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung, and Claudio Aprile whittle the Top 24 down to the top finalists when the home cooks complete a Stress Test with one burner, one pan, and one main ingredient. Then for Episode 3, MASTERCHEF CANADA airs immediately following SUPER BOWL XLVIII on CTV on Sunday, Feb. 2 (approximately 10:30 p.m. ET).

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@MasterChefCDA
#MCC
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@MichaelBonacini
@TheDemonChef
@ClaudioAprile

Facebook:
Facebook.com/MasterChefCDA
facebook.com/ctv

Pinterest:
Pinterest.com/MasterChefCDA

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 12 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Source: BBM Canada

*Nationally, CASTLE (1.372 million) led MASTERCHEF CANADA (1.367 million) by 5,000 viewers, or 0.37%.

SOURCE: CTV