iWorld
Chef Pooja Dhingra to join chef Vikas and chef Ranveer as a co-judge in the new season of MasterChef India
MasterChef India carved a special place in the hearts of millions across the nation with its debut season last year. This cooking reality show has emerged as the one-stop destination for food lovers, thanks to the culinary wizards who grace the judges’ panel, bringing their gastronomical expertise and knowledge to contestants and audiences alike. While the anticipation around MasterChef India is palpable, Sony LIV has announced the newest addition to its esteemed panel of judges, none other than chef Pooja Dhingra. She graced the show as a guest judge last season and is now set to step into the role of a judge along with chef Vikas Khanna and chef Ranveer Brar in the upcoming season of MasterChef India.
Chef Pooja shared her enthusiasm about donning the judge’s hat, expressing, “MasterChef India is an incredible platform that celebrates the art of cooking as an ever-evolving journey, where each dish is a canvas and every flavour is a brushstroke painting a unique story. I’m delighted to be joining the MasterChef judging panel alongside the culinary luminaries, chef Vikas Khanna and chef Ranveer Brar. As someone who has been both an avid admirer and a guest judge on the show, this opportunity to now join MasterChef as the third judge feels truly momentous. I’m humbled and grateful to be surrounded by such remarkable mentors like chef Vikas and chef Ranveer and together we aim to inspire innovation and discover the next generation of culinary maestros. I can’t wait to see the sparks of creativity ignite in the MasterChef kitchen as we embark on this delectable adventure.”
Dhingra will be teaming up with the beloved celebrity chefs Vikas Khanna and Ranveer Brar for judging MasterChef India. Together, they will guide and inspire dedicated contestants who will soon go hammer and tongs on an epic culinary contest in the iconic MasterChef kitchen, striving to earn the coveted title.
iWorld
Meta introduces new AI tools to boost discovery-to-purchase journey
From shoppable Reels to generative video, platforms get smarter at turning attention into sales.
MUMBAI: Meta is turning “scroll and stop” into “scroll, stop, and shop” and it’s using AI to make the whole journey feel almost effortless. The company has announced several new tools and enhancements designed to help brands guide people from discovery to purchase more effectively, while delivering more relevant and personalised experiences across its platforms.
Creators can now add product links more broadly on Instagram Reels, turning their content into shoppable moments. Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to share their product catalogues with creators, opening up a new sales channel for brands and fresh monetisation opportunities for creators.
The Creator Marketplace has also been upgraded with enhanced target audience filtering, integrated with Ads Manager. This helps businesses quickly find creators who are a strong match for their goals. Campaigns using Partnership Ads deliver, on average, 19 per cent lower CPAs, 13 per cent higher click-through rates, and 71 per cent higher median brand lift.
Meta is expanding Reels Trending Ads inventory with new content categories including TV & Movies, Travel, Business, Finance & Investments. According to Meta’s analysis of 59 studies, Reels Trending Ads delivered an incremental 6.6 percentage point Ad Recall lift compared to control groups.
AI-Powered Shopping Enhancements
- Product Set Optimisation is now in testing, allowing retail media networks to promote specific products with detailed reporting. Early results show 17 per cent lower median seller cost per purchase.
- Product Showcase is being expanded so marketers can upload one image or video and let Meta’s AI automatically add relevant products as a carousel when it improves performance.
Meta is expanding its generative AI capabilities with:
- UGC-style videos featuring avatars and voiceovers
- Easier voiceover translation and text overlay translation in a single streamlined flow
- New tools to automatically turn product catalogues into dynamic video ads for Reels
Early testing of the Advantage+ creative video generation tool showed a 10 per cent increase in CTR and 8 per cent increase in CVR on average. Campaigns using catalog product video saw 20 per cent more conversions per dollar, while Reels placements with catalog product video delivered 33 per cent higher incremental conversions.
Industry voices welcomed the updates. Vikas Chawla of Social Beat called Partnership Ads a “flywheel” for authentic content that converts. Niti Kumar of Spark Foundry and Sadhvi Dhawan of Blink Digital highlighted the power of Reels Trending Ads for cultural relevance and guaranteed share of voice. Ramasish Bhowmik of Adbuffs noted that Meta’s GenAI tools are giving teams a clear competitive edge.
In a world where attention is fleeting but shopping intent can spark in seconds, Meta is betting that smarter AI will help brands turn discovery into decisions faster than ever. The message is clear: the future of advertising isn’t just about reaching people, it’s about reaching them at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right product.
