GECs
New faces in ESS’ ad sales team
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports has appointed Charles Less as vice president, advertising sales for Southeast Asia. Leading the sales team of Justin Sampson, Dennis Lim and Delilah Chan, Less brings to ESS an extensive ad sales experience and expertise in the sports genre.
Less, says an official release, is not a stranger to both ESPN and Star Sports, as he was responsible for advertising sales of these channels in the Americas when he was based in the Star TV office in New York.
Less also has in-depth knowledge and understanding of Southeast Asia culled from his four years at Star Sports, ESS and Star TV in Hong Kong and Singapore, the release adds.
Another development in the ESS ad sales team is the promotion of Mathew Calabria from director to vice president of sales operations and strategy. Calabria was instrumental in the sales restructuring process undertaken by the team last year when ESS took over from Star TV the responsibility of overseeing its own advertising initiatives in Singapore and Hong Kong. Both Less and Calabria are based in Singapore and report directly to Greg Hayes.
GECs
Sony ties up with EU for MasterChef India finale
GI-tagged European ingredients headline finale week
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has struck what it calls a landmark association with the European Union for the finale week of MasterChef India, marking the first such collaboration between the bloc and an Indian television format.
The tie-up will culminate in the “European Union mystery box challenge”, which opens the much-anticipated finale week. The task will see the top six contestant pairs cook with a curated basket of ingredients bearing geographical indications (GIs) from across EU member states: a nod to provenance as well as palate.
Chef Ajay and Chef Guntas, introduced as chef ambassadors to the European Union, will present the mystery boxes and set the brief: use the fewest ingredients from each category and produce a MasterChef-level dish that marries European produce with Indian flavour sensibilities. Precision and restraint, rather than extravagance, will be tested.
For Sony, the move signals a push towards high-value integrations that blur the line between sponsorship and storytelling. The network said the association underscores the show’s growing global stature and its ability to attract world-renowned institutions to Indian screens.
Chef Ajay Chopra, food ambassador in the European Union, described the collaboration as a strategic opportunity to spotlight the heritage and authenticity of GI-tagged European products to India’s vast food-loving audience.
Over the years, MasterChef India has positioned itself as a gateway to global cuisines. The EU partnership sharpens that pitch, turning the finale into a stage for cross-continental culinary diplomacy.
The finale week will air from 2 March, 2026 at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony Liv.
