BRAVO MEDIA ANNOUNCES TOYOTA, KRAFT FOODS, CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED AND CIGNA AS MARQUEE, MULTI-SCREEN SPONSORS FOR "TOP CHEF" SEASON 11Toyota Returns For Unprecedented 11th Season Becoming Cable's Longest-Running Integrated Automotive Sponsor, Per Nielsen*New Season Set in New Orleans Premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 10 PM ET/PTNEW YORK - October 1, 2013 - Bravo Media has cooked up dynamic sponsorships with Toyota, Kraft Foods, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Cigna for the eleventh season of Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series "Top Chef," premiering Wednesday, October 2 at 10p.m. ET/PT. These deals represent partnerships across linear, digital, and social platforms, marking the most robust group of online and in-show integration presence in Bravo's history. The announcement was made by Jamie Cutburth, VP of Partnership Marketing, Bravo Media."'Top Chef' continues to provide our partners with unique opportunities to engage with and activate the series' passionate, loyal and affluential fan base through custom-fit, multi-platform opportunities," said Cutburth. "We continue to deliver on our proven track record of garnering immense brand recall and viewer engagement around the show."Top Chef" is currently the #1 rated food show on cable among P18-49 and P25-54. Compared to the first season of the series in 2006, the most recent season of Top Chef (season 10) was up +79% among P18-49, up +108% among P25-54, and up +107% among total viewers.** Out of 173 primetime shows monitored by Nielsen over the past year, Top Chef was the #1 most effective program on cable for in-show integration effectiveness, delivering +90% higher sponsor recall versus the TV average.***Elements of the sponsorships and integrations surrounding "Top Chef" include:Toyota returns for a record-setting eleventh season as a fully integrated sponsor of "Top Chef." New this season, Toyota brings viewers "PlayLive" within "Top Chef," marking the first time Bravo has used this interactive technology during a competition series. Played by going to bravotv.com/playlive on mobile and online devices and through the Bravo Now app, fans can judge the competition in real time with results shown on-air during the broadcast. In addition, Toyota will sponsor the "Top Chef" page on Zeebox, the second screen app allowing fans to go deeper and learn more about the series as they watch live. Toyota also returns as sponsor of the Emmy Award-winning online series, "Last Chance Kitchen," hosted by Tom Colicchio, which gives eliminated contestants the opportunity to cook their way back onto the show and competition. Fans can follow the "Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen" challenges on BravoTV.com, and join the social conversations and see what the chef'testants have to say during the competition by following @bravotopchef on Twitter or liking the "Top Chef" Facebook fan page."Our long-standing partnership with Bravo gives us a chance to build upon the success of Emmy award-winning Last Chance Kitchen and provide Season 11 fans with more 'Top Chef' content across multiple platforms," said Dionne Colvin, National Marketing Media Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.Kraft Foods comes on board this season as a new sponsor for "Top Chef," teaming up with Bravo around their new product, Kraft Recipe Makers, to create "Top Chef Home Edition" - a new digital and social extension of the series that inspires show fans and foodies from across the spectrum, from the passive to the passionate. At every level, the experience will be innovative, fun and educational to help everyday foodies add to their skill set and repertoire. It will live within Bravotv.com and allow engagement through multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook and Vine. "Top Chef Home Edition" was crafted by Bravo and Starcom USA on behalf of Kraft Foods. Additionally, Kraft Foods will sponsor branded vignettes featuring past chef'testants Brooke Williamson and Joshua Valentine battling to put their own culinary spin on the Kraft Recipe Makers product. Also, Kraft's Philadelphia Cream Cheese will be integrated on-air and online as former chef'testants Casey Thompson and Chris Jacobson are challenged to make a meal with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, with viewers voting for the dish they like best."The collaboration between Kraft Recipe Makers and 'Top Chef' presents us with a truly organic way to connect with our consumers - who are cooks with high standards who love food - and introduce our newest product in a way that showcases its quality and chef credentials," said Julie Fleischer, Director, Media & Consumer Engagement at Kraft Foods Group. "Together, we are creating a robust digital experience in 'Top Chef: Home Edition' that we believe will speak directly to the food lover in all of us. We are great fans of Bravo and 'Top Chef' and love being able to create something special for this audience."After a successful sponsorship with Bravo's "Top Chef Masters," Chase Sapphire Preferred, a premier travel rewards card from Chase, joins the flagship series this season as a marquee sponsor. Integrated in show, Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders were given the opportunity to redeem reward points for VIP access to attend and dine during the infamous "Top Chef" Restaurant Wars episode. Chase Sapphire Preferred sponsors the web series "Bryan Voltaggio Takes on New Orleans," in which the former chef'testant and "Top Chef Masters" competitor recreates some of his favorite dishes from the show but with a New Orleans spin. Chase Sapphire Preferred also sponsors the on-air vignette "Tour the Top Chef City" where last season's winner, Kristen Kish, provides a culinary tour of last year's host city - Seattle. In addition, Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to sponsor the "Bravo Chef Finder" interactive map featured on BravoTV.com. Launched during the current season of "Top Chef Masters," the map will now be expanded to allow fans to locate restaurants owned by all 11 seasons of chef'testants across the country."Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders are passionate about food, so we are committed to offering them unique dining experiences through strategic partnerships, such as our sponsorship of 'Top Chef' Season 11," said Jeff Bedard, marketing director, Chase Sapphire Preferred. "Our sponsorship offers Chase Sapphire cardholders a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain exclusive access to the chefs and dishes featured in the notorious Restaurant Wars episode." Also new this season, Cigna presents the new prequel original web series "Padma's Picks," which is currently available on BravoTV.com. "Padma's Picks" gives one of New Orleans' most talented chefs the opportunity to cook their way on to the on-air competition. Host and Judge Padma Lakshmi visits some of The Big Easy's most celebrated establishments to find 10 of the best and brightest chefs from New Orleans. These chefs will then battle head-to-head to make it to the "Cigna GO YOU Challenge" finale of "Padma's Picks" with the ultimate winner earning a coveted spot on this season's cast."Cooking is one of the most accessible forms of self-expression, as well as a great way to take charge of your health," said Lisa Bacus, chief marketing officer for Cigna, a leading global health service company. "In a world where it is easy to lose yourself, we at Cigna champion your right to be a unique individual. Being true to yourself is the first step to being healthy. We hope The GO YOU Challenge inspires you to express your unique taste and creativity."Additional sponsors for the new season of "Top Chef" include Dunkin Donuts and Reynolds.The new season of "Top Chef" premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 10 pm ET/PT and features 19 chef'testants battling it out in New Orleans for $125,000 furnished by Healthy Choice, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the title of "Top Chef." For a sneak peek at the new season, visit http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/top-chef-comes-to-new-orleans.Magical Elves return to produce "Top Chef" with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz serving as executive producers. Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.* Source: Nielsen TV Brand Effect (IAG). 1/1/2006-8/30/2013. Includes all non-sports primetime Automotive IPPs on IAG-measured cable networks. Premieres only. To be considered, brand-show pair must be present in each consecutive season. ** Source: Nielsen Media Research, TC averages based on L7, premieres only. #1 food show-Most recent Bravo/Food Network season averages, premieres only, L7 through 9/08/13 blended with LS through 9/25/13, P18-49, M-Su 8p-11p.*** Source: Nielsen. 9/10/12 - 9/15/13. 18-49. Includes all ad-adjacent in-show placements. Based on 16 monitored broadcast and cable nets in primetime, with sample of n=50 or above.