Fox will air the 64th Annual Miss Universe Pageant live Dec. 20. The three-hour event goes down at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. As part of new owner IMG’s agreement with Fox, the network will also have domestic rights to air Miss USA.
“The Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants are iconic television events loved by generations of viewers around the world,” said David Madden, president, entertainment, Fox. “We are very excited to partner with IMG and The Miss Universe Organization to infuse a fresh new energy into these perennial broadcast favorites.”
WME-IMG acquired The Miss Universe Organization in September 2015 from Donald Trump after the presidential hopeful bought out the 50% he did not own from NBCUniversal. Trump and NBCU had been at odds after Trump made remarks about immigrants that were deemed disparaging, and NBC decided to not air Miss USA. That telecast ran on cable net Reelz in July.
Miss Universe airs in approximately 190 countries and territories. Contestants from more than 80 countries will vie to become the next Miss Universe in this special programming event, which will conclude with current Miss Universe Paulina Vega of Colombia crowning her successor.
“Miss Universe is a unique, global media property and this partnership with Fox marks a new era for The Miss Universe Organization as a whole,” said Michael Antinoro, senior VP of original content, IMG. “As the broadcast leader in innovative and groundbreaking live events, Fox is the perfect partner as we look to implement new and exciting changes to this show and the franchise.”
