Reelz pulled in 2.5 million total viewers for its premiere of the 2015 Miss USA pageant Sunday, which included the live telecast and encore, according to the network.
The pageant was picked up by Reelz after being dropped by Univision and NBC following comments by Donald Trump about crimes committed by Mexican immigrants.
Miss USA was the most viewed telecast in women 18-34 for Reelz and the second highest premiere night behind miniseries The Kennedys, another opportunistic pick up by the network from the History Channel.
“The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for REELZ and we are proud to have had the opportunity to partner with the incredibly capable Miss Universe/Miss USA organization,” said Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of Reelz. “Their capability and the value we bring as an independent network produced an extraordinary night of television that America tuned in to watch.”
Though it was a hit for the network, it was down considerably from NBC’s 5.5 million total viewers last year.
