Bandeirantes to Host Miss Universe Pageant

NEW YORK: The 60th annual Miss Universe competition is to air live from São Paulo, Brazil, on September 12, 2011, with Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação to host the pageant.

The live event will feature contestants from more than 80 countries around the world, who will travel to Brazil for nearly a month of activities leading up to the actual pageant. The will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. This is the first time in the competition’s 60-year history that it will be held in Brazil.

The Miss Universe competition will air in the U.S. on NBC, with a Spanish simulcast on Telemundo.

"I am very pleased to announce our partnership with media conglomerate Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicacao and the selection of Sao Paulo as the host location for Miss Universe 2011," said the pageant’s owner, Donald J. Trump. "Brazil is rapidly becoming an economic powerhouse and is a great place to do business. This decade, Brazil is hosting three of the greatest and most-watched worldwide events: the World Cup, the Summer Olympic Games and now, to kick it all off, Miss Universe."

"Grupo Bandeirantes is delighted that we have reached an agreement with the Miss Universe Organization to host the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil," said the network’s president, Joao Carlos Saad. "We believe it is fitting for Brazil to set the stage for this glamorous event, and we look forward to showing the contestants, and the almost 200 countries around the world who watch the pageant every year, the exciting and vibrant culture of our beautiful country."