Reelz Steps in to Air Miss USA Pageant

ALBUQUERQUE: After being dropped by NBC, the Donald Trump co-owned Miss USA pageant has scored a new broadcast partner in Reelz.

The network has acquired the rights to exclusively air the 2015 pageant, going out live on Sunday, July 12, at 8 p.m.

“The decision on the part of Reelz to acquire the rights to the Miss USA pageant was based on our belief that this special event, and the women who compete in it, are an integral part of American tradition,” said Stan E. Hubbard, the CEO of Reelz. “As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American viewers everywhere. For us, this decision is about the dreams of the contestants who come from all walks of life across the United States, the city of Baton Rouge that has proudly come together to host this pageant and the viewers who will be watching and celebrating its 54th year on television. The Miss USA pageant is a perfect fit on Reelz where movies, entertainment and celebrity come together every day of the year.”

NBC, which has broadcast Miss USA since 2003, was due to air the latest pageant, but dropped out after Trump's recent remarks about Mexican immigrants.