NBC network, which had carried the annual telecast of both contests since 2003 with a series of three-year contracts, notified Miss Universe Organization officials that they will not pick up the option this year.
NBC network has been struggling to find a decent place among ratings. What was the #1 network in the country during the nineties, fell to an unappealing fourth place during the past years. A change in the directorship of programming also caused the pageants, and other staple shows for the network, to face an uncertain future.
But it is not the end, at least not for now. The pageants -a joint venture with billionaire Donald Trump- will stay inside the empire. The annual Miss USA competition, to be held in June, has been picked up by NBC-owned network Bravo, as confirmed by Andy Cohen, who serves as Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, Bravo Media.
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 bravotv.com.
The Miss Universe pageant also has a new house: Spanish-language broadcast network Telemundo, which leads the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. "This is an amazing opportunity for the network, as producer of a high-end international show and owner to distribution rights" said Joshua Mintz, Executive Vice President of Telemundo.
Telemundo reaches 94% of U.S. NBC Universal officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
NBCUniversal is 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. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.