Miss USA Pageant Heads to Reelz Channel

LOS ANGELES - After having its show canceled by NBC and Univision due to caustic remarks made by Donald Trump, part owner of the Miss USA Pageant, the pageant is heading to Reelz Channel following a deal hammered out today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The pageant will be televised live by Reelz at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, July 12 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“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 CEO Stan E. Hubbard in a statement today. “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.”

Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Reelz is seen in about 60 percent of American households with one or more television sets, which means that Miss USA is not likely to see reach the 5.5 million people who saw last year's broadcast on NBC.