Roku Channel to Be Miss Universe Pageant’s Exclusive English-Language Broadcast Partner
Roku Channel to Be Miss Universe Pageant’s Exclusive English-Language Broadcast Partner
The Roku Channel is adding one of the best-known events on the pageant circuit to its lineup of exclusive streaming properties. The free ad-supported streaming service announced on Tuesday that it would be the exclusive English-language broadcast partner of the 71st Miss Universe competition, which is set to take place on Jan. 14, 2023.
The competition had been in a deal with FOX in recent years, which included Steve Harvey as the host, but neither the network or TV personality will be involved this year. The Miss Universe Organization’s CEO Amy Emmerich told Variety that the new host will likely be a woman.
“The Roku Channel is thrilled to host the 71st Miss Universe competition to celebrate the achievements of women across the globe and give a platform to their many passions and causes,” Roku’s programming VP Rob Holmes said. “As more and more marquee events move to streaming, we’re excited to bring these exclusive experiences for free to our audience.”
This year marks the first time the competition will move to a streaming-exclusive format. In previous years, the Miss Universe pageant was broadcast on FOX, but the only way to watch it in English in 2023 will be via a free account with the Roku Channel. Telemundo will still serve as the competition’s Spanish broadcast partner.
“The Miss Universe Organization is constantly looking towards the future,” Emmerich said. “For the first time ever, Americans are watching more streaming TV than cable. With this profound shift in the way audiences watch content underway, we’re thrilled to partner with The Roku Channel to bring the Miss Universe competition to the streaming world and reach previously untapped audiences across the United States … We are elated to be partnering together to find more innovative, new ways to tell the stories of these incredible women.”
The event will welcome nearly 90 women from around the world to New Orleans to compete for the title via categories including interviews, evening gown, swimwear, and community impact. The 70th Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu will be on hand to crown her successor.
The holidays are all about giving, and the Roku Channel has been doing plenty of giving to its users in the past month. The service recently added three new music streaming channels from Warner Music, as well as 10 channels dedicated to holiday music, cooking, and NHL hockey. the Roku Channel also added 11 channels dedicated to content from the AMC Networks in November, and a new channel dedicated to episodes of “The Great British Baking Show” to make sure the holidays are filled with tasty treats for its subscribers.
Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers a broad mix of movies, TV shows, live linear channels, and original programming. Available to all viewers — not just Roku device owners — the service features licensed content from major studios alongside Roku Originals, which include exclusive series, movies, and specials previously produced for Quibi, as well as new original projects developed specifically for the platform.