Reelz lands Miss USA after NBC break-up

US cable channel Reelz has acquired rights to the Miss USA Pageant after NBC dropped it over comments made by the event’s part-owner, Donald Trump.

Reelz will air the event exclusively on Saturday, July 12 at 8pm ET/PT after securing the rights, but a press announcement did not reveal the nature of the agreement with Trump and NBC, which co-owns the event.

NBC cut ties with businessman and TV personality Trump after he made a series of inflammatory remarks about Mexican immigrants in the US.

Trump is now planning to sue Univision, whose key rival, Telemundo, is part of NBCUniversal.

Announcing the new acquisition, Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of Reelz, said: “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.

“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.”