Fox will air 'Miss Universe' pageant after recent upheaval

The Fox network has picked up "The 64th Annual Miss Universe Pageant" and domestic rights to air "Miss USA."

The three-hour "Miss Universe" will air live from Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Dec. 20, the Miss Universe Organization and IMG, its new owner, said Wednesday.

"Miss USA" will air on Fox in 2016.

Partnering with Fox "marks a new era for the Miss Universe Organization as a whole," said Michael Antinoro, IMG's senior vice president of original content. Fox entertainment president David Madden said the partnership would "infuse a fresh new energy into these perennial broadcast favorites."

The announcement would seem to conclude months of turmoil for the pageants. The uproar began in June when Donald Trump, then co-owner with NBC, made anti-immigration remarks that offended Mexicans and others while declaring himself a Republican candidate for president.

NBC subsequently cut its business ties with Trump, sold him its interest in the pageants, and cancelled its planned July airing of "Miss USA," which instead was carried by the Reelz cable network.

IMG acquired the pageants in September.

Contestants from more than 80 countries vie to become Miss Universe, while the Miss USA Pageant features contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the winner competing for the title of Miss Universe.