THE 2015 MISS USA PAGEANT RETURNS TO BATON ROUGE LIVE SUNDAY, JULY 12 ON NBC

NEW YORK – April 14, 2015 – NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today that the 2015 Miss USA Pageant will air live from the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, July 12 (8-11 p.m. ET) on NBC.

The 2015 Miss USA Pageant will feature contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Contestants will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview, with one contestant ultimately being crowned Miss USA 2015.

“The 2014 Miss USA Pageant delivered an unprecedented amount of national and international exposure for Baton Rouge, taking its reputation for tourism and business opportunities beyond the local level,” says Trump. “This year’s pageant will be no different. Continuing our partnership guarantees another sold-out show that will provide Louisiana’s capital with another three hours of primetime television coverage.”

The Miss Universe Organization will return to the Baton Rouge to produce the 2015 Miss USA Pageant after the tremendous success last summer. The 2014 Miss USA telecast shared the best of Louisiana’s vibrant culture and featured its lively music scene, unique food and proud people. Last year’s pageant concluded with Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada USA, being crowned Miss USA 2014.

“There is always a genuine feeling of true hospitality when visiting Baton Rouge,” says Shugart. “We have created an incredible partnership with the city and are honored to have the responsibility of sharing what their community has to offer through our worldwide telecasts,” adds Shugart. “Baton Rouge was recently named one of the Top 10 Happiest Cities in America by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which is no surprise to us. We truly cannot wait to go back.”

The Miss Universe Organization will bring on IMG as executive producers of this year’s Miss USA pageant. Recognized as a global leader in sports, fashion and media, the IMG team most recently produced the 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant in January. The Miss USA telecast now reaches approximately 70 countries and territories.

ABOUT NBC ENTERTAINMENT

NBC Entertainment develops and schedules the network’s primetime, late-night, and daytime programming. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards and ratings success. The network finished the 2013-14 season as No. 1 in the 18-49 demo for the first time in 10 years. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC’s scripted slate is highlighted by “The Blacklist” as well as “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Grimm,” “The Night Shift,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.,” “A.D. The Bible Continues,” “American Odyssey,” “Undateable,” “One Big Happy” and “About a Boy.”

Unscripted series for NBC include the Emmy Award-winning musical competition hit “The Voice” as well as “American Ninja Warrior,” “Celebrity Apprentice,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Hollywood Game Night” and the perennial #1 most-watched summer series, “America’s Got Talent.”

In late night, NBC regularly delivers #1 broadcast results with “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and “Saturday Night Live.” NBC Daytime’s “Days of our Lives” consistently ranks among daytime’s top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. The five-time, Emmy Award-winning NBC.com streams full episodes and provides original content for NBC entertainment shows online and through apps for mobile and tablet devices.

NBC recently launched NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning programming block designed specifically to address the developmental needs of preschool-aged children. Programmed by the kids’ experts at Sprout, the nation’s first 24-hour preschool television channel, this new three-hour block will feature educational series that promote active, healthy lifestyles for younger children.

ABOUT THE MISS UNIVERSE ORGANIZATION

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is a Donald J. Trump and NBCUniversal joint venture which uses its global grassroots reach to empower women to be self-confident and strive to be their personal best.  MUO believes that every woman should be “Confidently Beautiful.” The MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA® beauty pageants provide an international platform through dedicated partnerships with charities, sponsors, and brands around the world. During their reign, our winners are given the tools to personally and professionally enrich others by providing humanitarian efforts to affect positive change, all while developing their personal career goals. For more information, and to learn more about Miss USA’s official cause to raise awareness for breast and ovarian cancer education and prevention please visit: www.missusa.com.

ABOUT VISIT BATON ROUGE

As the official destination marketing organization for Louisiana’s capital city, Visit Baton Rouge supports the region’s rich and diverse culture by promoting the area to meeting organizers, tour operators, leisure travelers and convention and sports-event planners. Baton Rouge was named the Best Small City for Filmmakers by MovieMaker Magazine in 2015, a Top 10 American City to visit in 2015 by Horizon Travel Magazine, one of the Top 10 Happiest Cities in America by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2014, and received the 2013 Southern Hospitality City, and 2013 and 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards for “The South’s Best Foodie Cities For Groups” by Convention South magazine. For more information, visit www.VisitBatonRouge.com. #GoBR