Filipinos are indeed devoted to the art of pageantry. Every year, Filipinos from all over the world gather to witness the Miss Universe pageant's glitz and glamour. Now that the pageant season is upon us, we’re excited to discover which country will take home the title in this year’s competition!
The 71st Miss Universe competition will be held on January 15 (PHT) in New Orleans, USA. There will be 85 contestants from all over the globe vying for the coveted crown, and last year’s winner, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, will crown her successor at the end of the event.
For the first time ever, Miss Universe will be streamed across several online platforms, making it available for more people to tune in! Read on to learn where you can watch the annual beauty competition.
A pageant of many firsts
This year’s Miss Universe pageant marks the first time it will be operated by an Asian conglomerate. The competition is now under the management of JKN Global Group, run by Thai celebrity and transgender activist Anne Chakrajutathib.
In addition, the Miss Universe crown, created by Mouawad, is named “Force for Good.” The crown is the first of its kind, representing the new emblem of confident beauty. “Our ambition is to instill a sense of passion for ‘transformational leadership’, with the firm belief that everyone can lead, be successful and achieve their life goals,” Chakrajutathib said in a statement.
Miss Universe also partnered with The Sash Company to create the first-ever sustainable sashes, made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials with ethically produced rhinestones.
Finally, this year’s ceremonies also mark the first time that the prestigious pageant had an all-female selection committee–including previous title holders and a Filipina, Olivia Quido! Quido is a skincare specialist who founded O Skin Med Spa based in California — MU’s official skincare sponsor.
Pinoy pride
Celeste Cortesi is our country’s representative of the renowned pageant. Aside from winning the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 title, she’s also named Miss PLDT Home 2022. The Filipina-Italian model and beauty queen was born in the Philippines but spent most of her life in her father’s home country, Italy. Inspired by Pia Wurtzbach’s historic win at Miss Universe 2015, Celeste flew back to Manila to represent Rome at the 2018 Miss Earth pageant. Four years later, she represented Pasay City at the Miss Universe Philippines coronation.
If Celeste wins this year, she will be the fifth Filipina to bag the Miss Universe crown after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margarita Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).
Three Filipino brands also joined the official list of sponsors of the pageant. Other than O Skin and Med Spa, Lazada Philippines partnered up with Miss Universe to stream the ceremonies on its official app. In addition, Bragais Shoes have served as a pageant staple for contestants–and for the second straight year, they are serving as the official footwear brand of Miss Universe. What a way to showcase Filipino ingenuity and craftsmanship!
Where can you stream Miss Universe 2023
The 71st Miss Universe competition will be streamed on January 15 at 9AM (PHT). For the first time in history, the pageant will be streamed across multiple platforms, including smart devices.
International audiences can watch the festivities live on the following channels:
Filipino fans can also stream the ceremonies for free on the official Lazada app. In addition, same-day replays will also be available at 10:30 PM on TV5.
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With additional reporting from Matthew Balicudiong