The Philippines’ ABS-CBN and Thailand’s AIS Play have added this year’s 74th Miss Universe Pageant to their schedules, bringing Asia’s official distribution partners to four, the Miss Universe Organisation said ahead of the 74th event in Bangkok on 19 and 21 November. FPT in Vietnam and Supreme TV in Sri Lanka (Supreme TV) have also signed on for this year’s event. 

ABS-CBN returns the grand finale live to its line-up as part of a multi-year deal, while AIS Play, which has been aggressively acquiring rights to high-profile properties, is on board for the first time. 

AIS Play will air all three events – the National Costume (19 Nov), the Preliminary Competition (19 Nov), and the Finale (21 Nov). Last year’s official Thai platform was JKN18, which will air this year’s pageant a week later.  

The rest of Asia will be able to access the live feeds on the Miss Universe Organisation’s YouTube Channel.

This year’s show director is U.K.-based veteran, Marcus Viner, who has been involved in large-scale international events including fashion, music and theatre. 

The show will be hosted by U.S. stand-up comedian and actor, Steve Byrne – the first comedian to host the 74-year-old event.