Miss America pageant to be livestreamed only

The Miss America pageant, televised since 1954 except for 2020, when the pandemic caused its cancellation, will not be broadcast this year but streamed instead.

"We're thrilled to announce that this year's 100th Anniversary Miss America Competition will be streamed LIVE on @PeacockTV" from the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, the Miss America Organization posted Monday on Instagram and Facebook. "The show will be aired December 16th at 8pm ET and, for the first time ever, will be LIVE ACROSS ALL TIME ZONES! So our friends and fans on the West Coast will be able to see who's crowned at the same time as everyone else."

The pageant, which originated in 1921 as the newspaper-sponsored Inter-City Beauty contest, has been held each year except 2020 and, due to the Great Depression, 1934. Contestants from each state and the District of Columbia compete for educational scholarships and the title Miss America.

Peacock is the NBCUniversal streaming service launched last year.