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Several countries drop Miss U franchise as new owner redefines pageant

by Jericho Zafra

IS this the end of an era for the universe?

A month after the 71st edition of the Miss Universe pageant, several countries, including Ghana, Indonesia, Mauritius, and Seychelles, have already dropped the pageant franchise because of issues with the business model of its new owner.

According to the Miss Universe Organization, the new business models for the pageant include licensing merchandise, selling products or services, and MUO copyright on consumer goods and services ranging from natural mineral water to bags.

The organization said the new strategy would increase the business’ income by 35 to 40 percent.

But since Miss Universe is known to champion advocacies rather than making money from consumer goods and selling products, several countries decided to drop the pageant franchise ahead of the 2023 pageant since it is no longer aligned with its vision. 

Not seeing eye to eye 

The new owner of the Miss Universe Organization is Anne Jakrajutatip, a transgender woman and a Thai entrepreneur who paid $20 million through JKN Global to purchase the Miss Universe pageant.

MALZ Promotions, which handles Miss Universe Ghana, said in a statement that the Miss Universe Organization’s sudden implementation of the new business model “is not aligned” with the brand objectives of the Miss Universe Ghana.

“MALZ Promotions regrets any inconveniences that their decision may cause to fans and enthusiasts and wishes the Miss Universe Organization the very best in their future endeavors,”

MALZ Promotions

In a separate announcement, Nevin Rupear, the National Director of Miss Universe Seychelles and Mauritius, said he parted ways with the Miss Universe Organization because the latter’s “offer” is not for it. This is also why he decided to step down as the head of the national pageant, said Rupear.

More chaos

Meanwhile, it seems that the Miss Universe Organization and Miss Universe Indonesia “got lost in translation” when the latter expressed its dismay after the organization did not give it notice that the pageant franchise for Indonesia had been sold to another organization.

“The Puteri Indonesia Foundation was shocked by news in the media stating that there are certain organizations that already have [the] Miss Universe Indonesia license even though so far, the Miss Universe organization has not issued an official statement to the Puteri Indonesia Foundation,” the foundation said.

Prior to the announcement, the foundation said it did not receive confirmation from the Miss Universe Organization about the continuation of the license as in previous years. It was then surprised to learn that the franchise had been given to another firm.

The email confirming that Puteri Indonesia Foundation’s Miss Universe franchise has not been renewed was sent by JKN Global to the organization 20 minutes after the press conference for the new Miss Universe Indonesia franchise owner started.

Business over advocacy?

Will other countries drop their franchise, too, as Jakrajutatip changed the mission-vision of the pageant?

Following the circulation of news from countries dropping the Miss Universe franchise, Jakrajutatip announced during the JKN Phenomenal 2023 Business Guide Strategy that the Miss Universe franchise fee would increase from $3 million to $5 million in order to expand license sales in every country for them to send delegates to the Miss Universe pageant.

The organization has yet to reveal the bidders for the Miss Universe Philippines franchise, but pageant insiders said that the multimedia conglomerate GMA Network is currently in talks with JKN Global about the possible acquisition of the pageant franchise.

Redefining the new era

Through the years, the Miss Universe pageant has been actively pursuing causes related to humanitarian issues. When Jakrajutatip acquired the organization, she said that the Miss Universe organization was looking for a “transformational” contender that could achieve the goals of the pageant.

Under the new owner, Filipino-American fashion designer R’Bonney Gabriel from the United States was hailed the winner of the 71st edition of the pageant. Gabriel advocates for sustainable fashion and helps survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence.

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