For the first time, C-SPAN is coming to two of the biggest live TV streaming bundles — YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV — after months of pressure from Capitol Hill and hard bargaining behind the scenes. The move ends a glaring gap in the streaming era and gives the public affairs network fresh financial footing at a moment when cord-cutting has battered its revenue.
Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) cheered the agreements, calling them a win for open government and a straightforward way to get more Americans watching the work of Congress in real time. Flood has been one of the loudest voices on this, rallying colleagues to sign a bipartisan letter to the platforms and backing a House resolution urging Alphabet (YouTube’s parent) and Disney (Hulu’s parent) to carry the network.
C-SPAN confirmed it reached separate carriage deals with both services. The terms match what traditional cable and satellite providers pay — about 87 cents per subscriber per year — while keeping C-SPAN’s long-standing policy of running no ads on its television feeds. The channels are scheduled to show up on both streamers this fall.
Why this carriage deal matters now
This shift arrives at a critical time for C-SPAN. A decade ago, the network could be found in roughly 100 million pay-TV homes. As cable and satellite shrank, that number slid to around 70 million. Meanwhile, tens of millions of households now get live TV through streaming bundles like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, which — until now — did not carry C-SPAN. That left a big hole for viewers who ditched cable but still wanted unfiltered coverage of Congress, hearings, and national events.
The money side tells the same story. C-SPAN’s revenue dropped from nearly $64 million in 2019 to $45.4 million in 2023 as cord-cutting accelerated. The network is a private, nonprofit public service founded in 1979 and funded primarily through carriage fees paid by TV providers, not taxpayers. When subscribers move from cable to streaming and a streamer doesn’t carry the channel, the support dries up. These new deals reconnect that funding stream.
While 87 cents per year sounds small — about seven cents a month — scaled across millions of subscribers it’s what keeps the cameras rolling. C-SPAN says the new distribution will stabilize its finances and widen its audience at a moment when interest in congressional oversight, agency rulemaking, and election-year politics is running high.
Sam Feist, C-SPAN’s chief executive, welcomed the move, saying the added carriage will give millions more people access to the network’s live, unfiltered view of the political process. It’s a simple promise: wall-to-wall coverage without commentary or panel chatter getting in the way.
There’s also a transparency angle. When Congress passes a resolution nudging giant media companies to carry a channel devoted to congressional coverage, it’s sending a message about civic access. The resolution is nonbinding, but the timing — paired with bipartisan letters and public pressure — clearly helped break the deadlock.
What changes for viewers — and the politics behind it
Here’s what subscribers can expect once the channels are live this fall:
- C-SPAN’s full lineup: C-SPAN (House coverage and public affairs), C-SPAN2 (Senate floor and policy events), and C-SPAN3 (hearings, historical programming, and long-form public affairs).
- No TV advertising: The channels will remain commercial-free as on cable and satellite. Viewers won’t see traditional ad breaks on the C-SPAN feeds, even inside a streaming bundle.
- Broader reach for big civic moments: Supreme Court confirmation hearings, major oversight showdowns, leadership votes, State of the Union coverage, and campaign events will reach far more streaming-first households.
- Potential ripple effects: Other live TV streamers that still don’t carry C-SPAN will now face fresh pressure from users and lawmakers to follow suit.
The deal also helps close a cultural gap that’s opened in the streaming age. For years, cable viewers could flip to gavel-to-gavel floor proceedings and landmark hearings instantly. Streaming users often had to hunt for clips or rely on secondary coverage. With YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV adding the network, millions of households who left cable can again follow the process live from start to finish.
There are business reasons this took time. Virtual pay-TV bundles (the industry term is vMVPDs) run on thin margins and weigh every carriage fee. C-SPAN charges a modest rate compared to entertainment networks, but it still requires space in lineups and a financial commitment. With subscriber bases now large and stable, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV appear ready to absorb the cost in exchange for a fuller news and public affairs package.
For C-SPAN, the lineup placement matters too. A presence inside the core channel guide means viewers are more likely to stumble upon a live hearing or floor debate, rather than discovering it later through clips. That serendipity is part of what made C-SPAN influential during huge national moments — from impeachment proceedings to government shutdown showdowns and major legislative votes.
The politics around the deal are blunt. Lawmakers wanted a high-profile fix before the busiest stretch of the political calendar. Flood, a Nebraska Republican with a media background, framed it as simple public access: if millions of Americans have moved to streaming, government coverage should follow them. The push drew bipartisan support — not something you see every day — because access to basic proceedings isn’t a left-right issue.
There’s a balance to watch. Congress pressuring private companies over carriage decisions makes some in the media business uneasy. These resolutions aren’t mandates, but the weight of a congressional vote is hard to ignore. In this case, the public service argument resonated: a small fee, no commercials on TV, and programming focused on civic process rather than partisan spin.
For viewers, the practical impact is straightforward. You won’t see a separate line item for C-SPAN on your bill. The fee is baked into the bundle, just as it is with cable and satellite. The channels should show up in the guide, be searchable in the apps, and be DVR-friendly like any other network in those lineups.
It’s also worth remembering how C-SPAN works. The channels aim to be a neutral conduit: floor cameras, committee microphones, podiums, and press rooms — with narration kept to a minimum. That’s been the formula since 1979, when the cable industry launched the project under founder Brian Lamb. It’s not government-run, it’s not funded by taxes, and it avoids the kind of on-air advertising breaks you see almost everywhere else on TV.
The access question extends beyond TV. C-SPAN has steadily expanded digital features and on-demand archives. But until now, a big chunk of the live TV audience had gone missing on the two most popular streaming bundles. Restoring that reach matters for schools that turn on hearings in civics classes, for students tracking an appropriations markup, and for voters who want to see a witness answer tough questions without edits.
Timing is good for the network’s bottom line. Every fall brings a dense lineup of budget deadlines, agency oversight, and policy fights. With the channels landing on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV in that window, the network should see a noticeable jump in live reach and, over time, in financial stability as those per-subscriber fees accrue.
What comes next? Two big things. First, watch for how quickly the streamers roll out the channels and where they place them in the guide. Second, look for competitive responses. Once a public service staple like C-SPAN is available on two leading bundles, it becomes harder for other providers to explain a gap in coverage — especially if customers start asking for it.
The bigger picture is simpler: the way Americans watch TV has changed faster than Washington’s institutions. This deal is a step toward catching up. It puts gavel-to-gavel government coverage back within easy reach for millions who left cable, and it sends a signal that civic programming still belongs in the basic lineup — even in the streaming age.
