C-Span has joined YouTube TV, ending a yearslong fight by the public affairs network to secure placement on major live TV streaming services and restoring access for millions of cord-cutters who had lost the channel when they left traditional cable.
All three C-Span networks became available on YouTube TV last Thursday at noon, reaching an estimated 10 million subscribers who previously had no way to watch Congress’s gavel-to-gavel proceedings in real time. The launch comes after a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill and follows a unanimous Senate resolution in June urging streaming platforms to carry the nonprofit network.
The move marks a major shift in C-Span’s long effort to maintain its reach as viewers migrate away from cable. For years, YouTube TV — now the largest internet-delivered pay-TV service — declined to add the network, arguing that viewer demand was limited and noting that portions of C-Span’s content were already available as clips on YouTube.
But lawmakers had warned that the absence of C-Span on the largest cable alternative cut off millions of people from the daily work of Congress. Members rely heavily on the network to communicate directly with constituents from the House and Senate floors without commentary or editing.
Grassley cheers the news on Senate floor
In September, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) took to the Senate floor to applaud the decision, saying: “Yesterday, both Hulu and YouTube announced that YouTubeTV and Hulu+ Live TV will be carrying the C-Span networks, so Americans can watch Congress’ actions in real time and see our democracy at work through a non-partisan lens.”
Grassley had already posted online about tuning in, joining a chorus of lawmakers celebrating the network’s restored accessibility.
A timely debut ahead of America 250
The timing is also significant for C-Span: The network is preparing extensive programming tied to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. In an announcement last week, YouTube TV said, “Viewers can now access live C-SPAN coverage on YouTube TV, beginning today. To further increase accessibility of civic content, YouTube is also proud to sponsor C-SPAN’s America 250 programming, which starts early next year.”
C-Span executives have long argued that its full, uninterrupted livestream cannot be replaced by clips on YouTube. The nonprofit organization does not air advertisements and relies entirely on per-subscriber carriage fees — roughly 7.25 cents a month — from cable and satellite providers. Making the live feed widely available for free or offering it outside of that distribution system would violate agreements and threaten its funding model.
C-Span first requested carriage on YouTube TV more than seven years ago, a campaign that grew more urgent as millions of former cable viewers abandoned Comcast, Spectrum, and DirecTV for cheaper streaming bundles. Those customers, including many who regularly watch congressional proceedings, lost access to C-Span entirely.
Lawmakers from both parties pressed the issue. In January, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) urged YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo to reconsider, calling C-Span a “nonpartisan resource” vital to civic understanding. Wyden pointedly argued that the per-subscriber fee was barely a rounding error for a company the size of Google, saying the seven-cent cost was “crumbs for the streaming company at this point.”
Pressure mounted through the spring, culminating in Congress’s unanimous Senate resolution in June encouraging carriage.
By early December, YouTube TV agreed.
Hulu + Live TV is also set to add the channels on Dec. 11, extending C-Span’s reach even further across the streaming market.
The network’s arrival on YouTube TV is being framed by supporters as a victory for civic transparency at a time when access to government proceedings is fragmenting across platforms.
C-Span provides the nation’s most comprehensive live coverage of Congress, federal agency briefings, presidential events, campaign rallies, and exclusive audio of Supreme Court arguments. Its cameras capture debates on the House and Senate floors that rarely appear anywhere else without commentary or interruption.