C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, a nonprofit created in 1979 by the cable television industry, has secured landmark distribution deals with YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.
The agreements mark a significant step for C-SPAN as it adapts to the cord-cutting trend that has reduced its traditional revenue from cable and satellite providers. The network, which relies on license fees of approximately 7.25 cents per subscriber per month and does not run ads on its TV channels, has faced financial challenges, with revenue dropping from $64 million in 2019 to $45.4 million in 2023 due to a decline in cable/satellite subscriptions from 100 million to 70 million households over a decade.
Under the deals, C-SPAN’s three channels—C-SPAN (focused on the U.S. House), C-SPAN2 (focused on the U.S. Senate, with American History TV and Book TV on weekends), and C-SPAN3 (additional public affairs programming)—will be included in YouTube TV’s base package and Hulu + Live TV’s basic package starting this fall.
Additionally, YouTube will enhance C-SPAN’s presence on its main platform, boosting access to its video clips, archival content, and event coverage. Hulu’s agreement is described as a multi-year distribution deal, expanding C-SPAN’s reach to millions of streaming subscribers.
These partnerships are expected to close C-SPAN’s estimated $8 million budget gap for 2025, ensuring continued access to its nonpartisan, gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress, White House briefings, and programs like the upcoming Ceasefire series, which will feature politicians debating differences.