The way consumers watch television has been changing. As Americans’ TV viewing shifts from cable to streaming, it’s critical one of America’s greatest broadcast institutions doesn’t get left behind.
Over four decades ago, America’s cable companies came together to create C-SPAN. For 45 years, the channel has successfully delivered unfiltered, gavel-to-gavel coverage of Capitol Hill, including live coverage of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, committee hearings, call-in shows with listeners from all sides, and nonpartisan newsmaker programs.
During these years, the variety of media Americans consume has exploded. Today, independent and partisan podcasts, Substacks, blogs, streamers, and cable channels have all brought valuable new voices to the media landscape. As this media revolution continues and greater numbers of Americans “cut the cord,” migrating from cable to streaming services, it’s vital that nonpartisan coverage of Congress and the White House remains accessible.
That’s where C-SPAN comes in. Tens of millions of Americans consume C-SPAN content every month, allowing them to experience the inner workings of Congress and the White House.
When the cable companies created C-SPAN in the 1970s, they recognized the importance of offering their subscribers access to critical information about their government. Over the years, new entrants to the television market like fiber and new satellite providers have agreed to carry and fund C-SPAN, further recognizing its unique role in the media market.
As viewers migrate from cable news to streaming, it’s critical that tech companies pick up the torch and continue to provide this critical public service.
Today, more than 18 million Americans watch television on streaming services. This number grows every year. The audience for streaming live television also skews younger, with “cord cutters” and “cord nevers” more than twice as likely than cable subscribers to be under 34. According to recent data, 49 percent of Gen Z minors stream while only 34 percent watch traditional TV.
Delivering C-SPAN through streaming ensures that younger audiences have access to the type of high-quality, unfiltered programming that C-SPAN has delivered through the years.
While video of many White House, Senate, and House proceedings is available online and scattered across dozens of websites, C-SPAN’s broad availability and consolidation of a wide variety of video feeds has reduced barriers for Americans who want to follow the work of Washington. In other words, C-SPAN’s inclusion in over-the-top bundles increases the accessibility of the government to average Americans.
To this end, we recently wrote to the CEOs of YouTube, Hulu, and FuboTV, urging them to add C-SPAN to their healthy stable of channels.
As subscribers and profits continue to grow in the streaming TV market, C-SPAN’s seven cents per subscriber per month cost, which cable companies continue to pay, amounts to a rounding error for streaming companies. C-SPAN’s fee is about 40 times lower than the roughly $2.50 charged by Fox News, and about 20 times lower than the $1.30 charged by CNN.
While carrying C-SPAN may not dramatically grow YouTubeTV or Hulu’s subscriber numbers, it provides viewers with an essential resource for understanding what their government is doing—letting them see for themselves what is going on in Washington. We recognize that this is a public service, but it’s one that’s an investment in our people and the future of America.
We firmly believe that direct access to the work of Washington is critical to growing citizens’ trust in our government. It’s our hope that streaming TV companies make the same choice the cable industry did nearly half a century ago, and include C-SPAN in their packages, as a vital source of impartial news.
Senator Ron Wyden is a U.S. Senator for Oregon. Rep. Mike Flood represents Nebraska’s First Congressional District.
The views expressed in this article are the writers’ own.
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