How to Watch C-SPAN Without Cable

 
If you’re a political junkie, you may not be able to give up C-SPAN — not even if you really want to save money by cutting cable or satellite. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to. There are legal live TV streaming services that will let you watch familiar channels on the streaming device of your choice, whether that’s a Roku, laptop computer, iOS mobile device, or any other streaming-capable tech. Among these services, you’ll be able to choose an option that includes C-SPAN. Below, you’ll find out how to take advantage of a skinny bundle service and put a legal C-SPAN livestream on your big or small screen. Here’s how to watch C-SPAN without cable.

Here is our favorite way to stream C-SPAN:

	Price	Channels	Free Trial
#1	$69.99 – $139.99	65+	None	See Offer

C-SPAN is a tough channel to track down! Since we first published this piece, one skinny bundle carrying C-SPAN stopped doing so, and then started again — while also changing its name. You don’t have a ton of options for streaming C-SPAN without cable, but we’re thrilled you have at least one.

You can technically stream C-SPAN on the network’s website, but that option requires you to log in with your cable or satellite credentials. That gets a big “boo” from us, even though booing is probably frowned upon in the kind of congressional hearings you can view on C-SPAN. We keep our How to Watch lists strictly to cord-cutting options, so we skip over websites and apps that require cable logins.

DIRECTV Stream has gone through many name changes (its most recent moniker was AT&T TV), but it's still the best way to watch C-SPAN without cable. Check out our DIRECTV Stream review to learn more about the only live TV streaming service that lets you do that.

We won’t sugarcoat it: You don’t have a lot of options for watching C-SPAN online. But if you’ll allow us to put on our best State of the Union voice for a minute, the state of the platform support is strong (pauses for applause). My fellow Americans, it’s true: You can watch C-SPAN on a wide range of platforms and devices. Some people will prefer to watch it on their biggest TV at home, while others will want to watch it on their iPhone while commuting to and from work. Both options are equally valid, as you’ll see on the chart below.

C-SPAN lets you watch important events without added commentary. A lot of people appreciate watching things like congressional hearings without having to worry about talking heads constantly interrupting each other. Sometimes it’s nice to have a little more context for what you’re watching on C-SPAN, though, so you may want to switch to a cable news network.

There are three big ones that appeal to different demographics: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. Fox News often fares best in ratings, but cable news ratings in general are down compared to 2020. That may be because 2020 was both a hotly contested presidential election year and the year everything shut down for a pandemic.

To get news from anchors such as Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer, check out How to Watch CNN Without Cable. If you prefer to tune in to personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, refer to How to Watch Fox News Without Cable. And if Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes are more your style, click over to our guide to watching MSNBC without cable.