Congressman wants major streamers to carry C-SPAN
Congressman wants major streamers to carry C-SPAN
Congressman Mike Flood of Nebraska thinks carrying C-SPAN is an increasing need for live TV services as traditional cable services shed subscribers.
Government transparency is a seemingly rare commodity, but one congressman is doing everything he can to change that. Representative Mike Flood (R-NE) has been using his platform to advocate for the inclusion of C-SPAN and its associated channels on more live TV streaming services, an inclusion he argues will continue to give more viewers insight into the workings of the United States government.
Key Details:
- Flood spoke on the House floor about the inclusion of C-SPAN in more streaming plans on Tuesday.
- The congressman sent a letter in January to the same effect that has thus far gone unanswered.
- DIRECTV STREAM carries C-SPAN, but Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV do not.
C-SPAN was created by cable companies in 1979 as a nonprofit public service. The network is not sustained by taxpayer dollars; instead, it survives on revenue from subscriber fees. Therefore, the rising trend of cord-cutting across traditional cable and satellite services means that the channels’ carriage base needs to continue evolving.
Flood’s efforts in that direction involve using his platform to lobby for more live TV streamers to carry C-SPAN channels. Currently, DIRECTV STREAM is the only one to carry the networks, but Flood used his floor time on Wednesday to appeal to other services to incorporate them into their channel packages.
Watch Rep. Flood’s C-SPAN speech:
This isn’t Flood’s first attempt to get live TV streamers onboard with carrying C-SPAN. In January, Flood joined with colleague Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to send a letter to Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV urging them to pick up the channel. Thus far, that letter has not been met with any efforts on the part of streamers to comply with the request.
“As you may know, C-SPAN has provided Americans with unfiltered and non-partisan insight into the functions of government for over 45 years. Cable television revolutionized Americans’ access to information and entertainment,” the letter read. “The cable companies then recognized the importance of offering their subscribers access to critical information about their government and created C-SPAN. Over the years, new entrants to the television market like fiber and new satellite providers have agreed to carry and fund C-SPAN. So too should live TV streaming services.”
These efforts represent the reality of linear cable and satellite, which continue to hemorrhage subscribers. YouTube TV has over 8 million subscribers, and Hulu + Live TV has more than 4 million, which makes them some of the largest pay-TV distributors in the United States. If C-SPAN wants to continue reaching American audiences, it has to meet them where they are.
With Flood’s efforts now garnering more attention, increased pressure will be placed on live streamers to add C-SPAN channels to their packages. The speed of government moves slowly, but there is a chance that these efforts could be ultimately successful.
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