How to stream Election Night coverage
How to stream Election Night coverage
Election night 2025 has some key races to track, and we’ll show you how to watch on your most trusted network.
There are several key political races to watch across the United States on November 4, 2025. President Trump isn’t on the ballot this year, nor are any U.S. congressional seats. But there are plenty of state-level races with national implications, and you can watch coverage on channels like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, as well as local broadcast channels. There are lots of ways to watch, but our favorite method of watching election night coverage on Nov. 4 is with a subscription to DIRECTV.
How to watch 2025 Election Night coverage
- When: Starting at 5 p.m. ET on various networks
- TV: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, other channels
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to DIRECTV.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about 2025 Election Night coverage
When can you watch 2025 Election Night coverage on top channels?
CNN will kick off its election night coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and Fox News will have its “Democracy ‘25 Election Night” starting at 10 p.m. ET. MSNBC’s coverage will start at 7 p.m. ET.
Viewers shouldn’t expect to see non-stop election night coverage on local broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC like they do in even-year elections. Local news teams may break in on these channels at important points in the evening, particularly in states with bigger races like Virginia, but most voters around the country will not see continuous coverage on these channels on Tuesday night.
Why do we recommend watching 2025 Election Night coverage on DIRECTV?
DIRECTV has so many options to watch election results that we think it’s a no-brainer to watch the evening’s proceedings. Let’s start with the streamer’s Signature plans, which include CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, as well as ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC in nearly every major market. These start at $90 per month normally, but with a limited-time discount off your first month you can stream them starting at just $50.
The MyNews Genre Pack is also available from DIRECTV, and this package narrows down the channel options to just news-focused choices. Local channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are still available in most markets in this plan, which also comes with popular cable news networks, Bloomberg Television, Newsmax, and CNBC. It costs just $40 per month, and comes with a five-day free trial if you stream it via your own device, just like DIRECTV Signature plans do.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
Can you watch 2025 Election Night coverage for free?
There are several other services that will carry election coverage on Tuesday night that offer free trials of at least one day in length.
Hulu + Live TV comes with a free trial of three days in length for all new customers. After the trial ends, the service costs $90 per month for plans with the Disney Bundle included.
Fubo and YouTube TV do free trials as well, though both services have trials that can change in length based on time of the month, promotional periods, and other factors. Fubo’s trial can last between one day and seven, while YouTube TV’s lasts between two and 21 days.
What are all the services you can use to watch 2025 Election Night coverage?
Live TV streaming services will have the most ways to watch election night coverage on Tuesday, since they have the biggest variety of live channels. DIRECTV is our favorite, but you can watch on Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV as well. It’s important to note that as of Nov. 3, YouTube TV does not have ABC in any markets thanks to a carriage dispute with Disney.
Viewers can stream some election night coverage using live streams of their local CBS or NBC stations on Paramount+ and Peacock, respectively. The ad-free plan of Paramount+ carries a live stream of CBS in all markets, and the ad-free tier of Peacock does likewise.
Fox One can be used to stream any election coverage on Fox or Fox News, and costs $20 per month.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ABC | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CBS | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| CNN | + $22 | - | + $61 | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | + $18 | |
| Fox | + $19 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox News | + $22 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | + $18 | |
| MS NOW | + $22 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | - | - | ✓ | + $18 | |
| NBC | + $19 | + $11 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
How to watch 2025 Election Night coverage from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch Election Night as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming service like DIRECTV in order to stream coverage with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available, depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available