YouTube TV is a pretty good alternative to traditional cable TV. However, those who ditched traditional TV for Google's subscription service will have noticed that C-SPAN and its derivatives have been absent from the platform since day one. Starting today, that's changing.
See also:Disney: Losing $4 million a day due to YouTube TV blackout
C-SPAN — along with C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3 — are now available on YouTube TV, offering subscribers the familiar, uninterrupted broadcast of the U.S. Congressional sessions and proceedings. The integration of the channels follows an agreement reached in September between Google and C-SPAN, with YouTube TV agreeing to pay the same fee as traditional cable providers to carry all channels.
Despite the deal, no increase in subscription prices is expected, as the cost for C-SPAN is just 87 cents per year per user. Disney has reached a similar deal for its cable-like services (such as Fubo and Hulu with Live TV), although the channels have not yet been added there.
See also: Disney channels removed from YouTube TV
The move is seen as significant for C-SPAN, which continues to broadcast the House and Senate proceedings without censorship or interference. As more people abandon traditional television, C-SPAN’s presence on newer platforms helps secure its future—especially since it is publicly funded and ad-free.
See also: YouTube TV: UI redesign starting this summer
The three channels are already available via search on YouTube TV. If you browse the live program guide, you'll find them in the news channels section, next to stations like CNN and Fox News.
