Earlier this month, YouTube TV subscribers were victims of a lengthy carriage dispute between the streaming service and Disney, which resulted in Disney channels such as ESPN and ABC being temporarily removed from the platform for several weeks. However, that wasn’t the only shipping dispute YouTube TV has been involved in recently.
YouTube TV has also been in trouble with public affairs network C-SPAN on its three channels. However, it seems the dispute is now over, with all three channels making their way to YouTube TV’s live streaming service.
What is C-SPAN?
C-SPAN, which is an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American non-profit media company that provides unfiltered coverage of the proceedings of the United States government.
Coverage focuses primarily on the House and Senate in Washington DC, along with other public affairs programs such as speeches and political events. The network provides direct access to the political process and, unlike cable news networks, offers no commentary or opinion.
At its peak a decade ago, C-SPAN was available to about 100 million television homes nationwide, according to the Associated Press. With many families and individuals moving away from cable and satellite and embracing cord cutting, that number had dropped to about 70 million, and Congress wanted to fix that.
This spring, Congress made a direct push to add C-SPAN coverage to streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu. In September, they finally got their wish, striking a deal with YouTube TV and Hulu. However, it took some time for YouTube TV to officially add C-SPAN channels to its platform.
C-SPAN Comes to YouTube TV
Although YouTube TV struck a deal to bring C-SPAN channels to its platform back in September, those channels have remained out of the platform’s lineup. As 9to5Google pointed out, however, that officially changed this week.
As of Thursday, all three C-SPAN channels officially began streaming on YouTube TV for all customers.
“C-SPAN — along with C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3 — is now streaming on YouTube TV, providing subscribers with its trademark hammer-to-crush coverage of ongoing events in the US Congress,” 9to5Google reported this week.
The new channels are not expected to lead to an increase in YouTube TV’s subscription price, as C-SPAN’s fee is only 87 cents per year per subscriber.
Win For Customers
When the deal was announced back in September, it was met with much celebration.
“C-SPAN has long been a vital resource for civic engagement, and we look forward to partnering with them both to expand their footprint on YouTube and to celebrate America 250 together,” said Mary Ellen Coe, YouTube’s chief business officer, via the Associated Press.
“We are proud that this agreement will give millions more Americans access to our unfiltered coverage of the nation’s political process,” said Sam Feist, CEO of C-SPAN.
“Really glad to see that after pressuring streaming platforms for months to carry C-SPAN, YouTube and Hulu decided to do it,” said US Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, on social media. “This kind of unfiltered coverage of what’s happening in the halls of Congress is essential to staying informed in such a biased media environment.”
Now, YouTube TV customers can continue to stay informed.
This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on December 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.