Thu May 15 14:00:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

C-SPAN, the public affairs network, is facing a financial crisis as cable subscriptions decline and it’s unable to secure carriage on major streaming platforms like YouTube TV and Hulu. This is causing a significant drop in revenue, as C-SPAN relies on small per-subscriber fees from distributors. Despite lobbying efforts and bipartisan support from politicians, these streaming services are hesitant to add C-SPAN, citing a lack of subscriber interest or offering vague statements. C-SPAN argues that its programming is essential for civic engagement and transparency, and its absence on streaming services leaves millions of viewers without access to unfiltered government coverage.

**News Article:**

**C-SPAN Faces Extinction as Cable Viewership Declines, Streaming Services Balk**

Washington D.C. – C-SPAN, the decades-old public affairs network known for its gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress, is facing a dire financial crisis as it struggles to adapt to the changing media landscape. As viewers ditch traditional cable, C-SPAN has lost access to millions of households and is now facing a revenue shortfall it calls “unsustainable.”

The network’s business model relies on per-subscriber fees paid by cable and satellite providers, but with cable subscriptions plummeting, so has C-SPAN’s income. Revenue has fallen by approximately 35% since 2018, leading to an estimated $8 million deficit this year.

C-SPAN’s hopes for survival hinge on being added to popular streaming platforms like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo. However, these services have so far refused to carry C-SPAN’s channels, citing insufficient subscriber interest or offering lukewarm responses.

This has sparked frustration from C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist and bipartisan outcry from lawmakers. Senators and Representatives are urging streaming services to reconsider, emphasizing C-SPAN’s role in providing unfiltered access to government proceedings and promoting civic engagement.

“It’s disappointing and frankly embarrassing,” says Senator Ron Wyden. “A company as big as Google can’t afford seven cents per subscriber to provide the meat and potatoes of government news?”

C-SPAN is now aggressively lobbying streaming services, even urging viewers to contact them directly. The network warns that its absence on these platforms leaves millions of viewers in the dark about the workings of their government. The future of this “cable’s gift to America” remains uncertain.

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