With almost 100 million people having already voted early this year, election night coverage on television and cable news will be anything but ordinary. It’s very possible we won’t have a clear winner in the presidential race for some time, which means our usual up-all-Tuesday-night viewing binges may be slightly less nail-biting.
But let’s face it: you’re going to watch the results pour in anyway, and there are plenty of high-stakes races at the state and local levels that will keep us all on the edges of our seats. If you’re a cable cord-cutter who wants to live stream election coverage from a broadcast TV or cable news network, it’s never been easier to do that for free. I’ve rounded up a bunch of options below. Fingers crossed!
Stream on a cable or broadcast network website
Although major cable news outlets often require you to sign in with a pay-TV provider to stream content live on their websites, many will lift those paywalls for election day and night and even into the next day (Tuesday, November 3, into Wednesday, November 4).
A few choices:
- CNN.com (coverage begins 9 a.m. ET)
- NBCNews.com (dual coverage with NBC and MSNBC)
- ABCNews.com
- CBSN (coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET)
Watch on a YouTube live stream
Some major news outlets are offering live streams on YouTube that are easy to stream, including ABC and PBS NewsHour (also embedded below). You can also search YouTube for election night coverage and click the “live” option in the search settings.
Watch on a streaming service
Subscription services that offer broadcast and cable news outlets in their bundles will have no shortage of options. Most of these services offer free trials if you haven’t signed up before. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and Fox Business are available on all of the following:
If you’re looking for broadcast TV coverage, you might also try Locast, a free nonprofit streaming service. Additionally, the Roku Channel says it has lots of free streaming options from ABC News, Cheddar, NBC News Now, Newsy, and others. And Peacock, the newish streaming service from NBCUniversal, is offering free election coverage on its news channel The Choice.