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FOX News won’t offer live feed of GOP debate for cord-cutters

fox-news-logoThe FOX News Channel will live-stream tonight’s Republican presidential debate — but you’ll only be able to watch it if you have a cable or satellite subscription.

A spokesperson for the channel told The Desk by e-mail that the ten-candidate debate will air on the FOX News Channel and stream online, but it will only be available online for viewers who log in using their cable or satellite TV credentials.

The network will be posting clips of the debate online within minutes of airing and the full debate will be available for free on the FOX News website as an on-demand offering Friday, the spokesperson said.

There is one work-around: Audio of the debate will air in near-real time on SiriusXM, which carries a three-minute delayed simulcast of the FOX News Channel and other cable news networks. Those who don’t mind listening to the debate without video can sign up for a free trial of SiriusXM’s Internet radio service on SiriusXM.com — just be sure to cancel the trial after the debate ends.

The main Republican debate starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Update: The British news channel Sky News says it will carry the debate live. Sky’s online stream is accessible in the United States for free here.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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