As with the first two presidential debates this year, CBS News is offering other broadcasters and news organizations the opportunity to simulcast its vice presidential debate between Senator J. D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday — and a number of outlets have taken the network up on its offer.
A simulcast of the debate will air on all three peer broadcast networks this evening, with ABC News, NBC News and Fox News producing their own pre-debate and post-debate coverage for their respective outlets.
The debate will air around 9 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Pacific Time) on all ABC, NBC and CBS stations and affiliates. Fox-owned stations will also air the debate; Fox affiliates have the option to carry the debate, but may air local news or alternative programming in its place.
PBS member stations will have an opportunity to air a debate simulcast produced by the PBS NewsHour, though they may also air alternative public TV programming during the 9 p.m. Eastern Time hour. West Coast member stations will be offered the chance to simulcast the debate and air repeat PBS programming later in the night.
In addition to the broadcast networks, all five cable news channels — CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NewsNation and Newsmax — have affirmed plans to carry the CBS News debate simulcast live, with pre-debate and post-debate coverage as well.
C-SPAN will carry the simulcast on its main channel, with phone calls from viewers anchoring the event in prime-time and late night. The network took a similar approach during the CNN and ABC News presidential debates earlier this year.
On streaming platforms, all four broadcast networks have affirmed plans to carry the CBS News vice presidential debate on their FAST channels. The simulcast will stream for free on ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, NBC News Now and LiveNow from Fox, with post-debate coverage hosted by network news talent (except on LiveNow from Fox).
Other free streaming channels that will carry the debate live include Scripps News, Bloomberg Television and BBC News.
The CBS News vice presidential debate is expected to be the only event of its kind featuring Vance and Walz. It will also likely be the last debate featuring candidates from either party before the election in November. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have each agreed to town hall-style interviews on Univision, neither of which will resemble a debate.
