DIRECTV’s streaming pay television customers are waking up this weekend with one more news channel in their package.
The service quietly added C-SPAN 3 to its streaming lineup, making the full C-SPAN linear multiplex available through its connected TV apps for the first time.
C-SPAN is a commercial-free, non-profit public service broadcaster that covers political affairs from Washington, D.C. and other parts of the country. The network is financially supported by DIRECTV and other cable and satellite TV providers; its website and apps generate some ancillary commercial revenue. Daytime coverage on C-SPAN typically involves matters concerning the U.S. House of Representatives when Congress is in session, while C-SPAN 2 covers the U.S. Senate.
C-SPAN 3 is something of a spillover channel, offering live coverage of U.S. House and U.S. Senate committee hearings, press conferences, speeches, interviews and political events. The channel has long been available to DIRECTV’s satellite customers and through the C-SPAN websites and apps for subscribers who authenticate with their DIRECTV credentials, but it has remained unavailable through DIRECTV’s streaming apps until recently.
C-SPAN is available in all DIRECTV Signature packages, which offer a mixture of local channels and national news, sports and entertainment networks. In March 2025, the first two C-SPAN channels were also added to MyNews, a lower-priced, genre-specific package that includes other networks like CNBC, CNN, MS NOW, CNN International, Fox News, Fox Business, Bloomberg and Newsmax for $45 per month. As of Saturday morning, MyNews also includes C-SPAN 3, according to marketing materials reviewed by The Desk.
The DIRECTV streaming app is widely supported on phones, tablets, smart TVs and streaming devices like Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV (Google TV). Content can also be watched on the DIRECTV website via computers.
