Key Points
- Major television news networks will provide live coverage of the November 3 midterm elections, with the balance of power in Congress among the central storylines.
- CNN, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, NewsNation and other broadcasters are preparing extended election-night programming, with correspondents deployed across competitive states; several networks will use dedicated decision desks and third-party election data providers to project races and track control of Congress.
- Streaming platforms are adding interactive election tools, including multiview feeds, real-time results, customizable maps and artificial intelligence-powered analysis.
Major television news organizations have announced their plans for extensive coverage of the November 3 midterm elections, with broadcasters and streaming platforms planning hours of live reporting, election analysis and interactive features as voters determine control of Congress.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be contested, along with 33 regularly scheduled Senate races and 36 gubernatorial elections. The results will determine which party controls the House and Senate during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates will carry election coverage through their respective network news operations, while cable channels CNN, Fox News, NewsNation and others will offer extended programming throughout election day and into Wednesday morning. Spanish-language broadcasters, including Telemundo, are also preparing special coverage of races in which Latino voters could play a decisive role.
This election cycle will feature an expanded emphasis on streaming and digital experiences, with several companies introducing interactive features that go beyond conventional television broadcasts. DIRECTV, Fox One and Peacock will offer multiview experiences that combine live coverage with election results, while CNN and other networks are deploying interactive maps, real-time election data and additional digital tools.
The networks are also relying on their own election decision desks and outside data providers to analyze voting returns, project individual races and track control of Congress. Correspondents will report from battleground states, campaign headquarters, polling places and ballot processing centers throughout the country.
Here is how major television news organizations and streaming platforms plan to cover election night:
ABC News
ABC-owned stations and affiliates will offer live prime-time coverage of key national and state races on November 3. The network is also offering a free live stream of comprehensive, around-the-clock coverage through its channel ABC News Live. Specific plans for Election Night have not been released beyond that.
CBS News
CBS News will begin its main election-night broadcast, “America Decides: Election 2026,” at 7 p.m. Eastern, with Tony Dokoupil and Norah O’Donnell anchoring coverage across CBS, CBS News 24/7, Paramount Plus and digital platforms.
Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Robert Costa, Major Garrett, Nancy Cordes and Ed O’Keefe will contribute reporting and analysis, along with political strategists, former government officials and other commentators.
The network will also introduce “Election 2026: The Nerd Show,” a data-focused program beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern. Anthony Salvanto and Caitlin Huey-Burns will lead the streaming program, which will examine voting patterns, election models, county-level returns and the process of projecting races.
The program will incorporate information from election data partner VoteHub and prediction market sponsor Kalshi. It will stream on CBS News 24/7, YouTube, X.com (formerly Twitter) and CBS News digital platforms.
CBS News 24/7 will begin election coverage at 7 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday Tuesday and continue through 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. The network’s website and mobile apps will provide live results, reporting and interactive election dashboards.
CNN
CNN will begin its primary election-night coverage at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, with Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper anchoring “Election Night in America” from Washington.
Dana Bash will focus on Senate races, while John King will use the network’s Magic Wall to examine election returns and voting patterns. Erin Burnett will report from Texas, Kaitlan Collins will cover reaction from the Trump administration and other correspondents will contribute reporting from competitive states.
John Berman and Kate Bolduan will take over coverage at 2 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.
CNN is also introducing Sightline, an interactive tool that analyzes election data across five indicators to assess developments in competitive Senate and gubernatorial races. The feature will be available through CNN’s website and mobile app, with additional functionality for subscribers.
The network’s digital Magic Wall will expand to include ballot measures, additional local races and historical election comparisons.
CNN’s streaming subscribers will have access to election coverage and exclusive programming, including a live question-and-answer program hosted by Berman and Harry Enten at 7 p.m. Eastern.
CNN en Español will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern, with Juan Carlos López and Gabi Frías anchoring “Voto Latino.”
DIRECTV
DIRECTV will revive its Election HQ pop-up channel from November 2 through November 4, allowing subscribers to watch four cable news networks simultaneously while following election results.
The interactive channel will display live feeds from CNN, MS NOW, Fox News and Newsmax on a single screen, accompanied by election results supplied by the Associated Press.
Subscribers can access Election HQ on Channels 71 and 200, through the DIRECTV home screen or program guide and, on compatible equipment, through interactive prompts displayed during news programming.
The service builds on multiview features first tested during the 2024 election cycle. DIRECTV has since expanded similar programming to sports, business news and other categories, allowing viewers to follow multiple live feeds without switching channels.
Fox News
The Fox News Channel will begin its “Democracy 26” election-night coverage at 6 p.m. Eastern, with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum anchoring the main broadcast.
Dana Perino, Brit Hume, Bill Hemmer, Sandra Smith, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters and other Fox News personalities will contribute analysis. The network’s Decision Desk will project House, Senate and gubernatorial races and assess control of Congress.
The Fox Business Network will simulcast the coverage from 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday through 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.
Fox News plans to make greater use of augmented reality and data-driven graphics to examine county-level voting patterns and possible paths to congressional majorities. More than 20 correspondents will report from competitive states, with additional coverage from Washington and the White House.
The Fox News App will introduce a dedicated “Midterms 2026” section with interactive election maps, county-level results and an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot called Election HQ.
Fox News Digital will provide a live blog, election analysis and voter research, while Fox News Audio will offer live radio coverage beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. Fox Nation and the network’s podcast operation will also carry special programming.
Fox One
Fox is introducing several interactive election features on Fox One, its direct-to-consumer streaming service, as part of an effort to expand how subscribers engage with live news programming.
The centerpiece is Command Center, an interface combining live Fox News coverage with continuously updated election results, polling information and race analysis.
Another feature, Election Hub, will aggregate reporting from Fox-owned television stations, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and other markets.
Fox One will also introduce an elections mode for Ask Fox, an artificial intelligence-powered feature that answers questions about current races, historical voting patterns and election results. The system uses ElectionAI, a platform developed internally by Fox News Media.
The features build on interactive sports experiences already available through Fox One, including multiview feeds and real-time scores. Fox One costs $20 per month as a standalone subscription, while qualifying pay television subscribers can access the service without an additional charge.
NBC News and Peacock
NBC News will provide 13 consecutive hours of election coverage on its broadcast network, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday and continuing through 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Savannah Guthrie, Tom Llamas, Kristen Welker and Hallie Jackson will anchor the primary “Decision ’26” broadcast beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Jackson will open the network’s coverage at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, while Craig Melvin and Kate Snow will handle overnight reporting beginning at 2 a.m.
Steve Kornacki will return to the network’s Big Board, using an expanded dual-screen setup to examine election returns, voting trends and control of Congress.
NBC News is also expanding its “Kornacki Cam” livestream, which provides continuous coverage of Kornacki’s election analysis. The network said the feature recorded more than 41 million livestream starts during 22 nights of primary coverage earlier this year.
Peacock will introduce a multiview experience beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, combining NBC News Now, the Kornacki Cam and a live election results board.
The network will also deploy correspondents to competitive states, use its Decision Desk for race projections and share reporting resources with Noticias Telemundo.
NewsNation and The Hill
NewsNation will air “Decision Desk 2026: Election Night in America” from 7 p.m. to midnight Eastern, with Chris Cuomo, Elizabeth Vargas, Leland Vittert, Katie Pavlich and Chris Stirewalt co-anchoring.
The Nexstar-owned cable network will again rely on Decision Desk HQ for independent election projections and race calls.
A central feature of the broadcast will be live coverage from a Decision Desk HQ election data center at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Data scientist Scott Tranter and his team will analyze incoming results, with viewers receiving periodic behind-the-scenes access to the process of projecting races.
NewsNation will begin election-day programming at 6 a.m. Eastern with “Morning in America,” followed by extended editions of “NewsNation Live” and “The Hill.”
Correspondents will report from Texas, Maine, Ohio, California, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa and Michigan, while senior national correspondent Brian Entin will examine ballot processing and vote counting.
NewsNation’s website and mobile app will carry live results, reporting and a stream of the network’s election coverage.
Sister publication The Hill will present its own election-night program from 7 p.m. to midnight Eastern, with Cory Smith and Drew Petrimoulx anchoring coverage on The Hill’s free streaming channel, YouTube and website.
Telemundo
Noticias Telemundo will begin election-day coverage at 7 a.m. Eastern on its Noticias Telemundo AHORA streaming channel, with extended programming across broadcast, digital and social platforms.
Julio Vaqueiro and Arantxa Loizaga will anchor the network’s primary election-night broadcast from Telemundo Center in Miami beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. Coverage will continue through 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The network will place particular emphasis on the role of Latino voters in competitive House and Senate races, including contests in Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Damià Bonmatí will oversee the network’s election results board, while correspondents will report from several battleground states and Washington.
Noticias Telemundo will collaborate with NBC News on election reporting and use the NBC News Decision Desk for race projections and results.
Coverage will be available on Telemundo, Noticias Telemundo AHORA, the network’s website and mobile app, YouTube and social media platforms.
Sinclair, Inc.
Sinclair will present a four-hour election special through The National News Desk (TNND), airing from 8 p.m. to midnight Eastern on the company’s CW and MyNetworkTV-affiliated stations and YouTube.
Dee Dee Gatton will anchor the program, joined by Ryan Smith at the network’s Live Desk and Geoff Harris, who will analyze voting patterns and congressional races using new interactive touchscreen technology. The broadcast will incorporate reporting from Sinclair journalists in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Florida and Kansas.
The election special will also mark the introduction of a new video wall designed to illustrate results, voting trends and possible outcomes in competitive races.
Sinclair stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC will continue carrying their regularly scheduled network programming, with local newscasts providing additional election reporting.
The National News Desk currently airs across 90 television stations and is also available online.
Spectrum News
Spectrum News will present election coverage across more than 35 local news networks, with reporting on congressional, state and local races beginning after polls close in each market.
National streaming service Spectrum News Plus (stylized as Spectrum News+) will begin coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern, with Josh Robin and Sharon Tazewell anchoring alongside national political reporters and correspondents. The broadcast will emphasize competitive races in states including Michigan, Georgia and Maine.
Spanish-language service Spectrum Noticias will begin its election coverage at 8 p.m. Eastern, with Philip Klint anchoring and reporters providing live results, analysis and updates from candidate events.
The networks will carry election results, victory and concession speeches and reporting from campaign headquarters throughout the evening.
Coverage will be available through Spectrum News television channels and the Spectrum News App, including on mobile devices, Xumo Stream Box, Apple and Roku platforms.
