The 2026 State of the Union address is one of the year’s biggest political events. The constitutionally mandated speech will report on the condition of the nation and lay out policy priorities for the year ahead.
This year’s address, President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union of his second term, is set for Tuesday, February 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET, when he’ll speak to a joint session of Congress from the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and broadcast live coast-to-coast. On many networks, coverage of the SOTU will begin as early as 6:00 p.m. ET.
Luckily for cord cutters, you can watch it for free on official feeds, major network livestreams, or through every major live-TV streaming service. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 SOTU.
When to Watch the 2026 State of the Union
- Date: Tuesday, February 24
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, Fox News, MS Now & More
- Stream: DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Sling TV, Philo, Hulu + Live TV, or YouTube TV
How to Watch the 2026 State of the Union on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV & More
Major live TV streaming services, including DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and YouTube TV, offer live news programming. Check out the chart for a list of networks you can watch today.
Live TV Streaming Highlights
The aforementioned paid services will help you stay updated on the latest news, as they offer various intro offers for new subscribers, price points, and plans:
- DIRECTV — Begin your five-day trial, get access to a wide range of local and national networks covering the State of the Union and the latest news.
- Fubo — Start your trial today to stream local broadcast networks, the latest updates, analysis, SOTU and much more.
- Hulu + Live TV — Dive into your three-day trial and watch 95+ live channels, including top news and entertainment networks and bundle Disney with ESPN Unlimited.
- Philo — Save $8 on your first month, watch 70+ live channels with AMC+, Discover+, and HBO Max bundled in.
- Sling TV — With Passes starting at $5.99, you get the flexibility of watching as much coverage for as long as you want without the monthly requirement.
- YouTube TV — Unlock $75 of savings over five months after your free trial, and stream the latest in news and entertainment with 100+ live channels.
Free Ways to Watch (FAST Channels + Antenna)
If you don’t want to pay for a subscription, you can still get excellent coverage through “FAST” (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) services:
- Sling Freestream: Offers ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, Scripps News, and other networks for free.
- Plex: Like Sling Freestream, Plex has a lineup of 24/7 news networks for free, State of the Union coverage
- Prime Video: Amazon’s video streaming platform has a solid collection of news channels to choose from.
- Other Free Options: Philo Free Channels, MyFree DIRECTV, Fubo Free, YouTube, NewsOn, Haytack News, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto, and Roku Channel are a few notable FAST platforms with free news channels providing updates and breakdowns of the State of the Union.
Beyond streaming, you can stay updated on coverage for free by using an antenna, and Antennas Direct is a great tool to find the perfect antenna and which ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW, and other local news affiliates are in your area.
Standalone Paid Streaming Services
If you are already a subscriber to a paid streaming service, you more than likely have access to some live news coverage. A few popular platforms include:
- Disney+ — ABC News is the featured newsroom providing coverage of the event on Disney’s streamer.
- Paramount+ — For CBS News updates, Paramount+ keeps you notified on the latest.
- Peacock — The NBCU streamer has always-on channels, including NBC News and local affiliates.
- FOX One and FOX Nation — The streaming home of FOX News SOTU coverage and analysis.
- CNN All Access — CNN’s DTC streaming app brings the network’s 40+ years of coverage and real-time updates in one place.
Where to Watch Live News in 2026
Keep in mind that location and packaging will vary, click the link of each streaming service to find out more information.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓** | ✓ | |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| FOX | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓** | ✓ | |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓** | ✓ | ||
| CW | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| PBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| ABC News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ | |
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |
| BBC America | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| BBC World News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| CBS News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Cheddar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ | |
| CNBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CNBC World | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| CNN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| C-SPAN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| euronews | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Fox Business | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FOX Nation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| FOX News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FOX Weather | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu + Live TV | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |
| MSNOW | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NewsNation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Newsmax | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NewsNet | ✓ | |||||
| PBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Revry News | ✓ | |||||
| Scripps News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ |
*Available as part of Sling Freestream
**Locals on Sling TV are only in some areas. There may also be a higher fee in areas with locals.
Channels may vary base on package and location
WH.gov, Facebook, YouTube, and X will also offer a live stream of the 2026 SOTU address online.