C-SPAN is launching a new connected TV app called C-SPAN Select. The service will let users who don’t have a linear cable subscription to search for and watch the programs and live broadcasts public affairs broadcaster, according to The Hill. C-SPAN Select first will roll out for 12 million Comcast Xfinity X1 users with plans for Xfinity Xflex and Xumo platforms later this fall.
“We’re looking, like every media organization, at where audiences are migrating to consumer content,” Peter Kiley, C-SPAN’s vice president for affiliate relations, told The Hill.
C-SPAN wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Audiences are increasingly seeking out content online. C-SPAN Select would let the broadcaster further grow its digital presence without abandoning the cable industry or its audience who haven’t fully cut the cord. C-SPAN also has a mobile app called C-SPAN Now, but it primarily offers breaking news and short video clips as well as livestreams and video clips on its website.
C-SPAN Select is designed to be easier to navigate for users with curated content that’s easily located under specific sections on the home page. In addition, C-SPAN Select has about 500 on-demand programs.
The line between linear cable and streaming is blurring, especially with an increase in cord cutting this year. In turn, several cable TV companies have shut down their TV services and partnered with YouTube TV. Other companies are opting to build their own streaming service to replace their traditional TV packages.
Cable TV as we once knew it is changing as viewers continue to migrate online. Disney and Spectrum’s fight serves as the latest example. Spectrum, the 2nd largest live TV provider, said it would walk away from Disney if the company was unwilling to agree to a new distribution model for cable TV. The company said it would instead sell bundles of streaming services to its own customers. The two companies have since come to an agreement, ending a 12-day cable blackout.