C-SPAN to roll out new Connected TV app this fall

Public affairs broadcaster C-SPAN plans to launch a new app for connected TV users in the coming weeks, the outlet's leaders say.

C-SPAN "Select" will first be available to some 12 million customers of Comcast Xfinity's X1 service.

Plans are also in place for the app to be available via Xfinity's XFlex, and Xumo platforms once it is launched this fall.

The channel's leaders say they hope to make the service available via other cable providers in addition to Xfinity in the coming months.

The connected TV service will allow users who do not have a linear cable subscription to search for and watch C-SPAN's various programs and live broadcasts, including congressional hearings, floor speeches and other major public affairs events the outlet covers on a regular basis.

"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 this week.

After more than four decades broadcasting congressional and other public affairs events, C-SPAN has made a big push into a more digital future in recent years. Within the last two years, the channel rolled out a new mobile app called "C-SPAN NOW" for iPhone and Android, which primarily features breaking news and short video clips.

Their coverage of government proceedings was most recently in the spotlight as a result of the unprecedented access it had to the House chamber in January as the GOP struggled to elect a Speaker due to a handful of members who withheld votes for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

C-SPAN is the latest in a slew of cable channels that have poured more resources into streaming and digital amid a nationwide uptick in cord cutting and a changing online media landscape, particularly for political and breaking news content.

"It's a very important step for our future to have an app like this positioned on those platforms," Kiley said. "I think the bulk of our viewership will be on linear channels but we're going to certainly grow in numbers across these apps."

"So we're really excited to have a really robust presence there," he added.