How cordcutters can watch the 2016 presidential debates live on Roku (for free)

October 9, 2016 - 12:40 -- RokuGuide

2016 Presidential Debates on RokuThe first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took place Monday, September 26, and additional debates will be held on October 9 and October 19. The debates will be carried live by all major broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, as well as the major cable news networks. But what can a cordcutter do with no access to over-the-air broadcasts from the local network affiliates? You're in luck - there are several Roku channels that will let you stream the presidential debates for free, no subscription required.

CBS News

CBSN, CBS News' 24/7 digital streaming news service, will provide full coverage before, during and after the debates. You can access CBSN through the CBS News Roku channel. CBS News has announced that CBSN is partnering with Instagram to feature curated Instagram stories in its live coverage of the debates. "Instagram stories created by CBSN anchors and CBS News correspondents and contributors – including Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell, Nancy Cordes, Vladimir Duthiers, Major Garrett, Reena Ninan, Will Rahn and Bob Schieffer – will be integrated into CBSN’s coverage before and after each debate alongside Instagram stories from experts and voters across the country."

NBC News

NBC News, one of the most-watched channels in the Roku Channel Store, announced that it, too, will broadcast the presidential debates live through the NBC News Roku channel, and on its Apple TV and Amazon Fire apps.

Bloomberg TV

Bloomberg Television is a rare cable channel that streams its live broadcast through Internet-connected devices for free - no cable or satellite subscription required. You'll find the live stream on the Bloomberg TV Roku channel.

Livestream

You can also find the Clinton-Trump debates on the Livestream Roku channel courtesy of FedNet, a credentialed news organization that identifies itself as "the leading provider of multimedia content of the United States Congress." It may take a bit of searching to find it, though. At the time this article was prepared, it wasn't listed in the "Upcoming" section of the channel menu - you can find it by scrolling down the channel's main menu to "Account Search" and searching on "Federal Network". Select Federal Network from the search results and scroll across the available videos until you come to "First Clinton-Trump Debate".

ABC News

There has been some media hype about ABC News streaming the presidential debates live on Facebook, but it's also been reported that the ABC News Roku channel will carry the debates live. ABC News offers several live streams, including streams of current events like world leaders making remarks at the UN General Assembly (which was available when this article was prepared).

FOX News

Presumably the presidential debates will be carried live on Fox News Radio. Sorry, but the Fox News Roku channel does not stream live video from Fox News, but the channel does stream Fox News Radio if you prefer an audio-only version of the debates. If you really want the Fox News video coverage, it will be carried on the Fox Network, which is available with Sling TV's Sling Blue service. New customers can get Sling Blue with a free 7-day trial here.