Canadian News Channels Available in U.S. During COVID-19 Pandemic

Several Canadian 24-hour news channels are offering free streaming amid coverage of the new coronavirus, giving U.S. viewers a chance to see a different take on North American 24-hour news.

Most of the channels are operating in free preview mode on Canadian cable and satellite providers. They also removed sign-in requirements and geofencing for their web feeds.

The Canadian networks tend to include more traditional news and fewer opinionated talking heads than U.S. networks. Canadian news organizations cover almost as much U.S. news as the U.S. channels, along with news from Canada and a heavier dose of international news.

As of Saturday, these channels all appear to be available for free streaming south of the border:

• CBC News Network is part of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, sharing reporters with CBC Radio One and CBC-TV’s “The National.” (“The National” has also been available live on YouTube for several years.)
• RDI is the French-language sister network to CBC News Network.
• CTV News Channel is the companion to Canada’s largest private TV network, CTV.
• CP24 is a sister channel to CTV News Network focusing on Toronto.
• LCN is the companion to French-language network TVA. (The stream is only available in the evenings, for about two weeks.)

CTV/CP24 said their streams will be available through April 17, while LCN said the stream would last two weeks. CBC/RDI did not say how long their streams will be available in their announcement.