The State of the Union Address is a constitutionally mandated annual address delivered by the President to the United States Congress. In the modern era, Presidents have delivered the address in front of a Joint Session of Congress in the House Chamber to a nationally televised audience.
If you're looking for a simple way to research how you can watch the speech, look no further. Below you will find all the various ways you can watch the annual speech on your TV and streaming online.
TV & Online Streaming Options
ABC - Chief Political Correspondent George Stephanopoulos will be anchoring coverage of the Address with help from "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce, and “Nightline” Anchor Byron Pitts. Numerous other guests and political reporters are expected to make appearances as well.
Live television coverage will be limited to just before and after the SOTU and Democratic Response, but ABC will be airing extended coverage online.
CBS - CBS This Morning co-hosts Anthony Mason, Tony Dokoupil and Gayle King will be anchoring coverage from world headquarters in New York while CBS Evening News anchor Jeff Glor will be reporting from the U.S. Capitol. CBS's political team will also be getting immediate reactions from members of Congress, political commentators, and the public.
Live television coverage will be limited to just before and after the SOTU and Democratic Response, but CBS will be airing extended coverage online.
FOX - FOX Broadcasting Channel will be airing special coverage anchored by Bill Hemmer with commentary and analysis from RealClearPolitics’ A.B. Stoddard and Fox News correspondent Kristin Fisher.
Live television coverage will be limited to just before and after the SOTU and Democratic Response, but FOX will be airing extended coverage online at FoxNews.com.
NBC - NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt and "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie will be anchoring coverage from New York with help from "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd.
The team will be loosely coordinating with MSNBC throughout the night, with many commentators slated to be on both platforms, but live television coverage on NBC will be limited to just before and after the SOTU and Democratic Response with extended coverage on MSNBC and online.
CNN - Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and many others will be anchoring coverage of the address with the help of a number of CNN political commentators. CNN prides itself on ensuring both sides receive equal coverage, so they are a good choice if you enjoy seeing spirited debate and coverage that isn't heavily slanted towards one political party over the other.
Live coverage of the address will be airing throughout the day with special coverage immediately before and after the speech.
PBS - "Newshour" managing editor Judy Woodruff will be anchoring special coverage of the address with help from correspondents Yamiche Alcindor, Lisa Desjardins, David Brooks, and Mark Shields. If you enjoy in-depth analysis and zero bomb-throwing then this would be a great platform for you. "Newshour" will be airing special coverage before the speech and then holding a round table to discuss the speech and Democratic response afterwards.
C-Span - The Public Affairs Network is about as bare bones as it gets to State of the Union coverage. The station will air a special episode of "Washington Journal" before airing the speech without interruption. If you are someone who doesn't like anything scrolling on the bottom of the screen during a speech then this is the channel for you.
Live coverage of the address will also be available online.
MSNBC - Rachel Maddow and Brian Williams will be anchoring coverage of the address with help from a wide swath of political commentators from both in and out of NBC. Maddow, Williams, and company will more than likely have a critical and wonky assessment of the Address and how it played out in the political world.
Live television coverage of the address will be airing throughout the day with special coverage immediately before and after the speech.
Fox News - Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will be anchoring coverage of the address with special appearances from numerous political commentators associated with the network. Baier and MacCallum will be interviewing guests from Congress and the political sphere, specifically members of Republican leadership and right-leaning opinion makers.
Live television coverage of the address will be airing throughout the day with special coverage immediately before and after the speech.