On September 11, 2001, as the second plane struck the World Trade Center, cable TV news coverage shifted from routine speculation to continuous, emotionally charged reporting, according to a Substack article. For four days, broadcast and cable TV outlets delivered uninterrupted coverage of the tragedy, shaping public sentiment and political discourse in ways that had never been seen before.

The Political and Media Impact of Live Coverage

Tom Brokaw, a prominent news anchor, noted on air that the U.S. was at war,though with whom and why remained unclear, the article states; the coverage, devoid of the distractions of social media at the time, focused on grief, anger, and political maneuvering. The intensity of the coverage also amplified Islamophobia and the public’s desire for vengeance, the article notes.

Phil Donahue, a late-night talk show host, even faced professional consequences for his antiwar views,MSNBC fired him for expressing them, according to the Substack account; this marked one of the first major changes in cable TV: the introduction of headline tickers, now a standard feature for real-time updates.

Modern Cable News and Political Events

More recently, cable news coverage of political events has shown mixed results. At the 2026 GOP midterm convention, Fox News’ coverage averaged 2.3 million viewers, slightly lower than its September 2025 primetime average of 2.54 million, according to Deadline. During Trump’s speech, Fox averaged 2.5 million viewers, but this still trailed the 2.89 million seen for Hannity and 2.94 million for Gutfeld! in September 2025.

CNN’s coverage averaged 441,000 viewers,below its September 2025 average of 543,000. Meanwhile, MSNBC’s MS NOW averaged 1.1 million viewers in primetime, up from 810,000 in the same period a year prior. However, MS NOW focused more on analysis than live coverage of Trump’s speech, according to Deadline.

Streaming Services and the Return of Old TV Models

While cable TV remains a key player in live coverage, streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are increasingly adopting models once associated with traditional pay TV. According to a report by ADSLZone, prices for major streaming services have risen more than three times faster than the U.S. inflation rate since 2022. In the past year alone, combined price increases reached 11.8%.

Apple TV, for example, now costs three times more than in 2019—$14.99 compared to $4.99. Disney+ Premium has seen a 172% increase, and Netflix Premium rose by 125% since 2013. HBO Max saw a 15% increase in 2020 to 2026. Plus, ad-free models are becoming less common, with ads increasingly becoming the norm.

In Germany, FritzBox Cable models like the 6490, 6590, 6591, and 6660 now allow users to stream TV signals over Wi-Fi, according to chip.de and BornCity. This requires a DVB-C TV connection and compatible hardware. The setup process involves activating Live-TV and initiating a sender search, which can take 5,15 minutes. Once completed, users can stream unencrypted channels through the FritzApp TV on Android or iOS devices, though encrypted channels are not supported.