It’s political crunch time as the party faithful head to their conventions to nominate 2016 Presidential candidates. The Republicans head to Cleveland July 18-21 presumptively to nominate Donald Trump, while the Democrats gather in Philadelphia July 25-28 to likely nominate Hillary Clinton. Much has been made of this presidential cycle – Will we see our first woman presidential nominee? Will Trump’s nomination be contested in a divided Republican party? Who will be named Vice Presidential candidates? Not all of us were lucky enough to garner invites to the conventions. Luckily, the conventions will be live-streamed, and apps and subscription services can help give us a firsthand view of the proceedings. There’s no longer any need to rely on expensive long-term cable contracts to watch the convention speeches. Everything will be available to you online.
Want to feel like you’re on the convention floor? There’s an app for that! The Republican National Convention app, called RNC 2016 and available for iOS and Android, will livestream the convention and have 360 degree video. The app also has a map of the convention and event schedule. You’ll be able to watch all of the speeches straight from your smartphone or tablet. We expect the Democratic National Committee to announce their app shortly.
Also new this year, for the first time Twitter and CBS News are partnering to stream CBS News’ live coverage on Twitter. This partnership will give consumers the unique and interactive opportunity to share their thoughts about the convention on Twitter while watching the CBS News journalists report on the proceedings, all in real-time.
But maybe you want to keep your commentary in the room with your viewing companions – there are plenty of options for cord cutters to watch the convention on your home TV. Subscription streaming services like SlingTV and Playstation Vue will provide livestreams of the conventions. With SlingTV you can watch on CNN (with a basic package) and HLN (as an add-on channel). Playstation Vue owners can watch the convention from whichever politically leaning channel you prefer – CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC.
No matter your side of the aisle, you’ll be able to rest in your most comfy chair at home and watch the presidential nominations live.
