US president Donald Trump's planned primetime address on election security is not being broadcasted live on the main channels of ABC and NBC.
The development came in a rare rebuff from major American networks to a sitting president four months ahead of the midterm elections, Reuters reported on Thursday.
ABC News earlier said it would reportedly carry the speech on its ABC News Live streaming platform and on ABC News Radio, but not on its broadcast channel.
NBC also said it plans to air the remarks on its free streaming service, NBC News NOW, while skipping its main broadcast channel, a person familiar with the matter told the agency.
The streaming platforms of ABC and NBC draw far smaller audiences than their traditional broadcast signals.
Trump has meanwhile used the speech to disclose sensitive intelligence alleging that China sought to interfere in the 2020 election. Trump maintains that the intelligence was stolen from him.
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Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that it was "also very possible" Trump would address Iran and the economy at the top of his remarks, adding that this was "all the more reason" for networks to broadcast the speech live and for Americans to tune in.
Trump has for years cast doubt on US election integrity, including unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting is rife with fraud and that voting machines are vulnerable to manipulation.
Some Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have urged networks against airing the address, arguing Trump is likely to repeat debunked claims.
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