There’s one downside to some of the cheap cable TV providers: their availability can be limited. But we found the best cable TV deals and we’ll help you find the right one for your home. A good, cheap cable TV package should still have a decent dollar-to-channel ratio, and the amount you’d like to pay per month will most likely determine how many channels you get. With these plans, you’ll get a sufficient number of channels for the price tag. All of the plans have local channels. If you’re willing to spend $50 per month, this is where you’ll find popular channels for the family, such as ESPN, HGTV, and Disney Channel. Some of the channels in the Popular TV plan lineup are the following: Some of the channels in the Choice TV plan lineup are the following: Xfinity gives you 20 hours of cloud DVR storage for free. If you’d like more storage, you can get 150 D hours for $10 per month or 300 hours for $20 per month. With 150 hours, you can store 25 movies and 75 TV episodes. The best part about that: you can save those movies and TV shows as if you own them. Record The Longest Yard and watch it today, next month, or two years from now because they’ll save on your DVR. And another bonus is you and the roommates will be able to record six TV shows or movies at once. Luckily all of the fees are optional, but we highly recommend them if you want access to local channels, regional sports channels, and DVR service. Allow us to give you a heads up on which monthly fees you might want to pay for to create a service perfect for you:
First set-top box: $7.50/mo. Additional TV box: $7.50/mo. DVR fee: $0-$20.00/mo. Broadcast fee: Up to $24.95/mo. Regional sports fee: Up to $19.15/mo.
Keep in mind, Spectrum may increase the price on you after a year. Spectrum guarantees the advertised pricing for one year but doesn’t specify how much your monthly bill will be during year two. But hey, this might be where the no-contract thing comes in handy. If it becomes too pricey for you, feel free to cancel. But maybe you’ll like the reliability of Spectrum and decide to just stick with them. This is subpar when you realize Xfinity’s DVR holds 60 HD/300 SD hours and Cox TV’s holds 250-1,000 SD hours. If you have a small family, Spectrum TV’s DVR might slide. But if you have four or more family members who like to record TV shows and movies often, you might find yourselves in a sticky situation. Why? Because you’ll run out of storage space quickly, you can only record two shows or movies and once, and the family won’t be happy. The only clarity we have its enhanced DVR. At checkout, it says you can record 100 shows if you upgrade to the $10 per month DVR service. We like the variety, especially if you would like a little more than just the local channels. (But if you’re looking for a lineup with only local channels, jump down to Sparklight.) Cox’s Contour TV Starter plan includes the following channels: This is perfect for the family of three who will record only a few TV shows here and there, and for the family of seven who could use the entire 1,000 hours of space. We’ll break down the three DVR option Cox offers here:
Essential DVR: $10.00/mo. (250 hours of DVR storage space, record two shows at once) Preferred DVR: $20.00/mo. (250 hours of DVR storage space, record six shows at once) Ultimate DVR: $30.00/mo. (1,000 hours of DVR storage space, record 24 shows at once)
If you happen not to like Cox’s services, you can get out of your plan for free if you cancel your service within 30 days of your sign-up date. But if you wait until after that 30-day window to cancel, you’ll be charged an early termination fee (ETF) of up to $240. The way you can find out if this cable provider services your area is to enter your address on Cox Communications website. (We’re crossing our fingers for you). Although Sparklight TV offers only 20 local channels, they offer some of the top local channels. Keep in mind, every location isn’t created equal. When we checked the Idaho Falls channel lineup, 26 channels were available. Diamondhead, Mississippi had 34. If you want to know exactly which channels you’ll get straight to your TV, check out the full channel lineup. And in that same link, you can see if you live in one of the 21 states Sparklight is offered. Sparklight TV offers the following local channels: You’re paying about $2 per channel with Sparklight, which is one of the priciest dollar-to-channel ratios in the industry. We like to see nothing higher than $1.50 per channel. But if it’s one of your only choices, enjoy staying up to date on local, national, and international news with Sparklight TV. For a cable TV provider to be named “one of the cheapest,” it’s got to have a sufficient number of channels (especially local) for a fair price. Dollar-to-channel ratio is a huge factor we take into consideration. Who doesn’t want to get the best bang for their buck? Channel variety is also important so everyone in the family has something to watch. We have to think of the parents who love The Price is Right or The Kelly Clarkson Show. And of course, the kids will want to watch Arthur or Teen Titans Go! before school. All that won’t matter if it’s not available to you in your area, so availability across the US ranks cable TV providers higher on our list. And we’ll save you from family feuds by making sure those cable TV providers have enough DVR storage space. Xfinity’s Choice TV package is $20/month for 10+ channels and the Popular TV plan is $50/month for 125+ channels. Xfinity is the best because it’s a reliable company, widely available, and offers a great number of channels for a fair price. They’re a one-time buy of about $20-$80 and you could get as many as 100+ channels with great reception. Live TV streaming services range from $25-$135 and cable TV ranges from $20-$138. Philo is $25 per month for more than 60 channels, but the average price for live streaming is around $70 per month for 85–240+ channels (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and fuboTV). But you can get 125+ channels for $50 per month with Xfinity TV. Or you could spend as much as $138 per month with Cox TV for 250+ channels.
