How Much Does Cable TV Cost?

At a glance

There's no place like dwelling house—especially when it has all your favorite cablevision channels at your fingertips. But how much volition cable Boob tube price you?

The major cable TV providers have plans with monthly payments between $44.99 (Spectrum TV Select) and $134.99 (DIRECTV'due south PREMIER™ All-Included).*

Many cablevision companies offering a starter plan for nearly $60 per month if yous want the most well-known cable channels. Mid-level plans are closer to $75 per month, and if you go all out for a premium program, information technology will toll you somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 per month.

You may run into "basic" channel packages that cost just $20 to $25 per month. We recommend y'all requite these bones plans a broad berth. They offer only local channels, which already freely broadcast in your surface area. You lot can pick upward local channels with a digital Idiot box antenna, which is a more affordable alternative.

Go along in mind that TV plans vary from cablevision provider to provider—you'll run into different price points, channel lineups, add-ons, and equipment.

For example, some Tv packages include premium channels like HBO®, but many cable Tv providers volition charge you lot between $10 and $xx per calendar month to add premium channels to your plan.

In the end, the toll of your cable Tv plan could fall betwixt $50 and $150 per month, depending in part on your tastes and interests.

*These prices are constructive every bit of August 24, 2020, and are intended just to give perspective on the price range of cablevision Telly. The offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

How much does cable Tv price per month?

Starter plans cost around $sixty per calendar month, but prices depend on your cable visitor and the type of packet yous're after.

Price ranges for cablevision Television receiver plans

  • Starter cable program: $44.99–$74.99/mo.
  • Mid-level cable programme: $69.99–$84.99/mo.
  • Premium cablevision programme: $79.99–$134.99/mo.

Starter cable plans normally have your television set staples—local channels plus ESPN, Disney Channel, and HGTV, to proper noun a few.

Mid-level plans add on more than specialized channels like NFL Network, ESPNews, and OWN. If you bound for a premium plan, you'll exist up to your neck in Tv set channels, peradventure including HBO, CINEMAX®, Commencement®, and STARZ®.

Price ranges by TV provider

Cablevision Goggle box providers and the plans they offer vary past surface area. But if you want a general idea of what to expect from, say, Comcast Xfinity packages versus Spectrum Goggle box deals, here's a closer look.

Television Provider

Starter prices

Mid-level prices

Premium prices

Cox

NA

$69.99/mo.

NA

DIRECTV

$59.99–$64.99/mo.

$69.99–$79.99/mo.

$84.99–$134.99/mo.

DISH

$59.99–$74.99/mo.

$84.99/mo.

$94.99/mo.

RCN

NA

$59.99–$82.12/mo.

NA

Spectrum

$44.99/mo.

$69.99/mo.

$89.99/mo.

Xfinity

$50.00/mo.

$eighty.00/mo.

NA

Verizon Fios

$50.00/mo.

$seventy.00/mo.

$90.00/mo.

Data as of 08/25/twenty. Offers and availability may vary by location and are field of study to change.

The nautical chart to a higher place is more for a bird'due south-eye view than a complete apples-to-apples comparison. Each of the Goggle box providers higher up has dissimilar cable TV deals, contracts, and channel lineups—but nosotros retrieve getting a general pulse on cost tin be helpful.

How much is basic cable?

Bones cable usually costs between $20 and $25 per calendar month—although nosotros've seen prices as high as $twoscore per calendar month. Merely no thing what your basic cablevision costs, you're paying way too much.

We've tried to differentiate in this commodity between "starter" cable packages and "basic" cable packages because cablevision companies apply the term "basic"—or sometimes "economic system"—to packages that have just local channels and few, if any, truthful cable TV channels.

The problem with that is your local channels already broadcast for free to your area. Y'all used to be able to pick them upward with simple bunny-ear antennas (or even a craftily repurposed wire hanger), but that changed in 20091, when broadcast TV switched to a digital format.

Merely just considering an onetime wire antenna won't get you local channels doesn't hateful yous demand to pay a cablevision company to help you get them. Digital antennas are a cheaper solution.

Our buddies over at CableTV.com wrote a comparison commodity of the best antennas. The right Boob tube antenna for y'all depends on how close you are to dissemination towers, but it will cost yous but between $15.99 and $68.95.

That'southward a one-time toll, as opposed to basic cable's monthly fees. If y'all want all the local news in your new neighborhood, a digital antenna is the best way to go.

What are the best parcel deals for Telly, internet, and phone?

It'south hard to detect well-rounded TV lineups, fast internet, and telephone service for around $100, simply Optimum, Spectrum, Suddenlink, and Xfinity packages all manage it. To keep everyone at home happy, expect for deals with over 100 Mbps download speeds and at least a starter channel lineup.

Best TV, cyberspace, and phone bundle deals

Data as of 08/25/twenty. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to modify.

If you're on a tight budget later on relocating, you can find cheaper plans than these so long as you don't mind slower internet speeds. Merely most families will need 100 Mbps cyberspace service to keep up with multiple people streaming Boob tube, placing video calls, or using smart home devices.

Find net prices for your new home

How much do premium channels cost?

Yous tin can await to pay between $10 to $20 per month for each premium channel. The cost varies by the channel you want to watch and the provider y'all society information technology from.

If you find your cable company'south premium channel prices as well high, you tin sign up to stream the channel online instead.

Price of online premium channels

  • HBO Max—$14.99/mo.
  • Showtime—$10.99/mo.
  • STARZ—$8.99
  • CINEMAX—$9.99/mo. with Amazon Prime membership

Streaming has a few shortcomings—especially if y'all have slow internet or data caps. Cheque out our cable Television receiver vs. streaming services article to learn more about how these services differ.

Recommended resources

Sources

1. Federal Communications Commission, "Digital Tv," August 2016. Accessed August 25, 2020.

Rachel Oaks

Written by

Rachel Oaks

Rachel has spent the by two years at CableTV.com writing manufactures that demystify hidden fees, DVRs, sound systems, and more. They brand door-to-door DISH and DIRECTV salespeople uncomfortable with their in-depth questions—simply if that'south what information technology takes to go you the best TV experience, they're happy to do it. In add-on to writing for CableTV.com, Rachel's work has been featured on Roku.com, TechGuySmartBuy.com, HowtoWatch.com, and SatelliteInternet.com.