Spectrum TV Service Review

Spectrum TV®’s package is reasonably priced, its channel lineup has most of your favorite popular channels, you can opt into receiving an Apple TV, and (to put the cherry on top) it’s a contract-free service.

Spectrum TV® won’t break your bank, and you’ll get a solid channel lineup with TV Select Signature's 150-channel package. 

You could be in for a surprise, though. Depending on where you live, you could get over 210 channels! That's the case for some cities in New York. So, take a look at the complete channel lineup in your area. 

We should warn you: these advertised prices are only good for the first 12 months of your service. After your first year, Spectrum isn’t clear as to what your monthly bill price will be.

You can bundle with Spectrum internet®, so you only have one hassle-free bill for both services.

Combining your TV, internet, or mobile payments into a single bill can be confusing, but thankfully, it's easy-breezy with Spectrum. Spectrum's site allows you to easily explore each TV, internet, and mobile plan both individually and bundled with another service. 

If you choose to bundle, expect to pay an extra $50 per month for download speeds of 500 Mbps for your home.* This is an ideal speed if you have multiple people in your household who work from home, download content, and stream simultaneously.

Spectrum’s Internet is our second favorite cable internet provider because it gives you unlimited data caps without a contract.

One of the beauties of Spectrum TV®: there’s no contract. So you can cancel whenever you’d like.

Whether you move, need to save money, or choose to try a live TV streaming service, you can cancel without paying any cancellation fees.

It’s common for a cable TV provider to charge monthly for the TV receiver and DVR service, and Spectrum’s cost is fair.

We recommend getting the DVR service package if you plan to put a TV receiver in your living room, bedroom, and kid’s bedroom.

If you like to keep up with your local news, you won't be able to get away from the broadcast fee. The broadcast fee for Spectrum is $4 less than Xfinity’s ($26), but cable TV providers, like Verizon Fios TV and Optimum TV, don’t charge this fee.

At least Spectrum doesn’t charge a regional sports fee like some cable providers do. (But the caveat to that, fellow sports fans, is Spectrum isn't the best option for watching sports).

Keep in mind, that Spectrum’s fine print says, “installation and activation fees are extra”, but Spectrum doesn’t specify how much they are.

All of Spectrum’s channels are in HD, and no other cable TV service offers more HD channels than Spectrum does. And you’re most likely going to find your favorite channels with Spectrum.

(If you're looking for the sports channels, scroll down a little for the best section.)

Spectrum's TV Select Signature package comes with over 150 popular channels. You can then choose from Spectrum's add-on channel packages or add premium channels a la carte to customize your channel lineup. 

Spectrum’s TV® Select Signature package includes the following channels:

Spectrum gives you up to 80,000 on-demand movies and TV show episodes on top of your service! As you upgrade from one package to another, you’ll have access to even more titles to watch while waiting in the grocery store line or on a Saturday family movie night.

Yes. Like we said earlier, after subscribing to TV Select Signature, you can choose from Spectrum's premium add-on channel packages or pick specific premium channels to add individually.

Spectrum's Sports View add-on will be the best choice for sports lovers.

Because without it, your sports-channel game will be pretty weak.

With your TV package only including eight sports channels, you can get 19 additional channels for only $7 extra. This is the best deal we've seen for a sports add-on.

And to make the deal even sweeter, the add-on comes with the NFL RedZone Channel! Why we're so excited here is because you cannot find this magnificent channel for cheaper anywhere else.

So we highly recommend adding 19 sports channels to your TV Select Signature plan for a grand total of 27.

Spectrum’s TV Select Signature package includes the following sports channels:

Spectrum’s Sports View package includes the following sports channels:

If you're a college sports fan, we have some other suggestions you could consider:

DISH TV offers ESPNU, ACCN, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network. Sadly, DISH no longer offers the Pac-12 Network or the Longhorn Network.

Hulu + Live TV is the only other service we've seen to have ESPN College Extra. This live TV streaming service also has ACCN, BTN, and SEC Network for the NCAA fans.

Your two DVR options with Spectrum are as follows:

• Order as many set-top boxes as needed for $11 per month each and get DVR service for $5.
• Pay $5 per month for each Apple TV for only 1.5 years and receive 100 hours of Cloud DVR storage for $10 per month. 

If you don't mind navigating a streaming device, the second option is the best. 

100 hours of DVR storage allows you to record 14 movies, 15 NCIS episodes, 11 NBA games, and 20 episodes of Paw Patrol. Just keep in mind that your recordings will be saved for only one year.

As for the first option, we're confused about the $5 DVR service. How many storage hours does it give us? How many simultaneous recordings can the DVR handle? 

We'd like transparency, Spectrum. 

Spectrum doesn't specify if each four family members can record their favorite show that airs between 7–8 p.m. and we'd like to know how many Hallmark movies we can record.

The Spectrum TV® app allows you to watch live TV on the go while waiting for your kid’s baseball practice to finish or on your lunch break.

You can even use the Spectrum TV® app as a TV remote and browse through channels, set up recordings, and access parental controls.

Spectrum TV® is compatible with the following streaming devices:

• iPhones, iPads
• Android smartphones and tablets
• Roku devices (second generation and higher)
• Apple TV
• Fire TV
• Amazon (Kindle) Fire 6 and higher
• Xbox One
• Samsung Smart TVs
• Vizio Smart TVs

Spectrum TV® may not provide the best DVR option for those who don't want a streaming device, but at least its fees are reasonable compared to other cable TV providers.

The part we like the most about Spectrum TV® is that you can access about 30 sports channels for just $7 more per month. That’s the price of one hotdog at an MLB game!

Most TV providers charge about $10 for their sports add-on, and we're happy that Spectrum is on the low end because it doesn't have nearly enough sports channels in its lineup. 

Another excellent perk to this cable provider is you don’t have to worry about a contract. Although the second-year pricing is unclear, you can cancel without any repercussions if it's out of your budget. 

If you want a decent number of channels for a fantastic price and live in one of these cities of the 41 states it’s offered, you might have found your next cable TV service.

If Spectrum TV® isn’t available in your area or you need more DVR storage space, check out our top cable TV providers for other options.