Want to Change Cable TV Providers? Here are The Best Alternatives

You may have considered all the important features and scrutinized each detail while choosing your cable TV provider. But that was theory and now that you are experiencing the services, you are disappointed.

Cox’s TV industry is dominated by regional monopolies. You don’t have many options and you have to choose from the limited options. The drill of looking for a striking package is usually useless because the details are ambiguous.

Some of the common problems faced by users are an unannounced increase in Cox billing, missed appointments for installations, and unhelpful customer care service. You end up becoming frustrated instead of being entertained.

But don’t worry, we are here to help you pull off the best deal. We have taken a close look at the country’s largest cable TV companies. We have scrutinized their packages and features for you. You will be enlightened about the frustrations and perks to expect.

Tag along to make a better decision this time.

Xfinity- Nation’s Largest Cable TV Company

As mentioned, it is the biggest cable TV company. It is widely available. Wherever you are located in the United States, the chances of having Xfinity on your list of providers are plausible. And that’s why it secures the top spot on our list. We have skimmed through the details of Xfinity’s offers and features.

Pros

The bundling options with internet and phone are many. You conveniently get to choose the best package that suits your needs the best. The X1 DVR gives you the freedom to enjoy top entertainment on the go. It offers advanced DVR features and more than 260 quality channels in HD picture quality. The provider offers plenty of on-demand content and sports channels.

It provides comparatively flexible contracts. Some packages allow the choice of having no contract too.

Cons

The only thing here is the channel count. 260+ is a small number especially when the packages are quite pricey. Most of the other providers offer more channels than 260. You don’t want to miss your niche favorite channels.

Xfinity Availability

Xfinity is available in many states. Following are a few:

• Arizona
• Connecticut
• Virginia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Louisiana
• Rhode Island

What gives Xfinity an edge over other service providers?

Xfinity’s X1 DVR is what gives Xfinity that edge. This DVR records around 6 show at one time and can store hundreds of shows. You also have the option to set recordings for any time, playback or fast forward shows, or even delete them. With it, you can manage all your recordings easily from your X1 devices.  This convenience makes Xfinity so attractive in addition to having a huge service coverage area.

Spectrum- The Service with a Loyal Customer Base

Spectrum is another big name when it comes to renowned cable TV companies. Its service availability is also massive. It is predominantly a provider. It is known as one of the most reliable providers that you would come across.

Pros

Spectrum plans feature a minimum of 200+ channels. The bundling options are convenient and you can bundle internet and phone with your TV package at a decent price. The gold package offers full features and on-demand content to access online programs.

Cons

The ratings for customer service are low for this provider. This result is from a survey based on customer satisfaction in 2018. It doesn’t offer its services in the southeast of the United States and that’s another drawback.

Spectrum Availability

Spectrum is also available in many states. Some of them are as follows:

• Florida
• Virginia
• Ohio
• California
• Nebraska

What makes Spectrum the top choice?

Spectrum allows you to have no contract. It offers plenty of HD channels. Spectrum also includes premium networks.

Frontier – The Fiber-Optic Champion

Initially, Frontier came into the business to serve the rural communities. But it gained popularity rapidly after they introduced FiOS, its fiber-optic services. This new technology helped them provide better internet speeds and clearer picture quality. But to enjoy Frontier bundles, you have to be in its fiber-optic coverage area.

Pros

The provider ensures providing its customers with premium movies, on-demand content, local channels, regional sports events, and so on. It offers thousands of titles in the on-demand library and you can search the Frontier Fios channel guide here.

Cons

In areas where fiber is not available, subscribing to its DSL is not worth it. The technology is old therefore it doesn’t deliver quality for both TV and internet.

Frontier Availability

Some of the major states where Frontier is available are:

• Connecticut
• California
• Idaho
• Rhode Island
• Florida
• Iowa
• Nevada

What does Frontier offer?

Frontier covers almost 38 states. that’s a good number. Frontier also offers better rural coverage and wide channel selection. It is comparatively affordable too.

Cox – Another Reliable Option

Cox TV subscribers are on a constant rise. It offered five standalone TV plans previously. But now, it only offers one standalone and two bundled packages, which include cable TV. Cox TV packages offer most of the popular channels and a good amount of On Demand content. Cox’s Contour TV allows personal recommendations.

Pros

Cox ContourTV offers a massive 2 TB of HD-DVR. The increase in prices is not dramatic after the promotional offer ends.

Cons

It offers only one standalone package. The channel count is considerably low as compared to the other providers. The tech support is quite expensive.

Cox Availability

It is available in many states. Some of them are:

• Virginia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Ohio
• Nebraska
• Louisiana
• California

Why should you subscribe to Cox?

Cox takes the lead when it comes to speed, smooth broadcast, and picture quality.

WOW! – Fast Becoming a Popular Choice

People living in the Midwest must be aware of WOW! The name stands for “Wide Open West.” The customer reviews for WOW! are mixed. But recently, people have started noticing that it is a promising option. WOW, Packages are well-formed and people are beginning to appreciate that.

Pros

WOW! is best known for its unlimited and streaming-friendly data policies. It is also popular for providing local and reasonably priced plans. It offers no data caps. All the bundles are economical. The maximum internet speeds offered are better than average.

Cons

Currently, its availability is limited. Current customers have mixed reviews for the offered services. the best prices which they offer essentially require agreements for 1 to 2 years.

WOW! Availability

Following are some of the states it is available in:

• Georgia
• Michigan
• Florida
• Alabama

Is WOW! a good option?

The advertised prices, which you see from WOW will be the introductory charges. WOW consistently locks the same introductory rates for 24 months and that’s a lot!

CenturyLink – For DIRECTV Lovers

CenturyLink is another big name in this industry. It offers convenient bundling of TV packages with voice and internet services, allowing you to enjoy all digital services on a single bill.

Pros

CenturyLink doesn’t offer its TV plans. Instead, it offers DIRECTV in its bundles. Therefore, you get to enjoy all the advantages of DIRECTV. CenturyLink packages internet speeds up to as much as 1 Gig. And when it couples with DIRECTV, the experience is beyond amazing.

Cons

DIRECTV ensures an incredible experience. The only problem that you can face is with the internet. And since you are signing up for CenturyLink as the internet provider and getting DIRECTV through it, you can experience different internet speeds in different areas. The speeds can vary from 10Mbps to 1 Gig. So, if you are hailing from an internet-hungry family, keep in mind that you may have to compromise on the bandwidth in some areas.

CenturyLink Availability

Following are some of the major serviced states by CenturyLink:

• Florida
• Kansas
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Nevada
• Arizona

What is the best thing about CenturyLink?

CenturyLink offers wider availability and faster fiber speeds than many.

Optimum – Enjoy a Variety of Options

A TV, internet, and phone provider that is available in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Optimum bundles offer wide channel selection and fast internet speeds. It offers a variety of packages and bundles with different pricing ranges to facilitate its customers.

Pros

It is refreshing that Optimum charges lower equipment fees than most of the other providers in the business. Optimum offers diverse options in international programming. The DVR is capable of recording fifteen shows at a time.

Cons

Optimum TV is not available widely. The ratings of customer care service are not very good. The DVR storage is considered low.

Optimum Availability

Optimum service mainly focuses on the following states:

• New Jersey
• New York
• Connecticut

How is Optimum different?

Optimum’s TV packages are incredible because they offer its customers almost 100 more TV channels than other providers do. And for around the same price, Optimum gives about 100 Mbps of more bandwidth than others.

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Frequent Questions:

Do these providers offer a DVR?

Yes, all these providers offer DVR facilities. Xfinity, however, offers an advanced DVR.

Do they charge a lot for equipment?

Most of these vendors have standard equipment and installations fees. However, Optimum charges for lower equipment fees than most.

Do they offer free trials on premium channels?

Most of the cable companies offer a limited time of free trial on premium channels. CenturyLink’s DirecTV offers the first 3 months of HBO®, Cinemax®, SHOWTIME®, and STARZ® at no additional cost if you have one of the ULTIMATE packages.

Do they have a friendly customer care service?

Companies rely on their customer care services a lot. If their customer care reps are unable to satisfy their customers, they would be unable to have any subscribers. Therefore, all the aforementioned cable TV providers have a friendly customer care service. Some of them, however, may have expensive technical support.

Do they offer discounts to new customers?

Most of these providers offer an introductory, promotional price. It remains valid for 12 to 24 months for different providers.

What’s the length of their contract?

For most providers, the length of the contract is 12 months.

Do they offer auto-bill pay options?

You will have to visit their official website to figure this facility out. Some of them do some don’t.

Is there a deposit needed to start service?

Yes, most of these providers require a deposit to start their services.

Do they offer free installation?

Not all of them. You will have to pay some amount for the installation. However, most of them offer the feature of self-installation for their customers.

Do they offer movie and Sports packages?

Yes, most of these vendors offer premium movie and sports channels.

Do they offer voice remotes for free?

No, they are not free. You will have to pay to get one.