Best Fiber TV Provider 2024

Fiber TV is currently the gold standard for television service, providing cable customers with the fastest speeds and clearest picture available. However, with the rise of streaming services, many providers have decided that the cost of offering fiber TV service outweighs the benefits, and so only one contender remains on the market: Verizon Fios.

However, Verizon Fios comes with a big catch—they only offer TV service to a handful of cities along the East Coast. Since they’re the only fiber TV provider left, this means that the majority of the country can’t access any of the benefits of fiber TV. But for those who live in those few lucky areas, we recommend Verizon for their high-quality service and competitive prices.

Keep reading to learn more about their packages and decide whether fiber TV is the right choice for you.

Jump to:

• What is fiber TV?
• Which providers offer fiber TV?
• Is Verizon Fios available in your area?
• Compare other streaming TV options head to head
• Fiber internet options
• Is fiber TV right for me?

What is fiber TV?

When we discuss fiber TV, we’re referring to television delivered through fiber-optic cables. Protected by several layers of coatings, bundles of fiber-optic cables deliver data via infrared light.

These cables are made of optical fibers, which are essentially hundreds or thousands of hair-thin strands. The strands are made of plastic for short-range communication and flexible glass for long-range communication.

So what does all that technical jargon mean for you? If you live in one of the heavily populated areas where Verizon has installed fiber-optic networks, it could mean state-of-the-art television.

Because infrared light zooms through the optical fibers at the speed of light through glass (somewhat less than the speed of light through a vacuum, but still like something out of a science-fiction novel), it creates incredible broadband capacity.

This means it’s easy to deliver more channels, a clearer picture, and higher-fidelity sound that traditional TV services like cable and satellite simply can’t produce. And since fiber sends data in a digital form, it doesn’t need to be translated from the analog data most other networks use. That means nothing gets lost in digital translation, so you can watch your favorite shows with the highest-definition experience possible.

Which providers offer fiber TV?

With Google, AT&T, and Frontier pulling out of the market, Verizon Fios is the only provider that currently offers fiber TV.

• No contracts
• Affordable pricing
• Large channel counts
• Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® and STARZ® included (select packages)
• Fios TV Test Drive free trial

• Limited package choices
• Limited availability
• DVR rental fees

In our Best TV Providers 2024 review, we gave Verizon Fios TV the Editor’s Choice award for Best Value because of their high-fidelity picture quality and reasonable monthly rates with no restrictive contracts. If Verizon offers service in your area, it’s a great deal.

They also offer a wide variety of channels across their three main packages, from FOX Sports to the Weather Channel. Select packages also include premium channels like Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and STARZ. However, Verizon only offers DVR service as a physical add-on, which seems outdated in the age of cloud streaming, and only serves to add more fees on top of your monthly payment.

If you’re willing to shell out some extra cash, Verizon Fios DVR comes in three flavors: Standard (50 hours for $12 per month), Enhanced (100 hours for $20 per month), and Premium (200 hours for $30 per month). And if you just can’t get enough of those crisp fiber visuals, each plan includes the ability to record more than one channel at a time.

If you’re still not sure about committing to a fiber TV plan, don’t worry—the Verizon Fios Test Drive package allows you to try their premium services for a lower price for your first 60 days.

Compare Verizon Fios TV packages

**with Auto Pay + taxes & equip charges.
Data as of post date. Channels subject to change. Not available in all areas. Program availability varies by location. Taxes apply. See full disclaimer.

If you really want to take advantage of your new fiber-optic plan, we recommend splurging on The Most Fios TV plan. Fiber allows Verizon to offer over 425 channels, which is more than any cable or satellite plan on the market, and it’s only $129 a month.

Verizon Fios also carries a basic cable package, called Local TV, that provides 60 channels for $69 a month. However, we generally don’t recommend paying for a basic cable package from any provider—over-the-air (OTA) antennas are much cheaper.

Compare Verizon Fios TV and internet bundles

Data as of post date. See full disclaimer.

Is Verizon Fios available in your area?

One of the biggest drawbacks of fiber TV is that it relies on a physical network of cables, which Verizon has only installed in select locations, including New York, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; and Boston, MA. Enter your zip code below, and we’ll tell you whether Verizon Fios is an option for you.

Compare other options head to head

Compare fiber with streaming TV packages

While no other provider offers fiber TV service, many are reinvesting their efforts into live TV streaming. None of these options provide as comprehensive a service as Verizon Fios, but they aren’t reliant on a restrictive geographical network and are more accessible to a larger audience.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

AT&T TV, a formerly fiber TV plan, no longer exists because the company discontinued its TV service and sold DIRECTV, which now offers DIRECTV STREAM (basically, the streaming version of the old AT&T TV).

Similarly, Google Fiber is focusing its efforts on providing high-speed fiber internet and retiring Google Fiber TV. Instead, Google Fiber is encouraging its customers to switch to YouTube TV, fuboTV, or Sling TV. That way, customers can receive live TV over high-speed fiber internet instead of directly from the provider. Instead of a network of cables and a special box, customers can use most smart TVs or streaming devices. However, this does not provide the same picture and audio quality as fiber-optic TV.

We like that streaming TV doesn’t have the same physical restrictions as fiber TV, so this is a valid option if you live in an area that isn’t serviced by Verizon Fios. But streaming also means fewer channels, and none of these options can boast the 425+ channels that Verizon Fios can.

Your streaming quality is also dependent on your internet connection, so if you go this route, we recommend that you look into fiber internet as well.

For more information on these TV providers, head over to our Live TV Streaming roundup.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See full disclaimer.

Verizon’s direct competitors are traditional providers, meaning dish and cable service. These plans are more competitive when it comes to channel counts, and are more available in rural areas and smaller cities, but don’t provide as crisp an audio-visual experience as fiber.

For more information on these providers, head over to our Best TV Providers roundup.

Fiber internet options

While Verizon’s competitors have left the fiber TV game, many providers still offer fiber internet, allowing customers to take advantage of fiber’s fast download speeds.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

*w/ Auto Pay for 1 yr + taxes, equip. charges, & other fees.

Fiber-optic internet is fast and reliable, and our choice for top-of-the-line service. Many providers offer fiber Internet as a standalone service, but Verizon Fios bundles fiber TV and fiber internet together for a state-of-the-art home theater experience. For more information on these plans, check out our Best Fiber Internet Providers guide.

Is fiber TV right for me?

We highly recommend fiber TV for anyone looking for the highest-quality television experience. If Verizon Fios offers TV service in your area, they provide the best value of any live TV provider, with their biggest package offering 425+ channels.

No service is perfect, and we don’t love that Verizon charges extra for DVR service that isn’t even cloud-based. If you aren’t interested in all of the extra channels and better picture that fiber optics allow for, you might want a cheaper option. Check out our Best TV Providers guide for up-to-date comparisons on the best providers on the market.

However, Verizon’s prices are in line with other providers’ cable and satellite plans, so if you’re looking to grab the highest quality service, you can’t do better than fiber with Verizon Fios TV. Trust us—the reliable 4K-experience fiber TV provides is worth it.

Fiber TV FAQ

Methodology

Our experts have spent hundreds of hours pouring over provider pages so you don’t have to. We strive to keep all of our content up-to-date so that you can get the best deals without the hassle of research—we love that kind of thing. For more on our evaluation process, see our How We Rank page.

Disclaimers

Verizon Fios TV: Plus taxes. For eligible new res. custs. $99 set-up & taxes & terms may apply. Subj. to credit approval & may require a deposit. Fios avail. in select areas. Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Verizon Fios Bundles: For new eligible TV and/or Internet res. custs. Availability varies. Wired & wireless Internet speeds vary due to device limits, multiple users, network & other factors. See Verizon.com/yourspeed for more info. $15/mo. router and $99 setup charges & other taxes & terms may apply. Auto Pay (ACH or bank debit card only) & paper-free billing req’d. for Internet service. Subj. to credit approval & may require a deposit. Fios Gigabit Connection: Gigabit network connection to your home. Wired speeds up to 940/880 Mbps with avg. speeds betw. 750-940 Mbps download / 750-880 Mbps upload. Fios TV: $12/mo. STB charge may apply. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Spectrum TV® Select: Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum TV® Select promotion price is $69.99/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges (broadcast surcharge up to $21.00/mo) extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra. General Terms: TV: TV equipment required; charges may apply. Channel and HD programming availability based on level of service. Account credentials may be required to stream some TV content online. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. Enter your address to determine availability. ©2022 Charter Communications.