How to Choose Premium Channels

Picking premium channels can be one of the most fun parts of the cable TV experience.

You get to weed through their offerings to find the one—or ones—that are going to keep you covered in content for endless hours of viewing. We want to help you make the best decision possible.

Jump to:

• What are premium channels?
• How to choose premium channels
• Compare prices
• Best premium channels

What are premium channels?

These subscription-based channels were once a part of your cable TV plan but are now often available as an individual add-on or an app to watch on your streaming device.

If the term “premium channels” makes you think of names like Max (formerly HBO Max), Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®, and CINEMAX®, you already know these fall into that category. Each offers its own blend of original programming as well as second-run TV, movies, and sports.

Plenty of the channels have been around for decades. Still, they really started collecting massive amounts of TV fans in the ’90s—dropping shows like The Sopranos and Oz that were so groundbreaking, they made cable and broadcast networks step up their original programming game. Nowadays, high-quality shows filled with superstar actors and directors are the norm on premium channels.

How to choose premium channels

Let a few things take a walk across your mind before you pick a cable TV plan or buy standalone subscriptions to premium cable channels.

Best TV Service Providers is a good starting point to see what’s offered. Here are a couple more things to consider.

Type of service

Premium channels offer subscriptions for streaming devices. If you’ve cut the cord, maybe you just want to add on one channel and absorb all it has to offer. Plenty of streaming TV providers like Hulu and YouTube TV offer premium add-on networks.

Cable and satellite subscribers have different plans to choose from, some offering multiple premium channels or add-on packages.

If you are starting from scratch, with no TV service or plan, the first thing you’ll do is pick your streaming app or platform.

Premium channels are also offered as standalone services—a full cable or satellite subscription isn’t required. Add the app to your Android or iPhone, or your streaming device—think Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku—and pay a monthly subscription fee to start enjoying some premium entertainment.

Viewing needs

This is where the phrase “everything your little heart desires” comes into play. Who is watching? Are you a solo, on-the-go viewer who’s watching on your app and getting to decide on all of the programming? Are you a big household that needs premium channels that meet what everyone wants?

Compare premium channel prices

The amount of money you spend on premium channels depends on how you choose to subscribe. You might get the channels as part of a bigger subscription plan or decide to get a standalone app, which is great for watching on a mobile device.

Best premium channels

HBO and Max

At this point, if you’re getting HBO, it should just be Max. You get all of HBO’s content and a lot more. Max has its own originals, like Doom Patrol and the comedy flick, An American Pickle. It also unlocks the door to content from other networks, including Warner Bros. Cartoon Network and Turner Classic.

Don’t sweat it if you aren’t ready for Max; plain old HBO is still as solid as it ever was with endless hours of content to keep you busy and fulfilled.

HBO original shows include the following:

• Alice
• Succession
• I May Destroy You
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• A Black Lady Sketch Show

CINEMAX

This premium channel exists under the HBO umbrella—meaning it’s owned by the big H. It doesn’t pack the same wallop as HBO, but it’s no slouch. Its library is vast, and they have some good originals. With original content being so competitive these days, it’s essential to check out all the premiums and get to know what original content they’re producing—you certainly don’t want to miss anything.

CINEMAX original shows include the following:

• C.B. Strike
• Rellik
• Quarry
• Jett
• Outcast

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

When it comes to premium channels, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME is a powerhouse. It’s known for its original programming and has used its platform to take broadcast shows to a whole new level. One example is when their version of CBS’s Big Brother reality show—Big Brother After Dark—offered a companion version of the show that was a little less family-friendly.

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME original shows include the following:

• Dexter
• Billions
• The L Word: Generation Q
• Back to Life
• Ray Donovan

STARZ

Lionsgate Entertainment owns this premium channel with plenty of original content in its deep library. The shows are pretty diverse, from comedies to some dark crime thrillers.

STARZ original shows include the following:

• High Town
• Dublin Murders
• American Gods
• P-Valley
• Little Birds

MGM Plus

MGM+ opens a doorway that you should go down if you want access to thousands of movies, TV shows, and original programs. Their signature shows really jump the human timeline, offering intriguing scenarios set anywhere from the present time to AD 43.

MGM+ original shows include the following:

• Britannia
• Bridge and Tunnel
• Get Shorty
• Perpetual Grace, LTD
• Domina
• Pennyworth

THE MOVIE CHANNEL

Fun fact: THE MOVIE CHANNEL used to be called Star Channel back when it launched in the early ’70s. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME owns it, and it might not have all the bells and whistles that some of the other premiums have, like a scroll-like roster of original shows. What it does have—and you probably guessed it from its name—is movies: commercial-free movies, and plenty of them. If you don’t want to browse for movies and get distracted by a series, this is the comfortable pillow to lay your head on.

Final take

Just like picking a cable TV, satellite, or streaming provider, selecting premium channels is based on your needs.

I’m a fan of Max and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME for the new—and older—original shows to watch.

Think about the programs you most want to see—and repeatedly binge—and go with the premiums that will give you the most overall enjoyable experience.

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