A tough sell: Are Cox TV packages worth the high price?
We think Cox television packages aren’t worth it for most people. Your monthly bill will increase, and your channel lineup will be less robust than that of most TV service providers.
If the high price tag and mediocre channel lineups don’t scare you away, Cox cable TV does offer excellent (if pricey) equipment and features and cheap premium add-ons.
Another quick thing: Cox TV customers tend to agree with us. In our 2026 TV Customer Satisfaction Survey, Cox TV service placed an embarrassing eighth out of the nine larger cable and satellite TV providers we covered.
Cox television plans are overpriced for what they offer
Spectrum TV Plans and Pricing
| Package Name | Price | Channel count | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|
Spectrum TV® Lite | $40/mo. for 1 yr. | 85+ | Streaming |
Spectrum Stream TV® Signature | $100/mo. for 1 year | 150+ | Cable |
Spectrum Stream TV® Pro | $110/mo. for 1 year | 160+ | Cable |
Spectrum Stream TV® VIP | $145/mo. for 1 year | 230+ | Cable |
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Cox’s Contour TV Preferred plan gives you a decent range of popular cable networks, even if the 140+ channel count is a bit misleading (more on that in a minute).
If you’re looking for more (a likely case), we recommend Contour TV Ultimate, which, on top of its 250+ channels, includes premium channels like CINEMAX®, Max (formerly HBO Max), Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®, and STARZ®. No, it’s not the cheapest option around these days, but if you love a lot of viewing options, Contour TV Ultimate has you covered.
Cox TV packages have underwhelming channel lineups
Cox cable TV packages are expensive, but there’s more to the story than just high costs.
A word about Cox channel lineups: Cox TV packages are inflated with local TV stations, shopping networks, and a boatload of Music Choice “radio” channels (50 to be exact).
So while Contour TV Preferred offers a decent array of cable staples, the Contour TV Starter package is a complete non-starter—you’d be better off buying an over-the-air antenna than paying Cox for channels you can easily get free elsewhere.
That’s why we recommend most people pass on Cox Contour TV packages and going with a better TV service provider like DISH Network or Spectrum.
With DISH, you’ll get far more channels for a better price that DISH won’t raise for two years. We recommend this provider for large households where everyone wants to watch something different and the pricing stability won’t cause financial stress (for two years, anyway).
The same type of customer should be happy with Spectrum, which has fewer—but better—channels than Cox, and the prices are $10–$20 lower. But DISH beats Spectrum’s channels and prices and it’s more widely available.
Cox cable TV deals sometimes include senior discounts
Cox offers term agreements, not contracts, so it’s easy to make changes to your packages without incurring extra fees. You can also cancel your Cox service within 30 days without being charged an early cancellation fee.
Sometimes Cox offers senior discounts. At the moment there is no discount, but low-income households may qualify for Cox’s Connect2Compete program, which provides internet for only $9.95 a month.
Check out our Cox Deals and Promotions page for the latest on freebies, other low-income discounts, and more.
Cox TV and internet packages offer super fast download speeds
Spectrum Bundles Plans and Pricing
| Package Name | Monthly Price | Download speeds up to | Channel count |
|---|---|---|---|
Spectrum Internet® 500 + Spectrum TV® Lite | $70/mo. for 24 mos. | Up to 500 Mbps | 85+ |
Spectrum Internet® 500 + Spectrum Stream TV® Signature | $130/mo. for 24 mos. | Up to 500 Mbps | 150+ |
Spectrum Internet® 1 Gig + Spectrum TV® Lite | $80/mo. for 24 mos. | Up to 1000 Mbps | 85+ |
Spectrum Internet® 1 Gig + Spectrum Stream TV® Signature | $140/mo. for 24 mos. | Up to 1000 Mbps | 150+ |
Data effective as of publish date. Availability varies by location.
Cox offers some impressive internet download speeds, but you’ll be stuck with a less-than-impressive TV plan. Verizon Fios will get you a better channel lineup for less money, for example.
That said, Contour TV Preferred does give you most of the popular channels (which can be built upon with Cox’s various add-on channel packages—if you want to spend even more than $200 a month) and plenty of internet speed (500 Mbps) to handle a household with multiple surfers and streamers.
To learn more about Cox TV and internet bundles, check out our shop bundles page, or skip the expensive TV plans altogether and bone up on standalone Cox cable internet plans.
Cox television has great equipment and features
If you made it this far in our review of Cox cable TV, you’re probably okay with the high prices. While we don’t love the costs of Cox service, we do think Cox television equipment and features are pretty dope for premium TV lovers.
Cox Contour DVR
The Cox Contour DVR is one of the best DVRs on the market. If you want high-quality DVR service, Cox has three tiers that cover the needs of most TV fans:
- Record up to 2 shows simultaneously and store 250 hours of HD content: $10/mo.
- Record up to 6 shows and store 500 hours: $20/mo.
- Record up to 24 shows and store up to 1,000 hours: $30/mo.
Most people will be happy with the first or second tier. As for the third one, it’s only for hardcore TV lovers because, while we’re totally into 1,000 hours of HD storage, we can’t imagine ever finding 24 things to watch at the same time.
As for the other hardware, the Contour 2 Voice Remote allows you to search for all of your favorite shows at the press of a button, and the microphone is sensitive enough to pick up your voice without repeated shouting. This may seem like a low bar, but we’re tired of struggling to get the attention of Siris and Alexas and Okay Googles.
Again, the prices are high, but the quality, in this case, is good. Check out our full review of the Cox Contour DVR for more details.
Cox Contour app
The Cox Contour app is also a nice feature for Cox TV subscribers. You can catch up to 150 live channels on the go and download a lot of content for offline viewing (like on an airplane or camping trip).
To get more of the deets, check out our comprehensive review of the Cox Contour app.
Cox On Demand
Not only will you get live TV with your Cox TV plan, but you’ll have access to over 150,000 on-demand shows and movies. Some of those you’ll have to rent, but that’s a whole lotta entertainment (more than Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by our count) baked into your TV bill.
To check out what’s on Cox On Demand, read our full review.
Cox’s 2026 customer satisfaction survey results
As part of CableTV.com’s annual TV Customer Satisfaction Survey, we polled over 7,000 real-life cable and satellite TV customers to ask how they felt about their TV providers.
Cox came in 8th in overall satisfaction, with 68% of customers saying they were very or completely satisfied with Cox cable TV service. Cox fared similarly in all other areas of satisfaction, falling somewhere from the middle to the bottom of the pack.
One of the areas that Cox ranked the highest in was customer satisfaction. When asked how effectively their TV provider met their needs in recent interactions, 71% of respondents said Cox met their needs very or extremely effectively, with just 8% saying Cox customer service was hardly or not at all effective.
I have been a Cox customer for over 10 years and I have always received exemplary customer service every time I had an issue.
Your Cox TV questions answered
How much is Contour TV a month?
Cox offers three Contour TV plans.
| Package | Price | Channel count |
| Contour TV Starter | $80.00/mo. | 75+ |
| Contour TV Preferred | $140.00/mo. | 140+ |
| Contour TV Ultimate | $184.00/mo. | 250+ |
What does Cox basic cable include?
Cox’s basic cable plan, Cox Contour TV Starter, provides all of the channels you could also get with an antenna. In addition to ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, here are some of the other channels this no-frills plan includes:
- PBS
- HSN
- QVC
- C-Span
- ION
- Univision
Can I watch Cox TV on mobile devices?
You can watch live and on-demand Cox cable TV content through the Contour app, available for iOS and Android on phones, tablets, and computers. You can also use network-specific apps for free with your Cox account info.
Does Cox TV offer add-on channel packages?
In addition to premium channels like HBO® and + with SHOWTIME®, Cox offers five multi-channel packages: Variety Pack (15 entertainment channels for $12/mo.), Movie Pack (10 film-centric channels for $12/mo.), Sports & Information Pack (14 news and sports channels for $10/mo.), Sports Pack 2 (nine more sports channels for $10/mo.), and Latino Pack (10 Spanish channels for $10/mo.).
Does the Cox Contour DVR/receiver include streaming apps?
Cox Communications's Contour DVR/receiver comes with several streaming apps installed, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Pandora, YouTube, Tubi, and a few others. Most require internet service (because streaming) and will count toward your internet plan’s data usage.
How much is basic cable with Cox?
TV Starter is the cheapest of Cox’s TV packages, coming in at $80.00/mo.. This no-frills option doesn’t include premium channels, but it gets you connected to local ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, Fox, and PBS affiliates offering plenty of content. It also features C-SPAN, more than 50 music channels, and shopping destinations like HSN and QVC.
Does Cox require a cable box for every TV?
A Cox basic box, wired HD Contour box, or wireless 4K Contour box is needed for each TV used to enjoy your favorite programs. The first box is included with your Cox TV package. It is $4 a month for each additional Basic Box and $10 for each additional Contour Box. To give you the best information so you can make the right decision when it comes to cable TV packages, we’re not the biggest fans of basic cable TV packages. The cost doesn’t equal the value. In most cases, you get local channels and not much more. If a simple package is what you want—and local channels are a must—go with a cable TV antenna. We’ve researched to help you find the best antenna to meet your needs.
What does Cox Contour TV Preferred include?
The Cox Contour TV Preferred package is Cox’s mid-tier TV package and includes over 140 local and cable channels for $140.00/mo.
What are Cox cable TV's pros and cons?
Although we don't think Cox cable TV is a great TV choice, it still offers up some pros and cons:
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Excellent DVR | High prices |
| Inexpensive add-on packages | Limited channel counts |
| Limited standalone TV options |
Our Cox review methodology
To find the best Cox TV plans, we examined the channel lineups of each Cox plan and took a look at the standalone price of every option, including the channel lineups and add-on package options of each. We also compared Cox standalone plans and bundle packages.
We assessed how Cox ranks in price and features when put head-to-head with cable TV competitors and compared it with what you get when you bundle Cox TV with an internet plan. We also drew star ratings from our annual customer satisfaction survey. You can learn more about our process on our How We Rank page.
Spectrum TV: Limited-time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum service in past 30 days). Standard rates apply after promo period or service change. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Activation fee additional; taxes may apply. SPECTRUM STREAM TV: Streaming apps included with qualifying residential Spectrum Stream TV plans. Equipment may be required; fees apply. Channel availability varies by package and location. Terms and conditions apply, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.
Spectrum streaming TV: Limited-time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum service in past 30 days). Standard rates apply after promo period or service change. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Activation fee additional; taxes may apply. SPECTRUM TV LITE/TV LATINO: Price subject to change. Requires Spectrum Internet. Channel availability varies by package and location; PEG channels may require extra equipment. Terms and conditions apply, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.
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