If you're a Spectrum internet customer, you'll get up to 40 channels for just $29.99 a month.
Price: $29.99/mo.
Channels: 15-40+
On-demand library: Up to 85,000+ shows and movies
Contract: Spectrum internet required
Spectrum TV Choice is a live TV streaming service available only to Spectrum internet customers in certain Spectrum areas for $29.99 per month.
It offers a trimmed-down channel lineup (15 cable channels of your choice plus local channels) and a lower monthly price ($29.99 per month) than Spectrum’s traditional cable TV plan. So basically, it’s lean, clean Spectrum streaming. And don’t worry—we’ll tell you whether it’s worth it.
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*For the first 12 months when bundling.
As you can see, Spectrum TV Choice is about half the price of Spectrum Select—the company’s cable TV plan—and will save you money on DVR monthly fees as well.
But by going with Spectrum TV Choice, you’ll get only about a third of the channels and a lot less DVR storage.
So, if channel surfing and binge-watching are your bag, you may want to try a standard Spectrum TV package instead of Spectrum TV Choice.
| Packages | Price | Download speeds | Upload speeds up to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet | Starting at $49.99/mo. for 12 mos. | Up to 300 Mbps | 10 Mbps | View plan |
| Spectrum Internet Ultra | Starting at $69.99/mo. for 12 mos. | Up to 500 Mbps | 20 Mbps | View plan |
| Spectrum Internet Gig | Starting at $89.99/mo. for 12 mos. | Up to 1 Gbps | 35 Mbps | View plan |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
You can’t have Spectrum TV Choice without having a Spectrum Internet plan – luckily, they have multiple options to choose from, with fits for every household or budget.
The Spectrum Internet package is their entry-level plan that offers download speeds of up to 300 Mbps (a recent upgrade from their previous 200 Mbps). This is a good entry-level package, providing solid speeds for households of moderate internet users, especially those working from home.
Spectrum Internet Ultra is a step above, offering max download speeds of up to 500 Mbps. If we were to choose, we’d pick this plan as the best Spectrum Internet package. The faster speeds mean your connections will stay speedy even if you have housemates who enjoy streaming TV shows or playing online games, and at $69.99 per month, it’s more affordable than Spectrum Internet Gig.
Spectrum’s top-tier plan, the Spectrum Internet Gig package, gives users download speeds of up to a lightning-fast 1 Gbps. This plan’s best for households who have multiple streamers, gamers, or video-call takers who need the fastest internet available.
Spectrum TV Choice can be a good choice if you’re a Spectrum internet customer and you don’t mind fewer popular cable channels.
It also has more popular cable channels to choose from than basic cable, and you can choose to add HBO Max, SHOWTIME®, STARZ®, MGM+, and THE MOVIE CHANNEL to your plan for an additional fee.
But depending on the channel list you want, another cheap live TV streaming service like Philo ($25.00/mo.; no contract) might work better for you.
We should also say that extra features like DVR storage, HD channels, and on-demand shows and movies aren’t Spectrum TV Choice’s strong suit, either.
We recommend Youtube TV ($72.99/mo.; no contract) or a traditional cable package from Spectrum (starting at $59.99/mo.*) if you gotta have them extras.
Currently, Spectrum is offering a free seven-day trial of Spectrum TV Choice for Spectrum internet customers.
Spectrum customers may also be eligible for a free Peacock Premium membership: from now until December 2023, Spectrum TV customers get 12 months of free Peacock Premium and Spectrum Internet customers get 90 days of free Peacock Premium.
Spectrum TV Choice channels work a little differently. So listen up because this is super important: Spectrum TV Choice lets you choose only 15 cable channels out of the 65 Spectrum currently offers.
Fortunately, you at least get to pick your Spectrum TV Choice channel lineup from a list of quality options. Check them out, and choose wisely.
| Channel | Spectrum TV Choice | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ||||
| A&E | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| ABC | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| ACC Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| AMC | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Animal Planet | ✔ | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| B | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| BBC America | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| BBC World News | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| BET | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bloomberg TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Boomerang | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| Bravo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Big Ten Network | — | — | — | — |
| C | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Cartoon Network / Adult Swim | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| CBS | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| CBS Sports Network | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Cheddar News | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| CINEMAX | ✔ | — | — | — |
| CMT | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| CNBC | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| CNN | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| Comedy Central | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| COMET | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| Cooking Channel | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| COZI TV | ✔ | — | — | — |
| The CW | ✔ | — | — | — |
| D | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Destination America | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Discovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Discovery Family | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Disney Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Disney Junior | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Disney XD | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| DIY Network | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| E | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| E! | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| El Rey | ✔ | — | — | — |
| EPIX | — | — | ✔ | — |
| ESPN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| ESPNEWS | — | — | ✔ | — |
| ESPNU | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| F | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Food Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| FOX | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| Fox Business Network | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| FOX News | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| FOX Soccer Plus | — | — | — | — |
| FS1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| FS2 | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Freeform | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Fuse | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Fusion | — | ✔ | — | — |
| FX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| FXM | — | — | ✔ | — |
| FXX | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| fyi | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| G | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Galavisión | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Golf Channel | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| H | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Hallmark Channel | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| HBO | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| HGTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| HISTORY | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| HLN | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| I | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| IFC | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Investigation Discovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| ION | ✔ | — | — | — |
| L | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Lifetime | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lifetime Movie Network | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| M | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| MLB Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| MOTOR TREND | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| MSNBC | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| MTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| MTV Classic | — | — | — | ✔ |
| MTV2 | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| N | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Nat Geo WILD | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| National Geographic Channel | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| NBA TV | — | — | ✔ | — |
| NBC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| NBC Sports Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| NBC Universo | — | — | — | — |
| NFL Network | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| NFL RedZone | — | — | ✔ | — |
| NHL Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Nick Jr. | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite | ✔ | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| O | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Olympic Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
| OWN | ✔ | — | — | ✔ |
| Oxygen | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| P | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Pac 12 Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Paramount Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| PBS | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Pop | — | ✔ | — | — |
| S | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Science | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| SEC Network | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| SHOWTIME | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Smithsonian Channel | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Sportsman Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Stadium | — | — | ✔ | — |
| STARZ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| SundanceTV | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Syfy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| T | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| TBS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| TCM | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| TeenNick | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Telemundo | — | — | — | — |
| TLC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tennis Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
| TNT | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Travel Channel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| truTV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| TV Land | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| U | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| Universal Kids | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Univision | — | — | — | — |
| USA Network | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| V | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| VH1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| VICE | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| W | Spectrum | Hulu Live | Sling TV | Philo |
| WE tv | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Weather Channel | ✔ | — | — | — |
Again, the bad news is that you get only 15 cable networks with your Spectrum TV Choice package.
The good news is that Spectrum stacked your options so you get to choose from the most popular cable channels out there like ESPN, Disney Channel, and MSNBC. So Spectrum TV choice channels are a bit of a mixed bag. If you have just a few favorites, you should be satisfied.
And if the full range of local channels are available in your area, you’ll probably get upwards of 40 channels total.
Not too bad for $29.99 per month, eh?
| Channel | Spectrum TV Choice | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Big Ten Network | — | — | — | — |
| CBS Sports Network | — | ✔ | — | — |
| ESPN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| ESPNews | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| ESPNU | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| FS1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| FS2 | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Golf Channel | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| MLB Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| MLB Bases Loaded | — | — | — | — |
| NBA TV | — | — | ✔ | — |
| NFL Network | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| NFL RedZone | — | — | ✔ | — |
| NHL Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Olympic Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Outdoor TV | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Pac 12 Network | — | — | ✔ | — |
| SEC Network | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Sportsman Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Stadium | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Tennis Channel | — | — | ✔ | — |
Straight talk: the Spectrum TV Choice channel lineup will disappoint hardcore sports fans out there. If you need to watch all the games, DIRECTV is probably your best bet.
But if you just need your SportsCenter fix and a few other heavy hitters, Spectrum TV Choice might be for you. You could snag ESPN, ESPN2, FOX Sports, and NFL Network (and local affiliate networks) for $29.99 per month—not too shabby.
Still, if sports are your thing, we recommend going with DIRECTV. Or, if you’re dead set on cutting the cord, the Sling TV Orange + Blue package with add-ons is great for sports.
| Channel | Spectrum TV Choice | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| CBS | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| The CW | ✔ | — | — | — |
| FOX | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| NBC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| PBS | ✔ | — | — | — |
Local channels are a little trickier to figure out with Spectrum TV Choice because what you end up with depends on your location. Most likely, you’ll get ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX.
You might even get PBS or The CW (road trip to Austin City Limits or Riverdale, anyone?).
To see what local channels you can get, follow these two easy steps:
| Channel | Spectrum TV Choice | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HBO | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| CINEMAX | — | ✔ | — | — |
| SHOWTIME | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| STARZ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| EPIX | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
Hear us out. Okay, yeah, Spectrum TV Choice doesn’t give you a ton of premium channels to choose from.
But it does give you HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, STARZ ENCORE, and THE MOVIE CHANNEL (TMC) at a decent bundle discount ($40 per month for all). For context, subscribing to both HBO Max and SHOWTIME will usually cost you at least $30 per month anywhere else.
If you’re into premium channels and you live in a Spectrum service area, we recommend Spectrum TV Choice.
Spectrum advertises that it gives customers access to thousands of on-demand shows and movies.
So, if you include Comedy Central in your Spectrum TV Choice package, you’ll have on-demand access to shows like The Daily Show starting the day after they air. But if you don’t pick Freeform, you won’t be able to catch any 25 Days of Christmas flicks on demand (yes, even Grinches like us enjoy a cozy Xmas movie now and then).
TBH, if you’re looking for the perfect mix of live TV and on-demand binge-watching, we recommend Hulu Live, not Spectrum TV Choice. You’ll get way more live channels and have access to a larger library of on-demand content.
Say what? Spectrum has original TV shows? Yep, that’s right, the cable TV giant has recently crossed over into Netflix territory.
Of course, Spectrum Originals can’t hold a candle to Netflix Originals.
Not only that, but Spectrum Originals are restricted to Spectrum service areas. So, unless you’re a diehard Mad About You fan and you live in a Spectrum service area (to paraphrase Paul, “The truth is, Spectrum was just looking for you”), you probably won’t be all that thrilled by Spectrum Originals.
Sure, you’ll finally be able to throw out ye ole cable box, but, unfortunately, you won’t get much DVR storage or any HD channels in return.
| Service | Price | Storage | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum TV Choice | $4.99/mo. | Up to 50 shows for 90 days | — |
| Hulu + Live TV | Included | 50 hrs. | 200 hrs. for $9.99/mo. |
| Sling TV | Included | 50 hrs. | — |
| Philo | Included | Unlimited for 30 days | — |
What can we say? Spectrum’s cloud DVR sucks. From what we can gather, “50 shows” means 50 episodes (or 100 30-minute episodes). If you’re an episode hoarder, paying $4.99 per month to store a paltry 50 episodes sounds like a nightmare.
And remember, free on-demand shows and movies are restricted to your 10 cable channels and local affiliate channels like NBC and ABC. That means you won’t be able to supplement Spectrum’s low cloud DVR storage limits with loads of free on-demand content.
If recording shows to watch on your own time is your thing, we recommend getting YouTube TV, which boasts an included cloud DVR with unlimited storage.
| Service | Included streams | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum TV Choice | Unlimited at home; 2 on the go | — |
| Hulu + Live TV | 2 | Unlimited for $14.99/mo. |
| Sling TV | 1–3 | — |
| Philo | 3 | — |
Spectrum TV Choice has one feature we can get behind: unlimited streams. Okay, so you have to be on your home Wi-Fi to go unlimited, but that’s still heads and tails above the one to four simultaneous streams offered by other live TV streaming services.
If you have a large household that uses a lot of different devices at the same time, Spectrum TV Choice might be your stream dream come true.
| Streaming device | Spectrum TV Choice | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirTV Player | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Amazon Fire Cube | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Amazon Fire TV | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Amazon Fire TV Stick | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Amazon Kindle Fire | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android phones and tablets | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chromecast | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Echo Show | — | — | — | — |
| iPhone and iPad | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| LG TVs | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Nintendo Switch | — | ✔ | — | — |
| NVIDIA SHIELD | — | — | — | — |
| PC and Mac Web browsers | ✔ | ✔ | — | ✔ |
| PlayStation 3, 4, 5 | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Roku | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Roku Express | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs | ✔ | ✔ | — | — |
| Wii | — | — | — | — |
| Xbox 360 | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Xbox One | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Xfinity Flex | — | ✔ | — | — |
So, Spectrum offers unlimited streams but an extremely limited list of compatible streaming devices—whoops, Spectrum, you did it again, you played with our hearts.
If you’re an Android aficionado, however, you’re in luck because you’ll be able to watch on any of your devices.
Sorry all you Amazon fans (or as I like to call them, Bezos Buffs), but it looks like only the Amazon app and the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet work with Spectrum TV Choice.
True TV fans, like us here at CableTV.com, will be glad to know that the incomparable Apple TV 4K works with Spectrum TV Choice.
The first thing you need to know is that you stream Spectrum TV Choice on the Spectrum TV app (trust us, this becomes important later on).
So, shows, games, and movies won’t be as crisp as you might like if you go with Spectrum TV Choice—even if you have super fast internet.
Likewise, audiophiles, you’ll be disappointed to know that the Spectrum TV app won’t work with your surround sound system.
At least there’s one bright spot, though: the app’s channel guide. Because it’s laid out like a traditional cable channel guide, you don’t have to be a tech bro to figure it out.
But if a better viewing (and listening) experience is your top priority, we’d go with YouTube TV over Spectrum TV Choice. It has live HD channels, 4K YouTube videos, and cool, niche music streams.
We think Spectrum TV Choice might be worth it for some folks, especially if you wanna get premium channels like HBO Max, SHOWTIME, and STARZ on the cheap.
If that’s not you, you’ve still got options. We ranked YouTube TV best overall for live TV streaming. It’s got an excellent selection of live TV channels (100+) and unlimited cloud DVR space.
Spectrum TV Choice includes 15 cable channels plus local channels available in your area. You choose your 10 cable channels from 65 popular networks, like AMC, USA, ESPN, Comedy Central, TNT, TBS, FX, FS1, Hallmark, Paramount Network, ID, and more.
If you’re not satisfied with the 15 channels you picked for your Spectrum TV Choice lineup, you can change them within the first 30 days. Spectrum says you can’t make channel changes after those 30 days, but negotiating with customer service could buy you some leeway.
Yes, Spectrum TV Choice has on-demand shows and movies. You can watch any of the 15 cable channels and available local channels included with your package on demand.
Spectrum TV Choice costs $29.99 per month. Even though it’s a live TV streaming package, it’s the closest thing Spectrum offers to traditional basic cable. But if you’re not into streaming, check out our review of Spectrum’s traditional cable TV plans.
You can get Spectrum TV Choice by signing up online. Then, you can watch on the Spectrum app (available for Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices, and Amazon tablets. or online at SpectrumTV.com.
Spectrum TV Choice comes with 15 channels that you’ll choose from a catalog of 65 networks.
Here’s how to change your Spectrum TV Choice channels:
Our experts employed hours of hands-on testing and crunched the numbers, rating Spectrum Choice on value, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction. Then we matched up streaming services head to head to give a clearer picture of their strengths and weaknesses. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
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