Xfinity Preferred is the TV service provider’s middle-of-the-road TV package in its northeast and central regions. We recommend the Xfinity Preferred plan for most folks because it offers lots of popular channels at a good value.
Depending on which area of the US you live in, Xfinity may advertise this package with 185 channels, but you might get more channels.
The table below lists all of the channels included in Preferred. After the table, you can read more about Preferred’s channels—and all of the sweet add-ons you can add for an extra fee.
| Channels |
Preferred 185+ channels |
Limited Basic/Choice 10+ channels |
Extra 125+ channels |
Premier 185+ channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&E | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| afro | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| AMC | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| American Heroes Channel (AHC) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Animal Planet | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ASPiRE | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AT&T Sportsnet | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BBC America | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BBC World News | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| BET Her | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Big Ten Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Black Entertainment Television (BET) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bloomberg | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BNC | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bravo | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cleo TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CNBC | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CNN | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy.TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| C-SPAN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| C-SPAN2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| C-SPAN3 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Destination America | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Discovery Family Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Discovery Life Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Disney Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disney Junior | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Disney XD | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| DIY Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| E! | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EPIX | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| EPIX 2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| EPIX Drive-In | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| EPIX Hits | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ESPNews | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPNU | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Eternal Word Televisoin Network (EWTN) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flix | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Food Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FOX | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Business | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox News Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox Sports 2 (FS2) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Freeform | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FX | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FX Movie Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| FXX | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| FYI Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| G4 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| GAC Famliy | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Galavision | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Game Show Network (GSN) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Golf Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Drama | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HBO | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| History | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HLN | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Home & Garden Television (HGTV) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HSN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| i24 News English | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| IFC | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| INSP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ION | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| JBS | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jewelry Television | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Justice Central | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime Movies | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Logo | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| MLB Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| MotorTrend | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MSNBC | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MTV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MTV Live | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MTV2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Nat Geo Wild | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| National Geographic | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NBA TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NBC Sports | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Newsmax TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NewsNation | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NFL Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| NHL Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Nick Jr. | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Nick Too | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nicktoons | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Olympic Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ovation | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Oxygen | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| PBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| POP | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| QVC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QVC2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| QVC3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recipe TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ReelzChannel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Revolt | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Science Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ScreenPix | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ScreenPix Action | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ScreenPix Voices | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| SEC Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ShopHQ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SHOWTIME | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Smithsonian | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sportsman Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sundance TV | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| SYFY | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TBS | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Teen Nick | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tennis Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Africa Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| The CW | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| THE MOVIE CHANNEL | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| TLC | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TNT | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Travel Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| truTV | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TUDN | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| TV Land | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TV One | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Universal Kids | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Universo | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Univision | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| UPtv | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| USA Network | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| VH1 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vice | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| WE tv | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weather Channel | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Z Living | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zona Futbol | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Preferred has 23 sports channels, and all but two (Olympic Channel and Stadium) are HD channels. Pretty much every sport is covered, even disc golf (thanks, ESPN2!), so Preferred is the package for sports fans.
* SD only
Preferred has 22 popular educational and kids’ channels. All but four of them broadcast in HD. Compared to the next plan down, Starter, there’s a lot more for your kids to watch. That’ll be great for families with lots of little ones to please.
* SD only
Taste the rainbow! Preferred includes a total of 27 channels focused on stories for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, Spanish speakers, and women. Fifteen of these are HD channels. It’s a bit of a drag that there’s only one LGBTQ+ channel, but you can add more with Xfinity’s HERE TV on-demand add-on ($7.99 a month).
* SD only
As you’ve already read, Preferred comes standard with nine Spanish-language channels. If you want más TV en Español, consider adding Xfinity’s Latino channel bundle. You’ll get up to 60 more channels (see sampling below) for $9.99 a month for the first year ($16.95 per month after).
Premium channels—drool. I mean, do you really have cable if you don’t have at least one of the top-shelf premium networks like HBO®? (That’s rhetorical, but feel free to debate that with a friend.) Here’s Xfinity’s premium-channels menu—with prices (so there are no surprises)!
Data as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Remember a little bit ago where we suggested adding the HERE TV on-demand pack for more LGBTQ+ movies and shows? Well, you can add more stiff-upper-lip Brit-watch, anime, animal, fitness, educational, kid stuff, definitely not-for-kids stuff, and more with Xfinity’s on-demand add-ons.
Data as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Xfinity Preferred has a 12-month term agreement, while Xfinity Digital Preferred has no- term agreement but at a higher monthly price (up to 33%). If you value your freedom, Digital Preferred is the way to go. If you value, uh, value—go for Preferred and save some bucks.
Xfinity did not drop STARZ. You can still add the premium network to your Xfinity channel package for an additional $8.99 a month.
Xfinity offers the Outdoor Channel in its Preferred and Premier packages.
Xfinity’s basic cable TV packages have your local broadcast channels and their subchannels. But you can get all of the same channels with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, which costs a one-time payment of $20–$60 instead of monthly payments to Xfinity. We like the Mohu Leaf Plus.
Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.
