Best Cable TV and Internet Packages: Save Money With Bundle Deals

Our take: Google Fiber customers can choose a streaming TV plan during checkout from YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV, or Sling. Google Fiber TV and 1 Gig internet packages cost $110 to $155 per month depending on which TV plan you add, but the best TV and internet package is the 1 Gig plan for $70 per month with YouTube TV for $82.99 per month for a total of $152.99 per month. It’s not the cheapest, but YouTube TV gets the most popular sports, news, and entertainment channels right from the get-go, and can support up to three users streaming at the same time. Backing your YouTube TV plan with a 1 Gig Google Fiber plan ensures all three screens have a seamless viewing experience.

A Google Fiber plan is also a great option because it comes with unlimited data, gigabit symmetrical speeds, no extra fees, and no price increases. Even though Google Fiber doesn’t offer its own native cable TV packages, most TV and internet bundles cost around $100 to $200 per month, so you might as well get the fastest and most reliable internet connection overall, and then add a streaming TV plan on top. It costs around the same, if not less. The only drawback? Google Fiber has limited availability nationwide, so definitely get it if you can. Read our Google Fiber review.

Yes, Google Fiber is the best internet provider for watching live TV and on-demand content. Google Fiber offers gigabit symmetrical internet speeds and gets top reviews for its reliability, so you get a strong connection for streaming.

Google TV Streamer costs $99, which includes over 800 free live TV channels and streaming apps.

Yes, Google Fiber offers TV packages with YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV, and Sling. You can add any of these at checkout.

Our take: Spectrum is the best choice for cable internet and TV bundles because it offers great discounts when you combine services. Spectrum TV and internet bundles cost $70 to $145 per month for 85 to 160 channels. Our preferred Spectrum bundle is the 500Mbps Internet Premier plan with the TV Select Plus plan, which is price-locked for two years at $135 per month and comes with 160+ cable TV channels and streaming services such as ESPN+, Disney+, and Paramount+ Essential. All TV plans come with an Xumo Stream Box device for accessing streaming apps, local channels, and sports in one place.

An internet plan from Spectrum comes with an Advanced Wi-Fi Router, so you can get optimal internet speeds throughout your home—perfect for streaming shows on your individual devices when you don’t feel like watching the same thing as everyone else. Spectrum also offers an affordable Internet Advantage plan with 100Mbps speed for $30 per month. This is for eligible low-income households and seniors receiving Supplemental Security Income. Read our Spectrum review.

No, Spectrum TV isn’t free with an internet plan. Spectrum TV and internet packages range in price from $70 to $145 per month. However, Spectrum TV customers can get the Spectrum TV app for free to watch live TV and on-demand shows on their devices.

Spectrum’s cheapest TV package costs $70 per month and includes Spectrum Internet Premier with a 500Mbps download speeds and the TV Stream plan. This is a service that works over the internet (OTT) through Spectrum's extensive internet network. For those who qualify through federal assistance programs, Spectrum also offers a more affordable option—check out our guide to Spectrum low-income internet plans to see if you’re eligible.

Spectrum’s TV plans cost $40 per month for the TV Stream Plan, $95 per month  for the TV Select Signature Plan, and $105 per month for the TV Select Plus plan.

Our take: Optimum’s internet and TV bundles provide fast speeds and plenty of popular channels to keep you entertained for as low as $65 per month with the 300Mbps internet and Entertainment TV plan. This is a great deal considering most bundles are over $100 per month, and you get great channels like AMC, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, and HGTV for a lower price than average. Optimum can likely keep this price so low because Entertainment TV works over the internet, unlike its more expensive TV plans that use a cable connection.

Optimum's TV and internet bundles cost $65 to $210 for 300Mbps internet and 80 to 200 channels. The best combo is Optimum’s 300Mbps Internet plan with the mid-tier Extra TV package for a total of $121.10 per month. It’s not the cheapest TV plan Optimum offers, but you get enough speed to support an average household’s internet activities (as Optimum's speed test shows) plus all the top channels such as CBS, CNN, Disney Channel, E!, ESPN, Fox News, NBC, and more. Read our Optimum review.

Optimum’s cheapest TV packages, Entertainment TV for Eastern states and Basic TV for Western states, include popular channels like AMC, Comedy Central, Food Network, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, Lifetime, Magnolia Network, MTV, TLC, and more. The Entertainment TV plan replaces Optimum’s Basic TV package.

Yes, you can stream Optimum TV or on-demand content via a mobile device or a computer with the Optimum TV app or Optimum app.

Yes, it can be cheaper to bundle TV and internet with Optimum depending on how many channels you want to have. Most other cable TV services start at higher than $70 per month and don’t include internet access, although you can sometimes get even cheaper deals for internet and TV with other providers.

Our take: You get lots of TV and streaming options with Xfinity, which is one of Reviews.org’s fastest internet and cheapest internet providers, offering wide availability (you can check if it's fast enough for you with our Xfinity speed test). While there are three main TV packages you can add onto any Xfinity internet plan, we recommend getting the 400Mbps Connect More plan and the Popular TV plan that includes 125+ channels like ESPN, CNN, Disney Channel, Fox News, and more.

Just like the candy strategically placed at a grocery store checkout, Xfinity serves up even more streaming and live TV packages right before you finish your order. That includes the cheapest TV bundle: The low-cost NOW StreamSaver package with 40 live channels, cloud DVR, Netflix, Peacock Premium, Apple TV, and one streaming TV Box for $30 per month. Getting NOW StreamSaver with Xfinity's 150Mbps internet plan can total to $50 to $65 per month. You don’t even need to add a cable TV plan to get it. Read our Xfinity review.

Xfinity’s low-cost Choice TV package includes ABC, CBS, C-SPAN, Fox, Discovery, History Channel, NBC, Telemundo, The CW, PBS, and more. However, Xfinity’s channel lineup depends on your region.

Xfinity’s Popular TV and Ultimate TV get the same channels as Choice TV, plus more channels such as AMC, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, Food Network, Fox News, FX, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, and TLC.

You can also add Xfinity’s More Sports & Entertainment Package for $10 per month to get NFL RedZone from NFL Network, NBA TV, and MLB TV.

Xfinity offers multiple bundle offers where you can add mobile, TV, home phone, and home security on top of your Xfinity internet service.

Xfinity Choice TV includes the following channels and more:

• CBN News Network
• Discovery
• Fox Business
• Galavisión
• History Channel
• NBC
• Fox
• ABC
• Telemundo
• The CW
• PBS
• CBS
• QVC

Our take: Cox offers some of the fastest download speeds for a cable internet provider. “The service is pretty good and dependable,” says M. J. Stevens, a Cox customer who lives in San Diego, California. Cox TV and internet bundles cost $111 to $296 per month for 75 to 250 channels.

If you can make it work, sign up for the Fast plan with 300Mbps download speed and Contour TV Ultimate plan. This combo packs a ton of value, even though the total $237 monthly fee is quite the investment. Getting 300Mbps download speed is enough for a couple or small family to work from home, stream shows, and play multiplayer games. On the TV side, ContourTV Ultimate comes with 250+ channels and premium sports channels including NFL Network, NBA TV, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, and includes streaming subscriptions like Max, Cinemax, and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. Read our Cox review.

Cox Contour TV Ultimate gets over 250 channels whereas Cox Contour TV Preferred gets 170+ channels. While the two TV plans get many of the same channels, Cox Contour TV Ultimate includes extra channel packs and subscriptions to popular streaming apps. Contour TV Ultimate also costs $38 more per month than Cox Contour TV Preferred.

The cheapest Cox internet and TV package is the Fast plan with 300Mbps for $50 per month and the Contour TV Starter plan for $71 per month.

Yes, you can watch Cox TV via your computer or mobile device by using the Contour App. This provides access to on-demand content and channels you subscribe to with your Cox TV plan. You can’t run Cox TV on your TV without a Contour box.

Google Fiber is our top choice because it gets the best internet overall, so even if you don’t have cable TV channels, you have a solid setup for all your other internet needs like working from home, watching reels on Instagram, calling your friends on FaceTime, or playing multiplayer games all night long. Sure, it’s not a bundle deal, but you can easily add a live TV plan during the checkout process for Google Fiber, or you can download a streaming app to your smart TV some time in the future when you want.

Google Fiber’s 1 Gig plan costs a flat $70 per month with no extra fees, so you might save money if you only sign up for a live sports app for the months you want to watch certain events or seasons. Simple, straightforward prices are hard to come by, which is why I’m a big Google Fiber fan.

If Google Fiber isn’t available in your area, Spectrum and Optimum offer large channel lineups for their lowest tier plans, so they can be a good deal if you want a variety of news, entertainment, and movie channels. Xfinity is also available in 39 states, so you may have a good chance of being able to sign up. 

However, getting the cheapest TV plan isn’t always the best deal, especially with Xfinity Choice TV and Cox Contour TV Starter. These plans get only a few popular news channels in between a host of shopping channels.

Overall, you get the best channel lineup when you opt for a more expensive TV plan, but it might be cheaper to sign up for your internet plan first and then add a live streaming app to it later.

If none of these best providers are available where you live, aim to sign up with a fiber or cable internet provider that gives you speeds of 300Mbps or faster for a price that fits your budget. Home internet costs about $81 a month on average, but you can get decent Wi-Fi for less in many parts of the country. In a rural area, try a fixed wireless or satellite internet provider.

You can also run a search with your zip code below to see what internet options are available in your area.

Although we picked out the best TV and internet packages above, you can likely find other great internet options near you. The internet providers below are all standouts too—you’d be pleased getting home internet from any of them. We picked them because they also perform well in our reviews and stand out for extensive channel lineups, fast speeds, dollar value, and attentive customer experience.

Since not every reader lives in an area with access to these providers, let’s give you some context to help you understand internet and TV bundles. Below we’ve listed the pros and cons of bundling internet and TV and how to pick the best cable TV and internet bundle.

Most people look to TV and internet packages for the discounts or the convenience of one combined bill, but consider the following factors to evaluate if it's worth the money:

Bundle discounts exist, but cable TV is still expensive.

Internet providers often provide discounts, internet deals, gift cards, contract buyouts, or other benefits for new customers signing up for multiple services like TV, phone, or whole-home Wi-Fi. However, bundles aren’t cheap. The cost of adding a TV plan to your internet may be more than double the cost of an internet-only plan, and you may experience a price increase after your first or second year of service.

Popular channels cost extra.

TV plans often include lots of unnecessary channels. Internet providers may even separate popular channels into exclusive channel packs that you pay extra for. Rather than looking for a high channel count, check that your plan gets the channels you actually want to watch.

You might be better off selecting a streaming service.

While cable TV packages can get pricey, internet providers often include free or cheap streaming service subscriptions with their cable TV plan or as an add-on to your internet. Although this might seem like you’re saving money, you might get a better deal by signing up for streaming services that come with live TV options.

Cable TV and internet packages can get unnecessarily complicated. To make sure you pick the right one, consider the following before signing up.

Pick the best internet provider in your area, even if it's not a cable company. Although there are tons of enticing entertainment deals, it’s best to first look for a fiber internet provider that can offer the best speeds and reliability for your household internet needs. If the fiber provider doesn’t offer a TV package, don’t worry, you can always get top channels from YouTube TV, DIRECTV, or Hulu + Live TV.  To find the best internet providers for your exact zip code, use our search bar below.

Check channel listings for each TV plan tier. Even if the TV plan is called “Entertainment” or “Starter,” that is not an accurate description of what channels you can get. The cheapest TV plans usually have only a few good channels and the rest are shopping and advertising channels you’ve never heard of. In order to get the most popular channels that you actually want to watch, you need to pay for a more expensive plan or a channel add-on.

Get internet with unlimited data. According to our screen time report, the average American adult spends three hours a day streaming TV. This ends up using over 200GB of data for one person per month. So make sure when you’re picking an internet provider to check if you get either at least 1TB of data or unlimited data to stream all day long, every day.

Find out how much internet speed your household needs. Fellow Reviews.org staff writer, Brianne Sandorf, recommends getting at least 100Mbps per person. You can first check what your current internet speed using our Internet Speed Test to get a ballpark estimate of how much speed you currently get.

Many internet providers advertise gigabit speeds, but most households don’t need that much speed. The more speed you get, the more expensive your plan is, so make sure to choose a plan that makes sense for you. Of course, some providers, like Google Fiber, only offer the fastest speeds. In this case, I would still recommend getting Google Fiber because you get the best speeds for the same price as other slower providers.

Getting Google Fiber and YouTube TV together is our top pick for TV and internet, but since Google Fiber has limited availability, make sure to check what providers are available in your zip code through the search bar below.

Once you hit submit, you get a list of our top recommendations for internet in your area, comparisons between plan features, as well as the cheapest, fastest, and most reliable providers.