Mediacom Cable TV Service Review

XTREAM powered by Mediacom’s bundle prices are similar to other cable and satellite companies. The advantage is that you have many more options in terms of channels, phone plans, and internet speeds.

This is good news for those of you who live in the 22 states where XTREAM powered by Mediacom is available.

There are plenty of bundling options available with XTREAM powered by Mediacom. To make your decision a bit simpler, we created a list of our top picks.

XTREAM powered by Mediacom requires a contract on some of the internet services which could be a part of your bundle. The contracts could be as short as 1 year and as long as 3. There's another catch: your bundle’s monthly price will increase after the first year. The monthly cost for your bundle will go up by $20–$50 each year.

The pricing is fair for the first year and maybe the second year. But by the time you reach the third and fourth year, the price could become an issue.

Honestly, until XTREAM powered by Mediacom changes its price hikes, we recommend you use this cable service for no more than a couple of years. Enjoy the reasonably-priced bundles while you can, and then decide if you want to stay or want to try another cable TV provider.

Unfortunately, yes. But you can avoid some fees with a little strategy. For example, you can avoid the installation fee if you sign up online or you're able to self-install.

As well, you can avoid the $12 per month modem fee if you buy your own. Just make sure that it’s got DOCSIS 3.0 or DOCSIS 3.1 technology. And if you’re to buy your own modem, you can snag this one-time $60 purchase of the NETGEAR model CM500.

Although all plans include one TiVo smart box, you won’t get out of paying the monthly service for DVR. And if you need an additional set-top box in your bedroom, you’ll want multi-room DVR service. This will be a total of $27 in TV fees.

Alsio, unfortunately, there is a local broadcast fee. Most cable TV companies charge this fee, and Mediacom’s is especially high, but at least it doesn’t charge you for the regional broadcast fee.

There are two optional fees that we haven’t seen another cable TV provider offer:

• WiFi360pro: The Xtreme WiFi pro gives you advanced safety and security features that will block malware, spyware, phishing, and other malicious threats from your devices. It also offers easy-to-use parental controls so you can easily block websites for family-safe browsing, streaming, and social media use.
• Xpert Tech Advisor: If you’re not exactly tech-savvy, consider signing up for this fee to get your tech issues solved quickly. And the Xpert Tech Advisors are available 24/7.

When looking for a bundle, you want to make sure it has everything you and your family need.

Do you need a landline? Do you enjoy a broad range of channels, or do you only watch specific channels? Do multiple people in your household work from home, stream, and play video games? Or do you and your spouse only use the internet when you’re on your cellphone at night?

Keep all of this in mind.

Let’s first consider the easy part: do you need a home phone?

Second, would you like 50, 125, or 170 channels? The Local TV plan includes ABC and CBS, the Essential TV will have CNN and Nickelodeon, and Variety TV is where you’ll find ESPN and Hallmark Channel.

And lastly, there are multiple  internet download speeds to choose from with XTREAM powered by Mediacom.

If you and your roommate only use the internet for streaming Netflix at night, you’ll be fine with 60 Mbps of internet. If you and your spouse work from home, 100 Mbps should do the trick.

If at least three or four of your family members work from home, stream, or play video games all at once, we’d recommend 300 Mbps, but things will run much smoother if you get 1 Gig. If multiple people at home are constantly using the internet, you won’t regret opting in with the 1 Gig of internet.

Now, take all this information, go back up to the pricing table, and we guarantee XTREAM powered by Mediacom has a perfect bundle for you and the fam.

XTREAM powered by Mediacom has three channel lineups to choose from.

Packages include a local channel package, a package with more popular channels (Disney Channel and Food Network), and a plan with sports and entertainment channels.

If you’re a sports fan, you’ll have to get the Variety TV plan before you see any sports channels in your lineup (what is this nonsense?).

Local TV includes the following channels:

Essential TV includes all of the above and the following channels:

Variety TV includes all of the above and the following channels:

Keep in mind, there are about 50 music channels in all three TV plans. If you love music, by all means, jam away while you cook dinner. If your dad is like mine, he’ll be listening to Music Choice Classic Rock while he’s sweeping the floors.

Sports aficionados—XTREAM powered by Mediacom TV most likely won’t be the TV service for you. You won’t have access to some of the best sports channels, like NFL Network, MLB TV, NBA TV, PAC-12 Network, and the Golf Channel.

The absence of these channels in the highest-tier TV plan is unusual with a cable TV provider.

Some of us need our favorite shows, such as Big Little Lies or Power, and we simply can’t live without them. If this is the case for you, you may be willing to pay $12–$20 for specialty channels.

If you’d like to save a couple of dollars, we’d recommend ordering these as standalone services. Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®, CINEMAX, and STARZ are all cheaper if you subscribe directly through their respective apps.

If you want to watch the news or a movie on the go, TV Everywhere steps in. This is perfect for when you need to entertain yourself while you’re waiting to be called in for your appointment.

Sign in to the Xtream TV app on your tablet, computer, or smartphone to stream live TV or watch your recordings. You could easily watch Food Network or ESPN during your lunch break.

Need to record all 201 episodes of The Office, 236 episodes of Friends, and 190 movies? The TiVo DVR has got you covered. This DVR can record 1,000 SD and 150 HD hours before capping out on space.

And if you get the TiVo DVR multi-room service, you can record and watch on every single TV in your home.

Want to find a show or movie within seconds? You can enter a title, actor, or even a description in the search function, and TiVo will scan across all TV programming to find what you’re looking for.

But if you want to find a TV series a little quicker, use the Xtream Voice-activated remote. Your wish is its command. Just say “show me comedy movies,” “launch Hulu,” or “play the latest episode of Family Feud.”

Mediacom TV is definitely worth the price tag when it comes to bundling. Not many cable TV providers have this many bundle options to fit everyone’s individual needs, and the price is hard to beat.

But keep in mind that the price is worth paying for the first two or three years. We don’t like the idea of the monthly price increasing by $20–$50 each year.

XTREAM powered by Mediacom’s availability is also a little scarce, with it being available in only 22 states and select cities.

If you don’t live in an area where Mediacom is available, or you’re worried you’ll get attached and don’t want to worry about finding another new cable TV provider down the road, check out our top cable TV provider picks.