Suddenlink TV Review

You already have Suddenlink internet service and are curious about adding TV . Is it worth it?

We think yes—you'll pay a nominal amount compared to the number of channels you’ll be able to access. But Suddenlink isn't available everywhere, and its customer service approval is low, which may mean it isn’t for you.

With Suddenlink TV plans, there are two things to consider: the cost-per-channel value and the overall cost.

Suddenlink has a quality cost-per-channel value, period. You pay less than a dollar per channel with every plan, which is a pretty darn good deal.

The very best value is the Select TV package.  With that one, you’ll pay just $0.29 per channel! In contrast, the worst value is the Basic TV package: $0.60 per channel.

But you also need to consider how much you’re paying overall. That makes things a little trickier! The Basic TV plan may not have the best value, but it does have the lowest monthly cost, making it a more economical choice. 

So to determine which plan is best for you, we suggest weighing how many channels you want against how much you’re willing to spend. 

Every plan comes with popular options such as Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Hallmark, and ESPN. That means you can watch DuckTales, SpongeBob, cheesy holiday movies, and the Super Bowl with even the Basic TV plan, no satellites required. Nice!

Suddenlink does have some hidden monthly fees, though. There’s a broadcast station surcharge ($15.00), a sports programming surcharge ($6.65), premium channel fees (up to $19.00), and DVR services (up to $20.00).

Luckily, it appears that all fees but the broadcast surcharge are optional.  You won’t have to pay the others unless you don’t want to use the services that go with them.

Suddenlink TV availability is limited. You can get it in parts of the following 20 states:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• Virginia
• West Virginia

The best way to know if your home is eligible for Suddenlink service is to check our ZIP finder.

Suddenlink is a competitive cable TV provider. It has way more channels than our favorite cable service (Xfinity TV).

In fact, Suddenlink has more channels than all of its top competitors—but it typically charges less per channel. That alone makes it worthy of accolades.

Suddenlink also has a massive range of content that’s appealing to a diverse household. If you live with a toddler and a great-grandparent, or if you have a bunch of roommates from different backgrounds, you should all be able to find something you can enjoy with Suddenlink. Not every cable service can say the same.

How about other, non-cable TV services? Like Suddenlink, DIRECTV and Verizon both have over 300 channels. But while DIRECTV has fewer channels than Suddenlink for a higher cost, Verizon has more channels at about the same price point.

Except for Verizon Fios, Suddenlink TV’s competitors don’t provide as good a value.

If you’d like to learn more, check out the following:

• Comcast Xfinity TV Service Review
• Spectrum TV Choice Review
• Cox Cable TV Review
• DIRECTV STREAM Review
• Verizon Fios TV Service Review

You might be wondering, “What are all the channels that Suddenlink provides?” That’s kind of a mystery.

Suddenlink doesn’t release full lists of package channels, probably because they vary based on location. But here are a few guarantees.

As you can see, that’s quite a bit of variety to cover different interests. Even if you have a full household range of young kids to older adults, everyone is sure to find something that fits their interests. There are even options that you can all enjoy together!

All Suddenlink TV packages involve bundling! You have to get Suddenlink internet if you want TV.

Suddenlink internet prices range from $24.99 to $49.99 each month. If you add the price of your preferred TV plan to the price of your preferred internet plan, you’ll get an idea of how much the whole thing would cost.

Suddenlink also offers mobile phone services. And while you won’t get a discount when you combine TV with internet or mobile, you will get a discount when you combine internet and mobile. So if you get all three services, you’ll save some money.

With Suddenlink TV, you don’t have an annual contract. And there’s no termination fee either.

No termination fees means you can cancel anytime for any reason. Moving? You can cancel.  Kick your TV-loving ex to the curb 

If you choose to use equipment from Suddenlink, you’ll have some extra monthly costs. And you’ll still have to pay other service fees, like broadcast and sports surcharges.

You don’t have to get Suddenlink hardware unless you want specific services, like DVR or TiVo.

Suddenlink’s DVRs use the cloud to store your saved movies and shows. You can try the standard Cloud DVR, the Cloud DVR Plus, or the Cloud DVR Max.

DVR services fees: 

• Cloud DVR: $8 per month for 25 hours of recorded content
• Cloud DVR Plus: $10 per month for 75 hours of recorded content
• Cloud DVR Max: $20 per month for 150 hours of recorded content

Or, if you like to rewind and play back your live content, we recommend trying the TiVo service.

TiVo service fees:

• TiVo Stream: $10 per month for a TiVo that integrates directly with STARZ streaming content
• TiVo Mini: $11 per month for a TiVo that allows a multiroom TV experience
• TiVo Receiver: $17 per month for a TiVo that makes it easier to switch between streaming devices

Suddenlink also sells Apple TVs. Why? To get the full effect from your Suddenlink subscription, the company recommends a 4K viewing experience.

So if your current television isn’t up to scratch, buying an Apple TV from Suddenlink for $10 a month over 18 months could be the right answer for you.

And if that’s not enough, you can also get Suddenlink Amplify, a speaker with Alexa built in. It’s a great addition to your movie experience, but it’s not always available in every Suddenlink location.

Suddenlink has two recurring service fees for you to look out for:

• Broadcast station surcharge: $00 per month. Broadcast TV stations charge for access to their channels, and Suddenlink passes that cost on to you.
• Sports programming surcharge: $6.65 per month. Sports stations and networks also charge for their programming, and you get to help Suddenlink cover the cost of those services (if you get a plan that uses them).

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, subscription TV services have an average satisfaction score of 65.¹

Suddenlink, on the other hand, has a satisfaction score of 56. And not only is its score lower than average, Suddenlink’s actually one of the lowest-ranked subscription TV services, period.

Suddenlink Communications also has an F with the BBB and a 2.2 rating on BestCompany. Yikes.

Why the low scores? Most negative Suddenlink feedback is aimed at the internet connectivity, not the TV service itself. But since you have to get Suddenlink internet to use Suddenlink TV, it makes sense that those frustrations are carrying over into the TV experience.

Suddenlink TV is an excellent value, offers tons of content, and has multiple equipment options if you want DVR or TiVo services. If you want a flexible service with lots of options, this is a good one.

But if you value good customer service, you might want to skip Suddenlink, because its customer satisfaction is low right now.

• Price: Suddenlink has an excellent dollar-to-channel ratio, so you’ll never pay too much per channel. And with four different plans, you can pick the price and number of channels that seem right to you.
• Channels: Suddenlink has up to 340 channels with lots of variety. You’ll always have something to watch!
• Contracts, equipment, and fees: Suddenlink requires no contracts and (unless you choose to rent a DVR, TiVo, or TV) has minimal services fees.
• Customer service: Suddenlink ranks poorly with the ACSI and BBB. Most of the negative feedback seems to be related to the internet quality, but if customer service is important to you, this might put you off the TV service.

To rate Suddenlink TV, we took a hard look at the following:

1. Price
2. Channels
3. Contract
4. Equipment
5. Fees
6. Customer service

We obtained most of our price information by entering a Dallas address on the Suddenlink website and most of our customer service information from the ACSI.

For everything else, we relied on the Suddenlink website, Suddenlink customer feedback across the internet, and additional research about service fees, DVRs, TiVos, Apple TVs, and so on.

Sources