Spectrum/Charter may be known for their cable and internet plans but they have a little-known and little-advertised cord-cutting offer called “Spectrum TV choice”.
There is little online about this plan. In fact, you can’t even subscribe to it online. You have to either call Spectrum or visit a local branch. And often when you do, sales reps will try to sell you on other offers like their new Xumo box. But if you persist, you can still get the good stuff.
Summary:
- Price: $53.19 per month ($29.99 + $23.20 local channels “flat tax”)
- Channels: Choice of 15 from the list below including ESPN, can be changed once a month
- How to sign-up: No way to subscribe online
Who can get Spectrum TV Choice?
Spectrum TV Choice is available only if you are in a Spectrum “serviceable” area. You can know if your zip code is eligible for Spectrum by visiting spectrum.com and then typing your address.
If your household is not in a Spectrum service area, you simply cannot get Spectrum TV Choice. One customer support agent told me that it is possible to get a friend or a relative who lives in a Spectrum area to subscribe, and then I can download the app from a non-service area and use the service.
How much does Spectrum TV Choice cost?
Spectrum says that Spectrum TV Choice costs $29.99, but since they make you get local channels with it, you will have to pay an additional “flat tax” of $23.20. This means that the price of Spectrum TV Choice is exactly $53.19 per month.
Can you get Spectrum TV Choice without local channels?
No, Spectrum TV Choice comes with local channels, and you can't unbundle them from the 15 channels. This means that you have to pay the "flat tax" for local channels of $23.20, even if you don't want any local channels.
Channel lineup
With Spectrum TV choice, and on top of local channels, you can choose 15 channels from the following list:
- A&E
- AMC
- ASPiRE TV
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- BeIN SPORTS
- Bravo
- CNBC
- CNN
- CNN en Español
- Cartoon Network
- Cleo
- Comedy Central
- Discovery Channel
- Disney Channel
- E!
- ESPN
- ESPN Deportes
- ESPN2
- FOX Business Network
- FOX Deportes
- FOX News Channel
- FOX Sports 1
- FOX Sports 2
- FX
- Food Network
- Galavisión
- Golf Channel
- HGTV
- HISTORY
- HLN
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- Investigation Discovery
- LMN
- Lifetime
- MSNBC
- MTV
- NFL Network
- National Geographic
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- Oxygen
- Paramount Network
- REVOLT
- SYFY
- Smithsonian Channel
- TBS
- TCM
- TLC
- TNT
- TV Land
- TV One
- The Weather Channel
- Travel Channel
- USA Network
- Univisión
- VH1
- truTV
Can you change the 15 channels you watch on Spectrum?
You can change the 15 channels you have picked an unlimited amount in the first 30 days of signing up, and then only once every 30 days.
How to subscribe to Spectrum TV choice?
There is no way to subscribe to Spectrum TV Choice online, you have to call Spectrum Charter or visit a branch.
Which local channels are available on Spectrum TV Choice?
Depending on your area, Spectrum TV Choice is likely to come with Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, and Telemundo.
What is the difference between Spectrum TV choice and Spectrum TV essentials?
The main difference is that Spectrum TV Choice is an “à-la-carte” service whereas Spectrum TV Essentials is more of a “basic” cable subscription. With Essentials, you get about 75 channels, basically everything except for local channels and sports. With TV choice, you have to get local channels and you can pick 15 channels including sports channels like ESPN and TNT.
What is Spectrum Xumo?
Xumo is a box similar to Roku or Amazon Fire TV. The Spectrum agent I spoke to on the phone said that Xumo is in fact better than them because of something called “content-based search”, Xumo will search within the apps for content. So if you type “Denzel Washington”, it will bring out all movies starting the Hollywood legend, without having to go into each streaming app to look.
Do I need to have Spectrum internet to get Spectrum TV Choice?
You don’t have to have Spectrum internet to get Spectrum TV Choice, but you do have to be in a Spectrum serviceable area.
Do I have to get Xumo to get Spectrum TV Choice?
No, you don’t have to get Spectrum Xumo to get Spectrum TV Choice. Instead you can get the streaming service “boxless”, meaning without the Xumo box.
Does Spectrum TV Choice have a trial period?
Spectrum TV Choice includes a trial of 7 days, but they told me over the phone that the lenght of the trial will depend on your account history, standing, and area. Make sure to check with them when you're signing up to get the trial.
How do you change the 15 channels selection on Spectrum TV Choice?
Go here: spectrumtv.com/Choice, and login. Then Click "Settings" and "Edit Channel Lineup".