Cable TV may have been invented in 1928 by the young genius Philo Taylor Farnsworth, but it wasn’t until the late 1940s that the idea was more openly accepted. The electronic TV idea only grew in popularity after 1948, when cable TV made its showstopper debut in the US entertainment industry. What was this brilliant invention that made watching things so much easier? In an era where entertainment was synonymous with operas and theatres, the advent of TV technology was like a breath of fresh air. And no matter how things may advance in the coming years, television entertainment continues as a favorite mode of fun for most US households today.
Since TV is such a big and important part of an American home, let’s expand a little on the thought. In this article, we discuss some of the most affordable TV providers in the entirety of the US and how you can make the most out of them.
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Spectrum TV
Spectrum by Charter Communications has been an internet service provider for a long time. But there is more to it than meets the eye. It does provide phone and internet services like a few more providers in the industry. Spectrum is supposedly one of the best cable TV providers in the US for the value it offers on its TV plans.
Not only are Spectrum TV deals convenient but they also come with attractive channel lineups. The literal cherry on the top for Spectrum is that it offers wonderful TV plans for its Latinx and Hispanic audiences. It even has special channels on the lineup, like premium content channels for both English and Spanish speakers. As you may have guessed, this is quite nice since there are not many providers in the US industry that cater TV plans according to Spanish needs.
Here is the thing about getting Spectrum TV. If you opt for a qualifying Spectrum Internet + TV plan, the provider will buy out your current contract, up to a worth of $500. This is more than enough to take care of your early termination fee and continues to be one of the top reasons why Spectrum is so popular among US folks.
Spectrum also gets bonus points for its all-too-famous no-contract policy. Just go month to month with your payments and bid the provider goodbye any time it starts getting too overwhelming. Spectrum has great confidence in its top-notch services and this zero binding-contract option gives a lot of other providers out there, a run for their money.
The top plan that Spectrum offers is TV Select with 125+ local channels. The pricing comes at just about $49.99 per month for the first 12 months. With Spectrum, you get international programming too, at any point in time since it does offer quite a lineup of premium and features channels. So, you don’t have to pay for anything on a separate note. However, all of Spectrum TV plans are beyond the scope of this article but you can visit our webpage for more information.
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TDS
The idea for TDS was born in Wisconsin in 1969, as a small-time service provider but has come a long way. It may have been a tiny internet service provider when it started out but today TDS assists millions of households to connect to the internet across the US. It has a greater predilection for service in the far-flung suburbs and rural districts where it is able to reach when nothing else can. TDS today has internet services, TV services, and even phone services in the US. It is one of the more relaxed, cost-effective services out there as you will come to appreciate, perfect when you are on a tight budget.
TDS TV deals are many but the essential distribution is in two tiers. They vary in pricing as well as lineups for the most part. The most basic type is the TDS TV plans that have most local channels with some premium channels thrown in which divide the service into another three sub-tiers. The other pack is much fancier of the two. It is called the TDS TV+ plans and offers a remarkable lineup of HD premium in addition to international channels.
A little something extra that you get with TDS is access to a nice DVR. You can use it to record quite a few things, including live shows and sports programs up to 10 simultaneously. TDS subscription also has a sleek and effective voice remote and you can browse and search for TV shows, and monitor and control your TV even through your voice commands.
TDS TV deals are quite straightforward and have a 30-day money-back guarantee. On the off chance that you do not enjoy their services, you can always cancel the subscription within a month. TDS TV deals for the first type are discussed below. However, since pricing varies so widely from address to address, we have not mentioned it below. You will need to check with what is available at your address.
| TDS TV Plan | Channel lineup |
| Freedom | 125+ channels (sports and most local) |
| Expanded | 135+ channels (with ESPN, Disney, and more) |
| Expanded Plus | 190+ channels (The cooking channel, NFL & more) |
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Xfinity TV
Xfinity is one of the biggest internet and TV service providers in the US. It has by far some of the greatest coverage areas that the US has seen. It has great value on most of its plans, both internet, and TV, hence one of the most famous providers in the market at any given time. Xfinity offers some great, high-speed internet connections but its TV packages are a force to reckon with. Xfinity TV packages are in an elite class, the perfect mix of quality and value with just a touch of premium content thrown in like confetti.
Just like its multiple-tier internet plans, Xfinity TV too has quite a few plans to put out there for their subscribers. There is a rather basic plan on the menu that is quite economical but there are fancier options available too. These high-end plans are a little more costly but they come with premium channels, and a much bigger channel lineup. To help you understand this a little better, we have defined these packages as follows.
| Xfinity TV Plan | No. of channels | Sample channels | Pricing |
| Choice TV | 10+ | ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX | $20/month* |
| Popular TV | 125+ | FX, TBS, ESPN, TLC | $60/month* |
| Ultimate TV | 200+ | NFL, Disney, NBA TV | $80/month* |
*With no term agreement. Paperless billing and auto-pay is a prerequisite
The sample channels just give you a little idea of what to expect with each plan’s channels lineup. With Xfinity Choice, the number of channels may be a little less than what you like but you do get most of the elementary channels with a taste of everything. With Xfinity Popular TV and Ultimate TV, you get bigger channel lineups and the premium channels are thrown in for good measure.
The X1 TV box for Xfinity, allows you to customize your Xfinity experience by creating kid-safe zones, or if you are into it; a Sports zone too. You do get all sorts of premium and international content you may like. The Xfinity TV deals too, are some of the most competitive pricing that you will discover around the market. If you want an even better experience, you can bundle services together to get Xfinity Double or Triple Play.
On the yellow brick road to quality entertainment…
Affordability is a very relative term, one that may vary from person to person. Of course, we talk in context to the common man, when we discuss these plans. TDS, Xfinity, and Spectrum are some of the best TV providers in the market that offer you good value for your plans. Quality entertainment at an affordable rate is what everyone looks for, don’t you think?
