#SPECTRUM TV CHOICE PACKAGE CHANNELS TV#

Maybe you’ll drop the Spectrum streaming service down the road and switch to, say, Sling, which offers more channels for less money (and can be viewed at Starbucks).

#SPECTRUM TV CHOICE PACKAGE CHANNELS TV#

So Spectrum TV Choice is first and foremost a way to entice people into becoming internet customers. Cord cutting has played havoc with all cable companies as consumers increasingly turn to streaming for their video fixes. This is all about locking you in as an internet customer.īasically, the deep thinkers at Charter Communications, which purchased Time Warner Cable a couple of years ago and renamed it Spectrum, know that all future revenue growth lies in broadband internet connections.Īs of the fourth quarter of last year, Charter had 22.5 million internet customers, compared with 16.5 million TV subscribers. I asked Johnson why customers can’t access the TV Choice app on mobile devices outside their home. The other streaming services are accessible anywhere you have an internet connection. If you’re elsewhere - Starbucks, say, or traveling - forget it.

Here’s the real stink bomb: You can only watch Spectrum’s streaming service if you’re on your Spectrum home internet network.

With internet access, that will bring your total to more than $100. Oh, and after your first two years of service, the monthly cost of Spectrum TV Choice will jump to $30 and then $38 (not including taxes) the year after that. So factor in the $25 monthly TV Choice fee and you’re looking at a minimum $90 a month.īy comparison, you can sign up for the company’s Triple Play bundle - TV, phone and internet - for about the same price and not only get more telecom services but about 125 channels to boot. Spectrum’s broadband internet access will run you at least $65 a month. All the rival streaming services will work with any internet service provider. Spectrum TV Choice is only available to Spectrum internet customers. I can only speculate that the company is worried a close look will reveal its streaming services aren’t very good deals.

Johnson said Spectrum isn’t offering demos for media reviews. I asked if I could take TV Choice out for a test drive. Johnson said only that to describe the TV Choice rollout as a stealth campaign “would be misleading and not accurate.” All appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. That makes you wonder why Spectrum isn’t aggressively marketing them - why the stealth approach? You can’t even find a video touting the services on Spectrum’s YouTube channel. Apparently they’ve been available in Southern California for weeks. “We continue to launch and test new services to better serve customer demand for more choice.”Īlthough Spectrum has been testing the new services in a handful of markets, I only learned about them by chance, while researching a related topic. “Spectrum TV Stream and Spectrum TV Choice are targeted at customers who don’t currently purchase a video product from us,” said Dennis Johnson, a company spokesman. Spectrum is also offering a slightly different online service called TV Stream, which instead of allowing you to choose 10 favorite channels provides 25 channels of Spectrum’s own choosing. You can add a box and DVR functionality for an extra $20 a month. Premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz can be tacked on for just $7.50 apiece or $15 a month for a premium bundle.īecause there’s no cable box, there’s no DVR service, so you can’t record shows.

Spectrum tv choice package channels