Most internet providers also offer TV service with many internet plan and TV package combinations to choose from. The best bundle for your home will depend on the speeds you need and channels you want, but some top bundles to consider are:
Frontier Fiber: One of the best internet and streaming bundles as it comes with speeds up to 500 megabits per second and $10 off the monthly rate of YouTube TV for 12 months.
Spectrum: The bundle offers download speeds up to 500Mbps, a $20 monthly discount off the internet rate and free Wi-Fi equipment rental.
Mediacom: Among the cheapest internet bundles around to include a full cable TV package.
Xfinity: Customers receive a $10 monthly discount for each bundled service.
You’ll find my picks for the best cheap internet and TV bundle packages below, as well as what’s included with them and what it may cost to upgrade to a better TV package with more channels and local sports.
Best cheap internet and TV bundles
Our take – The cheapest AT&T internet and TV bundle comes with max download and upload speeds of 300Mbps and around 90 live streaming channels starting at around $142 a month.
Our take – Frontier doesn’t provide a TV service, but customers can bundle their Frontier Fiber internet with YouTube TV. Doing so will get you a $10 monthly discount on your YouTube TV subscription for one year.
Our take – Spectrum likes to keep it simple and we like that, which is partly why the provider earned our top spot among best cable internet providers. There’s nothing fancy to the Spectrum Internet and TV Select bundle, but it will fit the needs of many households with download speeds up to 500Mbps and 150 TV channels, including regional sports networks, starting at $125 per month. The price includes a new monthly $20 internet bundle discount.
Our take – Verizon Fios and Fios TV Test Drive is unique in that you get to experience all 425-plus channels that come with The Most Fios TV (and the most expensive TV plan) for 60 days. After that, Verizon will custom-create a channel lineup of 125 or so networks based on your selections. That’s pretty cool in itself, but the starting price of $135 for internet speeds up to 300Mbps and around 125 channels is an excellent value.
Our take – Cox internet starts at $50 per month, but when you add an actual TV service (not its TV Streaming package, which is little more than a streaming device rental for $5 a month), the price jumps to $165. You will get a decent channel lineup for the added cost, however, as 140 or so networks including your regional sports channels come with the package.
Our take – Optimum requires you to bundle with internet to get TV service, so there’s no real discount available, but the bundles are still competitively priced. The cheapest internet and TV bundle, Optimum Internet 300 and Entertainment TV starts at $80 ($40 for internet, $40 for TV) per month for download speeds up to 300Mbps and a channel lineup that includes around 80 networks.
Our take – Like Optimum, Mediacom doesn’t sell stand-alone TV services. To get TV, you have to sign up for internet, which means there are technically no discounts for bundling because there are no TV-only plans to compare the pricing to. Still, Mediacom has low bundle pricing, especially when it comes to its cheapest bundle. Internet 250 and Local TV start at just $30 per month.
Our take – Xfinity rewards customers for bundling with $10 off per added service, which means you can save $20 a month when getting Xfinity internet and TV together.
Combining TV and internet services is a convenient way to sign up and pay for both services. It could also save you money upfront and on your monthly bill via discounts or cheaper rates.
Bundling YouTube TV with Frontier Fiber, for example, could get you $10 off the monthly TV subscription for one year. In most locations, Xfinity offers a $10 monthly discount for each bundled service. Other bundle savings may include free installation and more generous signup bonuses, such as higher-value gift cards.
Signing up for TV and internet from the same provider may also present equipment and compatibility features not available with standalone services. Combination router and TV devices, like Optimum’s Altice One box, can conserve space and potentially save you money on equipment rental costs but are only available to customers who sign up for both internet and TV.
Tips for choosing the best internet and TV bundle
As you can see in the list above, not all bundles are the same. Not only will internet and TV bundles vary by provider, you’ll also likely have multiple bundle combinations to choose from with each provider. Here’s how to select the best one for your home.
How many members of your household use the internet?
Understand your speed and entertainment demands. Before comparing available bundles, get an idea of what internet speeds you need and which TV channels you’d like to have. Selecting the bundle that most closely matches your needs is the best way to ensure you’re not overpaying for services you won’t use, or perhaps paying for services that can’t meet your household demands.
If you wouldn’t sign up for gigabit internet by itself, you probably don’t need it in a bundled package. Similarly, if you wouldn’t sign up for a TV package with just your local channels, you can pass on any bundles with a locals-only channel lineup.
Compare connection types. When comparing bundles between providers, or possibly even different bundles from the same provider, consider the connection type.
Fiber is ideal for home internet, but few providers — AT&T, Quantum Fiber and Frontier included — offer a fiber TV service. Unless you’re bundling with Verizon Fios, expect your fiber internet provider to offer a streaming TV service, if any at all.
Cable internet providers typically build bundles with standard cable TV packages, although some, such as Spectrum, may also have live TV streaming packages. There are pros and cons to each.
Standard cable packages often come with better reliability and more recording storage, although equipment and broadcast fees tend to be higher. Streaming can be cheaper, but the savings may come with sacrificing storage space for recording shows.
Some internet providers, especially those of the DSL and satellite variety, bundle with satellite TV providers Dish and DirecTV. Keep in mind that such bundles will require mounting a satellite dish somewhere on your home and will likely come with a two-year contract for TV service.
Consider the fees, fine print and other extras. For the most part, what you pay for internet each month will run fairly true to the advertised price. Renting a router may add to the cost, as will taxes and other minor fees, but that’s about it.
TV service is a bit different. Expect a Broadcast Fee to add anywhere from $15 to $25 to your monthly bill, plus an additional Regional Sports Fee if you have local sports networks. Equipment can also get pricey with added fees for each TV box you rent, plus potential charges for DVR service. Be aware of these fees when comparing and signing up for a bundle package.
Along with added fees, you’ll want to consider any service terms or contractual obligations. Does the internet come with a data cap? Does that satellite TV service require a two-year contract and a significant price jump after the first year?
Lastly, look for any special promotions or bonus offers that come with your bundle. I say “lastly” because special offers are the least significant factor when choosing a bundle — pricing, speeds, channel selection and service terms are more important. If you’re debating between bundles and one comes with a $200 gift card and the other does not, the decision becomes a bit easier to make.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to bundle. There may be times when selecting internet service from one provider and TV from another is more cost-effective than bundling. For example, Verizon Fios internet is generally a better deal than Spectrum’s internet service, but Spectrum is cheaper when it comes to TV service.
How we evaluated the top internet and TV bundles
Hands-on testing is central to CNET’s reviews and recommendations of various products and services, but such a process is impractical if not impossible when it comes to home internet. Even if we could physically test each ISP, external and unavoidable factors such as the equipment (which will vary by provider and connection type), interference from nearby networks, the local infrastructure and even the time of day could affect the results.
Instead of hands-on testing, we perform frequent, in-depth evaluations of national and regional ISPs and the bundles they offer. To start, we explore a provider’s availability, technology and speed details using the most recent data from the Federal Communications Commission. Next, we look into all available plan options, including the number of plans to choose from, upload and download speeds, TV channel lineups and promotional versus standard pricing.
Plans can vary by region, so we run multiple serviceability checks in various service areas to provide more informed speed, channel and pricing details. We also reach out to the providers directly to verify plan and pricing information.
Finally, we take a look at service details such as data caps, added fees, contracts, price increases and other considerations to be aware of before signing up for an internet or TV service. When available, customer satisfaction reports like those from the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, not to mention a look at what real customers have to say on sites like Reddit and Downdetector.com, provide further insight into evaluating an ISP.
After examining the applicable providers in a given category (in this case, “best bundles”), we determine which providers and plans we feel should be considered among the “best.” If you’d like to learn more about how we evaluate internet providers, check out our breakdown of how we review ISPs.
Internet and TV bundle overview
Bundling internet and TV together is a convenient way to sign up for multiple services, and could even save you some money versus signing up for individual services.
Bundles will vary by provider, and each provider is likely to offer a number of different bundles, so be sure to explore all your options to get the best bundle for your needs and your budget. Speeds, channel selection and pricing are important considerations, but pay attention to added fees and service terms when comparing bundles. Remember, you don’t have to bundle internet and TV together if it makes more sense to get internet from one provider and TV from another.
Internet and TV bundle FAQs
What is the best bundle for TV and Internet?
Cable providers often have the simplest and most cost-effective internet and TV bundles. Cable ISPs such as Cox, Mediacom, Optimum, Spectrum and Xfinity, for example, have multiple internet and TV bundles to choose from with varying speeds and channel lineups.
Few fiber internet providers also offer a TV service, so bundles may include a streaming service. AT&T Fiber and DirecTV Stream bundles are popular, as are Frontier Fiber and YouTube TV bundles.
If you plan on getting internet and TV anyway, you might as well bundle them. Before you do, make sure you’re getting the internet speeds you need and the channels you want without a cheaper option available elsewhere.
Signing up for a $70 cable package just to watch AMC, ESPN and TBS, for example, could have you paying more than necessary. Live TV streaming services offer similar channels to cable and often cost less — Sling TV, for example, has those three channels and costs just $35. Additionally, many providers sell a “basic” or “locals only” TV package that charges you for channels you can get over the air for free with a digital antenna. On the other hand, if you want regional sports networks, a cable TV package may be your best (and sometimes only) option.
To make things just a little more complicated, many internet providers now offer an internet and streaming bundle with streaming services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, or their own exclusive streaming service in addition to traditional TV. We’ve included those bundles, when cheap, in the list above.
Bundling internet and TV together may come with a monthly discount depending on the provider. Spectrum and Xfinity offer a bundle discount, but others including AT&T, Cox and Verizon Fios currently do not. Even if there is no discount available, bundling services may still save you money by cutting or combining installation and equipment costs.
Can I bundle internet and TV with different providers?
Many DSL and fiber providers, such as CenturyLink and Frontier, do not offer stand-alone TV service and instead partner with national providers like DirecTV and Dish or streaming services to offer bundles. In these cases, you’ll be bundling internet and TV with different providers, and possibly get a discount for doing so.
If you just want internet from a fiber provider and TV from your local cable provider, however, a bundled package, especially one with a discount, is doubtful. There are no bundles, for example, that combine internet from AT&T Fiber and TV from Xfinity.
That depends on your entertainment demands. On-demand streaming platforms like Disney Plus, Hulu and Netflix often come at a lower monthly price than most cable packages, but they do not offer live channels. Streaming services that do have live TV — like Hulu Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV — may come at a monthly cost that approaches the price of a cable package. Equipment costs are typically lower and there may be more exclusive content available with a streaming service versus traditional cable.
The bottom line is that, as with home internet, choosing the cheapest TV option (streaming or otherwise) may not suit your needs. Before signing up for an internet and TV bundle, make sure the package includes the internet speeds you need and the channels you want.
What is the cheapest way to get internet in your house?
If you need little more than a basic connection for browsing the internet and light streaming, consider the cheapest plans available from providers in your area. Many providers offer cheap plans starting at $30 to $50 per month for speeds up to 100Mbps or higher.
Opting to use your own router, or choosing a provider that includes it for free, can help cut your monthly internet costs. Be aware of other conditions of service, such as data caps or contracts, that could affect your internet bill.
The rise of generative AI has led to a plethora of publicly accessible artificial intelligence tools, but what are the risks when external AI tools […]
