Regarding the cable television, Optimum has several options that can be used depending on the preferences and the amount of money that is willing to be spent. Choosing the best Optimum TV plan for your home can be overwhelming especially now that there are so many plans out there. This guide will provide a comparison of the main Optimum online TV options so that you can evaluate the advantages and disadvantages and decide on the best plan according to the number of channels and the number of people in the household.
Optimum TV Essential
Optimum’s most basic package is packaged under TV Essential. Here's what you get:
- Over 125+ channels
- Local television stations (ABC, CBS, NBC and others)
- Channels include –Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and all other channels which are more suiting for children and families.
- Drama (CNN, TNT, USA, FX), news.
- Regional sports networks
TV Essential provides quite a decent selection of local and cable programs that are available to be selected. Although there are fewer channels compared to higher tiers, you still get the major networks and the most popular cable stations. This plan is adequate if you mainly desire to watch local news, and entertainment channels only.
However, TV Essential has no options for the kind of channels that are considered high end like HBO, Showtime among others. You also will not receive localized channels tailored for programmes like sports, movies or lifestyle. However, if you could manage to do without those additional channel options, you’ll find that, at one of the lowest monthly rates on offer by Optimum, Essential provides good value for money.
Optimum TV Family
For more channel variety, Optimum TV Family provides over 200+ channels. Everything in the Essential plan is included, plus many more entertainment, sports, news and lifestyle channels such as:
- A&E
- Bravo
- ESPN FS1 and MLB Network for sports
- Hallmark Channel
- HGTV
- History Channel
- National Geographic
- And more!
Optimum TV Family is a bit more expensive than Essential, but you are going to have access to almost twice as many channels. This means that the expanded lineup offered by DirecTV offers programming that can be watched by the entire family. Previous exclusions like movies genre, sports, home and food, and education are now included in this plan.
However, as previously mentioned, TV Family still does not have premium channels. For HBO, Showtime, or Starz in your package, you have to subscribe to them, and this will cost you a certain amount per month for every premium channel.
Optimum TV Prime
The highest level of Optimum TV service is Optimum TV Prime. TV Prime comes with over 300+ channels and has all the content of TV Family along with entertainment, sports, movies and lifestyle channels.
Viewers following the various sports will find it a plus that such channels as NFL RedZone, MLB Extra Innings, NBA TV, and NHL Network are now available. Viewers watch and get peculiar channels namely Sundance TV, IFC and TCM. And prime time television audiences have their favourite stations such as BBC America, ION, WE tv included in the programming list.
In addition to all those additional outlets through all types of programs, the chief advantage of Optimum’s Prime package is the opportunity to receive premium channels, HBO and Showtime, for free. This is because HBO and Showtime are usually charged at $15/month on other TV plans, making their inclusion here reasonable.
The only one premium channel still absent in this package is Starz. This is something like if you wanted to have Starz, then it is available as a separate add-on.
Weighing the TV Plans
When deciding between Optimum's TV Essential, TV Family and TV Prime packages, here are a few key points to consider:
- Number of stations required - Would you prefer having only the primary networks and the most watched cable networks? Or are specialized channels relevant as well?
- Premium channels – does getting HBO and Showtime as part of the package matter to you?
- Monthly price – Determine whether the number of channels offered and the additional features available to be included in each package are worth the price.
- Sports and movie channels – Sports lovers and movie aficionados should ensure that they choose a package with all the channels they need.
If your heart is set on a simple channel package at the cheapest price possible, then existing package TV Essential is the way to go. TV Family is ideal for those desiring more channels and variety across the genre. And TV Prime is Optimum’s high-end service offering more than 300 channels including HBO/Showtime, which will interest movie and television lovers most.
However, you can always subscribe to individual channel packs later on if the main package is lacking something essential to you. It also implies that Optimum can easily be customized with add-ons.
Bundling for More Savings
The final piece of advice when deciding on an Optimum TV plan is to take advantage of bundle deals with internet or home phone. Optimum has several packages where you can get $20/month or even more off if you get the services as a bundle.
Adding TV to internet or home phone can enhance a customer’s services at a less cost. You can obtain higher internet speeds or better TV equipment such as digital video recorders at a lower cost. And bundled pricing guarantees remain unchanged for two years ensuring that you do not pay more than you bargained for.
Are you prepared to pit Optimum plans against each other to determine which TV is perfect for your house? It is recommended to use Optimum’s easy Plan Shopper Tool. In a matter of clicks away, get comprehensive package information, channel availability and pricing. It offers you a shortcut to choosing the best TV solution since Optimum makes the selection process very easy.
Call (844) 302-9433 to get a new Optimum Online connection now!
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