So, you can still get awesome TV at home with CenturyLink. And I’ve been finding out all the ways that can happen.
I’m going to be running through the following subjects in today’s article:
- The best and worst bits
- Bundles you can get
- DirecTV
- The online recommendation tool
- How to get started
- CenturyLink vs. other providers
Let’s get right into it.
CenturyLink TV Pros & Cons
Here are what I think are the best and worst bits about CenturyLink TV:
Pros
- Great bundles with DirecTV and internet plans
- Recommendation tool is super helpful
- Reasonable choice of internet speed
- Really easy to save money
- Tons of great channels from DirecTV
Cons
- No actual TV packages directly from CenturyLink
- DirecTV itself is a little expensive
- Internet is restrictive if there is no fiber in your area
Internet and TV Bundles from CenturyLink
While CenturyLink doesn’t have its own TV service, you can still simplify your billing with their internet plans and DirecTV.
That’s because CenturyLink and AT&T have partnered up to offer packages for Internet and DirecTV.
Here’s a look at our top picks. You won’t be able to save any money by taking them up together, but having both services under CenturyLink’s bill will make life easier.
#1 Best Bundle for Budgets: CenturyLink Fiber 200 and DirecTV Stream Entertainment
The best value for money CenturyLink Internet plan is Fiber 200 and DirecTV Entertainment in its streaming form.
So, it only makes sense that the best value for money bundle is a combination of these two, right? And that is exactly the case.
DirecTV Entertainment is the entry level DirecTV channel package. If you opt to go for the more affordable streaming option (instead of satellite), you’ll get 65+ channels [1]. They include the likes of Disney Channel, Discovery and CNN.
The cost of this service will be $69.99 per month plus taxes and fees. And the good news is that you won’t need to sign up for any predetermined amount of time, as there is no minimum contract when you stream.
Fiber 200 is the lowest priced CenturyLink Internet plan at just $30 per month [2]. This is one of the best value fiber internet plans on the market right now in terms of price per Mbps.
Plus, 200 Mbps should still be more than enough for most people. We found that this kind of speed would be able to handle 8 simultaneously Netflix Ultra HD streams. That means it should be more than enough for most families.
It would certainly be more than enough speed for your whole family to watch DirecTV Entertainment separately and at the same time!
The price for both of these things? $99.99 per month plus taxes and fees. To get great TV and fast fiber internet under $100 per month without fees and taxes is a pretty good deal in our eyes.
#2 Best Bundle for Internet Speed: DirecTV Entertainment and Fiber 940
If you prefer, you can opt for the faster DirecTV Fiber of 940 Mbps. At nearly 1000 Mbps, this is an immensely fast speed. It would be more than enough for a large household of 10 (or perhaps even more) people.
Of course, you will have to pay more for this. Fiber 940 is $35-$40 more expensive per month at $65-$70 per month, depending on which region you live in.
If you were to bundle this with the entry level DirecTV option again, Entertainment, your monthly cost would be between $134.99 and $139.99.
This is still not a bad price, but for most people, we generally recommend saving some money and opting for the 200 plan. 940 Mbps is only going to be necessary if you are sharing the internet with a lot of people or constantly need to download very large files.
#3 Best Bundle for Seniors: CenturyLink Fiber 200 and DirecTV Premier
The top of the range DirecTV package is Premier. As you might expect, this one has the most channels with a brilliant 150+ if you choose to stream. You’ll get some of the best sports, entertainment and news channels out there on this plan.
If you go down the satellite route, this number will increase to an almighty 340+. But this option is going to cost you quite a bit more money. Plus, you’ll be tied into a 24 month contract, which is not ideal.
Of course, this bundle is going to be more expensive. DirecTV Premier alone will cost you $149.99 per month to stream. And when you bundle it with CenturyLink Fiber 200, the total price becomes $179.99 per month plus taxes and fees.
At this point, your monthly outgoings are going to be pretty high. That’s why we only recommend this plan for those who really feel like they need all the channels and have the budget to be able to afford it. A perfect option for a senior watching a lot of TV.
#4 Best Bundle for Home Phone: Internet & Phone and DirecTV Entertainment
There is another option here, and that is to add a home phone plan into the mix. CenturyLink still offers landline subscriptions, but the cost of these varies from area to area.
It’s actually not possible to find out the price of the home phone plans in any area online. So, of course, you won’t be able to find out the price of the trio bundle either.
So, if you want to go for a bundle with all three services, it’s best to reach out to CenturyLink directly. That being said, you can get a minimum price on the website.
Internet and phone bundles start ‘as low as $90. So, if you add DirecTV Entertainment into the equation, you’ll be looking at a monthly price of $159.99+ plus taxes and fees.
A Closer Look at DirecTV
Now that you have an idea of how the bundles work with DirecTV, let’s take a closer look at what it actually is.
First of all, here are the four tiers of packages you can get from them. Any of these four can be bundled with CenturyLink’s internet plans.
| Plan | Max price per month(Stream/Satellite) | Number of Channels (Stream/Satellite) | What You Get |
| Entertainment | $69.99/$102 | 75+/165+ | All the best basic channels |
| Choice | $89.99/$124 | 105+/200+ | Entertainment plus loads of sports and more |
| Ultimate | $104.99/$154 | 140+/270+ | Choice plus movie channels |
| Premier | $149.99/$209 | 150+/340+ | Everything you could want, including HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ etc. |
None of the prices in the above table include taxes or any hidden fees, of which there are a few. You can find out about them here.
It should also be noted that with DirecTV Stream, there is no minimum contract. You can sign up from as little as one month, and you can even enjoy a 7-day free trial before you start paying.
DirecTV Satellite, on the other hand, requires you to sign up for 24 months and there’s no way of getting around that.
But do you actually need one of these plans, or would you be better off with something else altogether? A great place to go to find out the answer to that is the CenturyLink TV recommendation tool.
A Closer Look at DISH TV
You can also get CenturyLink Internet with DISH TV. This will not get you a better price but will simplify your billing.
Here are the DISH packages that you can combine with any CenturyLink internet or home phone plan.
| Plan | Price per month | Number of Channels | What You Get |
| America’s Top 120 | $79.99/mo | 190 | All the best basic channels and local channels |
| America’s Top 120 Plus | $94.99/mo | 190+ | Lots of sports channels |
| America’s Top 200 | $99.99/mo | 240+ | Lots of spots and entertainment channels |
| America’s Top 250 | $109.99/mo | 290+ | Everything Sports, Entertainment, & Movies |
CenturyLink’s Recommendation Tool
On the CenturyLink website, you can get help with finding the perfect TV package for you. Simply hit the link then answer the following questions, and you’ll get your recommendation:
- Who is in your household?
- What is your address?
- Would you like to record shows with DVR?
- Which services do you already have?
- How have you been streaming until this point, if you have already?
- Which types of content do you prefer to watch?
- Are live sports important to you?
- Are you a CenturyLink customer already?
- Which channels do you feel that you need?
Having answered these questions, CenturyLink will scan the world of TV packages in the US and give you a recommendation. We found that even though they make money from their DirecTV partnership, the recommendation tool is not biased towards this.
You should get a fair and neutral response from the tool, which is awesome. But don’t just take the recommendation at face value! It’s still worth doing your homework to make sure the plan is going to be the right one for you.
Other TV Packages Recommended by CenturyLink
On top of DirecTV, CenturyLink offers a few other TV services to customers depending on what you have inputted into the recommendation tool. You may also be recommended any of the following from them.
Dish
Another one of the most popular TV services in the US is Dish. This is a vintage company, having been formed back in 1995. This is a satellite TV service with tons of plans available, starting at $64.99.
Which is better between Dish and DirecTV? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. They both offer similar value for money but different channels for the most part.
Generally, we found that DirecTV is better for sport, for example. Although Dish is really good for family channels.
Sling
Never heard of Sling? I don’t blame you. They’ve only been around since 2015 and don’t have as many subscribers as any of the options we’ve looked at so far today.
But that’s not to say they’re no good. CenturyLink wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t!
Sling is a good way to stream live TV and live sports without having to commit to as many channels as most other providers.
The company claims to be the ‘first app-based TV service letting you stream live television’. That, as a concept, is pretty awesome and it seems to be paying off. The reviews are great and I expect to see an increase in popularity for them in the coming years.
And it’s affordable too. You can get sling for as little as $40 per month, making it substantially more affordable than any of the DirecTV packages.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Disney+
If you don’t opt for any live channels, CenturyLink will recommend you one of these popular streaming services instead. They are, of course, a lot cheaper per month (each of them is under $20 per month for the standard plan).
So, if you’re not worried about live TV (including live sports), these are worth considering. To find out which is best for you, I recommend taking a look at their individual websites to see what kind of content they have to offer.
How to Sign Up for TV Through CenturyLink
If you like the sound of any of the TV services we’ve looked at today, you can sign up for them by following the link through the CenturyLink TV recommendation tool.
With DirecTV and Dish, however, you can absolutely check out through the CenturyLink website. Here’s how to do that:
- Select your service: Head to this link and hit the ‘Get DirecTV or ‘Get Dish’ button under their respective sections.
- Enter your address: It’s time for a quick availability check. Enter your address on the next page to find out what you can get. If you prefer, you can find out more about DirecTV in advance here.
- Choose your package: CenturyLink will display all the options available to you on the next page. Take your time to select the one that’s right for you and your household.
- Proceed through the checkout: Hit the ‘Add’ button underneath your plan of choice, add any add-ons you like the look of or hit ‘Skip’ then choose any equipment you want. We recommend opting for your own streaming device instead of paying for the DirecTV one, by the way.
- Enter your details: Now it’s time to enter your address and other personal details then wait for DirecTV to get back to you. Congratulations!
CenturyLink’s Offerings vs. the Competition
Here’s the big question, then. Is CenturyLink and DirecTV the best combination out there? Or would you be better off with a TV service from another provider that we haven’t looked out so far today?
Let’s take a look at how they look side by side for each of the most expensive plans from each provider.
| Plan | Price per month | Number of Channels | Price per Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV Premier | $149.99 | 150+ | $1 |
| The Most Fios TV | $110 | 425+ | $0.26 |
| Xfinity Premier | $89.99 | 185+ | $0.48 |
| Hulu & Live TV | $69.99 | 75+ | $0.93 |
In terms of price per channel, DirecTV is actually more expensive than the competition. But it’s not all about the sheer number of channels. We found that DirecTV has more of the most popular channels than some of the competition.
Just remember to check the availability for the competition before you get too excited about saving some money. Verizon Fios TV, for example, is only available in a handful of states.
CenturyLink TV FAQ
Want to know more about CenturyLink’s TV services? You may find your answer below.
Will CenturyLink offer its own TV packages in the future?
We love DirecTV, but would be keen to see if CenturyLink has any plans to roll out their own TV packages in the future. However, there are no plans to do this just yet.
Which states are CenturyLink and DirecTV available in?
CenturyLink’s main TV partner, DirecTV, is available in most states. You won’t be able to get both the satellite and streaming services in every state, but the availability is generally very good.
CenturyLink Internet itself is a bit more limited in its availability. Right now, you can get one of the plans in 15 states, but Fiber is a lot more limited. To find out more about CenturyLink’s availability, you can read this article.
Last Thoughts on CenturyLink TV
As a company, CenturyLink knows it needs to do something with TV in order to compete with the likes of AT&T and Xfinity. Even though it doesn’t have its own TV service, it is very helpful in the way that it supports TV customers.
Its partnership with DirecTV and its handy recommendation tool on the website are testaments to that.
If you want to go directly with AT&T so that you can get DirecTV from the company who provides it, check out this article on their internet plans.
