Preferred Plus TV includes 140 local and cable channels. It also includes all 30 of their premium channels. This plan will cost you $118 a month, and each channel costs $0.69. Discounts for their premium channels end in 1 year and makes the plan $145 monthly. It’s best for homes with 4 or less people who want premium channels.
While searching for the perfect home TV plan, I found Cox Preferred TV Plus. I grouped information from various sources to help you determine whether it’s worth getting.
Here’s what I’ll cover:
- Wins and loses
- What it is
- Who it’s best for
- Cost
- Channels you’ll get
- Add-ons
- Where it’s available
- How to get it
- How it compares to other Cox plans
- Versus competitors
Let’s dig in.
Cox Preferred TV Plus Pros and Cons
Cox Preferred TV has advantages and disadvantages in these realms:
Pros:
- Discounted premium channels for 12 months
- Free Starter DVR service (for a bit)
- 50 commercial-free music channels
- Voice Remote is useful
Cons:
- 20% increase in price after 12 months
- Contour TV app doesn’t offer support to many devices
Disclaimer:
This plan’s price will vary based on your location. Because the price I’ll mention doesn’t include additional fees or taxes.
What Is Cox Preferred TV Plus?
Cox TV Preferred Plus is Cox’s contract-free cable TV plan that includes more than 170 channels. These include a mix of premium, local TV, and cable channels.
Plus extends upon Preferred’s offerings by giving you access to all the secondary channels under Cox’s premium channels. These channels include EPIX, SHOWTIME, HBO, CINEMAX, and STARZ.
Here are the features you’ll find with Preferred TV Plus:
- 1 Contour HD box for free
- Add-on channel packages
- Standard DVR service for free: lasts for a year
- 50 music channels that don’t have commercials
- Voice Remote: I’ll provide details later
- An app you can use to stream select channels
Let’s figure out whether this plan’s worth getting.
Who Is Cox Preferred TV Plus Best For?
Cox Preferred TV Plus is best for homes with 4 or fewer people who want discounted premium channels.
You’ll get every secondary channel that comes with the premium channels I mentioned earlier. And a means to watch all your channels simultaneously on up to 3 laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
Then you get the 1 free Contour HD box. And if you want more than 4 boxes, the plan’s value diminishes. Because you’ll need to pay $8.50 per additional box you rent.
Or $6.00 per third-party box you use.
How Much Does Cox Preferred TV Plus TV Cost?
Cox TV Preferred TV plus costs $118 a month for the first 12 months. That’s $0.69 per channel. Upon passing this number of months, you’ll pay $145 a month.
These prices don’t account for other fees (i.e., regional sports fee) or sales tax. But you’ll get 1 free TV box. Additional television fees will cost $8.50 each.
Keep reading to find more in-depth pricing.
Cox Preferred Plus TV Hidden Fees
Hidden fees for Cox Contour Preferred Plus TV include:
| Fee Type | Price |
| Professional installation | Varies by package and region |
| Canceled appointment fee | $100 |
| Broadcast surcharge | $19/mo. |
| Regional sports surcharge | Up to $5.00–$12.50/mo. |
| Late payment fee | $8.35 |
| Returned check fee | Up to $25 |
| Credit card denied fee | Up to $25 |
| Collection fee | Up to $25 |
| Reconnection fee | $20 per service |
| Contour HD Box | $8.50/mo. each (1st box included) |
| CableCARD | $6.00/mo. each |
Cox Preferred TV Plus hidden fees.
Earlier I mentioned using your own cable box and paying $6.00 a month. That’s the CableCARD. It’s a card you insert into your third-party device to use Cox’s television services.
Only use this option if you want more than 1 cable box in your home and use your own.
Your plan comes with a free Contour HD box. So you won’t save money by replacing the included box with a third-party device.
As for the regional sports and broadcast fees. You can’t avoid them. And their prices will vary based on your location.
Cox Contour Preferred TV Plus Channel Lineup
You’ll find the following channels with Cox Preferred Plus TV [1]:
| On Demand | CMT |
| CBS | MoviePlex |
| TNT | Hallmark Channel |
| NBC | Hallmark movies & mysteries |
| CW | GSN |
| IND | FXX |
| ABC | Fox Business |
| ION | Golf Channel |
| IND | Bally Sports |
| PBS | Newsmax |
| FOX | TUDN |
| FOX HD | PAC 12 Network |
| CNN | Investigation Discovery |
| ESPN | QVC3 |
| ESPN2 | Bounce TV |
| FX | C-SPAN |
| Freeform | Public Access (96) |
| Disney Channel | Jewelry TV |
| Discovery Channel | G4 |
| USA Network | Spectrum News 1 |
| Azteca America | Nick Jr. |
| MeTV | National Geographic |
| IND | Leased Access |
| TBC | ShopHQ |
| TCM | HSN 2 |
| C-SPAN2 | POP |
| Public Access (30) | C-SPAN3 |
| Public Access (31) | HSN |
| Univision | Justice Central |
| QVC+ | Recipe TV |
| Telemundo | Comedy.TV |
| HSN | Jewish Life TV |
| HSN HD | MTV Live |
| Public Access (39) | MotorTrend |
| TBN | Localish |
| Estrella TV | QVC |
| UniMás | BYUtv |
| msnbc | EWTN |
| CNBC | Daystar |
| Fox News | INSP |
| Galavisión | Impact Network |
| BET | Aspire |
| MTV | theGrio |
| VH1 | IFC |
| The Weather Channel | Sundance |
| Paramount Network | Fox Sports 2 |
| Travel Channel | Universal Kids |
| TLC | Great American Family |
| Bravo | Nick Jr. |
| Food Network | WE tv |
| HGTV | History |
| Lifetime | Bally Sports |
| E! | Spectrum Sportsnet HD |
| Comedy Central | AMC |
| Syfy | A&E |
| Nickelodeon | NewsNation |
| Cartoon Network | TV Land |
| Animal Planet | Fox Sports 1 |
Cox TV Preferred Plus channel lineup.
This lineup doesn’t include the 50 music channels included in every Cox plan. It also doesn’t include local or premium channels.
To get the most accurate channel lineup, type cox.com/residential/tv/channel-lineup.html into your address bar and enter your ZIP code.
Cox TV Preferred Plus Premium Channel Lineup
Here are all the secondary and primary premium channels you’ll get with Preferred TV Plus:
| HBO | HBO 2 | HBO Signature | HBO Family |
| HBO Comedy | HBO Zone | HBO Signature (East) | HBO (East) |
| HBO 2 (East) | HBO Latino | Cinemax | More MAX |
| Action MAX (East) | Thriller MAX | Action MAX | Cinemax (East) |
| More MAX (East) | Movie MAX | Cinemáx | Outer MAX |
| Star MAX | Playboy | Playboy en Español | SHOWTIME |
| SHOW*BET | SHOWTIME Extreme | SHOWTIME Showcase | SHOWTIME 2 |
| SHOWTIME Women | SHOWTIME Next | The Movie Channel | Starz |
| SHOWTIME Family Zone | TMC Extra | The Movie Channel (East) | Starz (West) |
| Starz Edge East | Starz in Black (East) | Starz (East) | Starz Kids & Family |
| Starz Cinema | Starz Comedy | Starz Edge | Starz in Black |
| AMC+ | EPIX Hits | EPIX | EPIX2 |
| EPIX Drive-in |
Cox Premium channel lineup.
Cox Preferred Plus Sports Channels
Unlike Ultimate TV, Preferred Plus doesn’t give you any free sports packages. You’ll need to pay these rates for the various sports packs:
| Package | Price |
| Sports Pack 2 | $20/mo. |
| NFL RedZone | $44.99 (one-time) |
| MLB Extra Innings | $26.99 (one-time) |
| MLS Direct Kick | $89 (one-time) |
| NHL Center Ice | $69.99 (one-time) |
| NBA League Pass | * Season ended |
Cox Preferred Plus sports packages.
* 2022–2023 season will begin October 18th, 2022 [2].
Season availability on every package (except Sports Pack 2) will vary. Check their sports page to see whether the package you want is in-season.
Cox Preferred TV Plus Add-ons
Here are options Cox offers to customize your channel package:
| Add-on or Package | Price |
| Latino Pack | $10.00/mo. |
| International Channels | $8.50/mo. |
| Sports & Info Pack | $10/mo. |
| Sports Pack 2 | $10/mo. |
| Movie Pack | $12/mo. |
| Variety Pack | $12/mo. |
| Essential DVR Service | $10.00/mo. for 12 months |
| Preferred DVR Service | $20.00/mo. |
| Ultimate DVR Service | $30.00/mo. |
List of service and channel add-ons for Cox.
Cox’s DVR services include:
| DVR Service | Price | Simultaneous Recordings | Hours of HD Video Storage |
| Essential DVR Service | $13.50/mo. | 2 | 250 |
| Preferred DVR Service | $20/mo. | 6 | 250 |
| Ultimate DVR Service | $30/mo. | 24 | 1,000 |
Cox DVR services compared.
“Simultaneous Recordings” refers to the number of shows you can record at once. For instance, you could record a show on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon during the same time slow (e.g., 9:00 pm–9:30 pm).
Each of Cox’s channel packages have at least 10 or more channels. I’ve condensed them in a separate piece. Check them out to see whether they’re worth adding to your plan.
Cox Preferred TV Plus Availability
You can get Cox Preferred TV Plus in 624 areas spread throughout the following 19 states:
| Arkansas | Arizona | California | Connecticut |
| Florida | Georgia | Iowa | Idaho |
| Kansas | Louisiana | Massachusetts | Missouri |
| North Carolina | Nebraska | Nevada | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Rhode Island | Virginia |
States where you can get Cox Communications TV services.
To find the 624 areas they support, follow this link and click on your state. From there, you can check the page to see whether they support your city.
Cox Preferred TV Plus Installation Process
Order your Cox Preferred TV Plus service online and receive your self-installation kit. While waiting for your kit, you can watch TV on the Contour TV app.
Upon receiving your kit (about a day later), connect the Contour HD box to your wall’s coaxial and power outlets. Finally, power on your TV and program your remote.
I’ve included the Cox remote codes in a separate guide.
How would you install a third-party DVR with Cox?
Type cox.com/install into your browser’s address bar and follow the prompts that appear. If you encounter issues, call 800-234-3993 and tell them you want to install a third-party DVR.
Anyway. What do you do to install the 4K Contour Streaming Player?
Plug it in, power it on, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Now you can watch streaming apps on your TV.
Cox Preferred TV Plus vs. Other Cox Contour TV Plans
Let’s compare Preferred TV Plus to other Contour plans:
| Plan | Channels | Price | Price Per Channel |
| Contour TV Starter | 75+ | $53/mo. | $0.71 |
| Contour TV Preferred | 140+ | $98/mo. | $0.70 |
| Contour TV Preferred Plus | 170+ | $118/mo. | $0.69 |
| Contour TV Ultimate | 250+ | $138/mo. | $0.55 |
| Contour Streaming | NA | $5.00/mo. | NA |
Cox TV contour plans compared.
It’s challenging to recommend TV Preferred Plus over Ultimate TV because Ultimate’s price apparently doesn’t increase after a year.
Yet Preferred Plus’ does.
Ultimate TV includes everything Preferred Plus has, sports channels, and the Variety and Movie Channel packages.
I suppose Preferred Plus gives you the means to test Cox’s premium channels. Determine whether your home would actually watch them.
Plus, these plans have no cancellation fees. So if you don’t want to commit, you can just cancel.
Streaming Only would give you a 4K streaming box for $5.00 monthly. So if you don’t have enough money to get a Roku Express 4K+, you could use this plan in the meantime.
Cox’s basic local television plan (Starter) works for anyone wanting to save money. And Preferred offers every local and cable TV channel.
Whatever plan you choose depends on your household’s preferences.
Cox Preferred TV Plus vs. The Competition
Here’s what happens when you compare Preferred TV Plus to competing plans:
| Plan | Channels | Price | Price Per Channel |
| Contour TV Preferred Plus | 170+ | $118/mo. | $0.69 |
| Dish America’s Top 120 | 190 | $69.99/mo. | $0.36 |
| DirecTV Choice (Satellite) | 200+ | $69.99/mo. | $0.34 |
| Xfinity Ultimate/Preferred | 185+ | $88.50/mo. | $0.47 |
Television plans compared.
TV Preferred Plus offers the most value Premium channels. Instead of having to add them to your subscription at a higher rate. A pricing strategy most other providers use.
It looks like Preferred Plus charges an exorbitant rate per channel.
Consider this first.
DirecTV’s price increases to $124 monthly after 2 years. So you have to deal with potentially losing your television signal when it rains, AND you pay more per channel. The former weakness stems from the fact that DirecTV’s satellite TV.
Dish’s price increases to $104 a month, but you don’t get any premium channels.
Dish and DirecTV offer the best options for anyone living in rural areas [3]. Since satellite internet provides the most coverage among TV service types.
To get more reliability and availability, Xfinity Comcast offers plenty of it. But it only gives you HBO and SHOWTIME free if you bundle Comcast TV with their home internet services.
Preferred Plus serves a purpose. To give you discounted Premium channels. No other television service provider can beat that at the moment.
I’ve covered the overlapping supported regions of all these providers in a separate post. It would take too long to read if I posted them all here.
FAQs: Cox Preferred TV Plus
Let’s explore frequently asked questions about Cox’s Preferred TV Plus plan.
Are Any Discounts Available for Cox Preferred TV Plus?
If you get Cox Preferred TV Plus before September 26th, 2022, you can save $27 on your television plan for the first year [4].
What Is The Best Alternative to Cox Cable TV?
Xfinity is the best option regarding availability. Meanwhile, Verizon Fios TV is the best alternative for price and reliability.
Does Cox Preferred TV Plus Require a Contract?
Cox Preferred TV Plus doesn’t require a contract.
Will I Get a Discount When Bundling Cox TV Preferred Plus With Other Services?
Cox will not give you a discount if you bundle Cox TV Preferred Plus with their home internet, landline, or home security services.
Conclusion
Cox Preferred TV Plus gives customers cable, local, and premium channels for a decent price. If you don’t want premium channels, there’s no reason to get this plan.
You’ll either want to search for different Cox home TV plans or compare alternatives. We’ve made research a lot easier by comparing their competitors. Check out our findings.
