Preferred TV is Cox’s television plan that includes 140 channels and costs $98 a month ($0.70 per channel). This plan doesn’t require a contract and won’t increase in price after a year. It’s best for households that want all available local and cable TV channels.
During my search for the ideal TV plan, I found Cox Preferred TV. Thus, I compiled information from every possible source into this review. To help ensure you get a TV plan with the best value.
To help you determine this plan’s legitimacy, I’ll discuss these points:
- Cons and pros
- Plan details
- Who should get it
- Pricing
- Channel lineup
- Additional purchases
- Where you can get it
- Installation process
- Versus other Cox plans
- Versus competing TV plans
Let’s take a closer look.
Cox Preferred TV Pros and Cons
Cox Preferred TV wins and loses in these areas:
Pros:
- Free Peacock Premium account until the end of 2022
- No price increase after a year
- Doesn’t require a contract
Cons:
- A bit pricey for the number of included channels
- Contour TV app lacks in features and device support
Before you reading on:
The prices you’ll find in this review won’t include sales tax or other fees. Because these will differ by region.
What Is Cox Preferred TV?
Cox Preferred TV is Cox’s contract-free cable television plan that includes over 140 channels. These include cable and local channels.
Some of the many features that you’ll get from Preferred TV include:
- Optional channel packages: these include sports, movies, and more
- Standard DVR service for free (for 1 year)
- 1 free Contour HD box
- 50 music channels
- A remote that makes it so you can control the TV box with your voice
- An app that gives you a means to stream channels over devices
If you need more than a single TV box, you’ll need to pay $8.50 per device you order. You CAN use a third-party box, though. I’ll provide more details later.
Who Is Cox Preferred TV Best For?
Cox Preferred TV works best for households of 4 or fewer people that want every local and cable TV channel.
Households with more than 3 people could use this plan, but you’d likely have to pay more for cable boxes. The Contour TV app allows your home to have 3 people streaming channels at once.
But they can only stream on laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
So 3 devices could watch shows on their own devices while 1 person watches something in the family room. The room that has the included Contour HD box.
Any more rooms that want to watch channels at once will require more cable boxes. Since you can’t add more simultaneous streams to the Contour app, you’ll need to pay $8.50 per additional Contour HD box you rent.
How Much Does Cox Preferred TV Cost?
Cox TV Preferred costs $98 a month and doesn’t include sales tax or other fees. Since these plans don’t require a contract, your price won’t increase after 12 months.
Cox Preferred TV Hidden Fees
Additional fees you’ll need to keep in mind for Cox’s Preferred TV plan 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 |
| Wireless 4K Contour Box | $5.00/mo. each |
| Contour HD Box | $8.50/mo. each (1st box included) |
| CableCARD | $6.00/mo. each |
Cox Contour Preferred TV hidden fees.
There’s no way to avoid the broadcast and regional sports fees. I also can’t tell you the exact fees. Since they will vary based on your location.
I’ve already covered the fees for additional Contour HD boxes. So you’ll need to refer to the points above.
What if you want to use your own cable or DVR box with Cox?
You’ll need to pay $6.00 monthly for their CableCARD to receive Cox’s services on your third-party box. Some providers (like Xfinity) won’t charge you for this card [1]. So it’s a bit ridiculous that you’re paying this much for the right to use your own device.
If your home needs more than 1 cable box, getting your own box will still save you a couple bucks per month.
Cox Contour Preferred TV Channel Lineup
Here are the channels you’ll get with Preferred TV:
| On Demand | Bally Sports |
| CBS | Spectrum Sportsnet HD |
| TNT | AMC |
| NBC | A&E |
| CW | NewsNation |
| IND | TV Land |
| ABC | Nickelodeon |
| ION | Cartoon Network |
| IND | Animal Planet |
| PBS | Fox Sports 1 |
| FOX | CMT |
| FOX HD | MoviePlex |
| CNN | Hallmark Channel |
| ESPN | Hallmark movies & mysteries |
| ESPN2 | GSN |
| FX | FXX |
| Freeform | Fox Business |
| Disney Channel | Golf Channel |
| Discovery Channel | Bally Sports |
| USA Network | Newsmax |
| Azteca America | TUDN |
| MeTV | PAC 12 Network |
| IND | Investigation Discovery |
| TBC | QVC3 |
| TCM | Bounce TV |
| C-SPAN2 | C-SPAN |
| Public Access (30) | Public Access (96) |
| Public Access (31) | Jewelry TV |
| Univision | G4 |
| QVC+ | Spectrum News 1 |
| Telemundo | Nick Jr. |
| HSN | National Geographic |
| HSN HD | Leased Access |
| Public Access (39) | ShopHQ |
| TBN | HSN 2 |
| Estrella TV | POP |
| UniMás | C-SPAN3 |
| msnbc | HSN |
| CNBC | Justice Central |
| Fox News | Recipe TV |
| Galavisión | Comedy.TV |
| BET | Jewish Life TV |
| MTV | MTV Live |
| VH1 | MotorTrend |
| The Weather Channel | Localish |
| Paramount Network | QVC |
| Travel Channel | BYUtv |
| TLC | EWTN |
| Bravo | Daystar |
| Food Network | INSP |
| HGTV | Impact Network |
| Lifetime | Aspire |
| E! | theGrio |
| Comedy Central | IFC |
| Syfy | Sundance |
| History | Fox Sports 2 |
| Nick Jr. | Universal Kids |
| WE tv | Great American Family |
Cox Preferred TV channel lineup.
I didn’t include many channels like:
- Music channels
- Sports channels
- Some HD channels
- Local channels
Channel availability will depend on your location. Visit cox.com/residential/tv/channel-lineup.html and enter your ZIP code. Then Cox will magically show you every channel available with Preferred TV.
I talk a lot of smack about Cox’s services, but their channel lineup page has THE BEST filtering option out of every TV provider I’ve researched.
You can filter your channels by genre, TV Packs, and packages. Then there are optional filters like Spanish, HD, Premium, and Televisión Española (TVE).
Cox TV Preferred Premium Channels
Here are the charges you’ll incur for each of Cox’s premium channels:
| Channel | Rate |
| Epix | $12/mo. |
| Cinemax | $12/mo. |
| HBO Max | $15/mo. |
| STARZ | $9.00/mo. |
| SHOWTIME | $11/mo. |
Cox TV Preferred premium channels.
I don’t know your preferences. So I can’t recommend a specific premium channel. However, if you don’t know the channel that House of the Dragon plays, it’s HBO.
There’s no discount if you bundle these channels.
If you want free premium channels, you can get STARZ, HBO, SHOWTIME, and CINEMAX free with Preferred TV Plus.
Cox Preferred TV Sports Channels Add-ons
Here are some sports packages you can get with Cox Preferred TV:
| Package | Price |
| Sports Pack 2 | $20/mo. |
| Sports & Information Package | $10/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 TV sports packs.
The Sports Pack 2 and Sports & Information packages include over 20 channels and require separate subscriptions. If you want these packages included in your plan, I recommend getting TV Ultimate.
It includes both packages and additional add-ons that I’ll cover in a bit.
Regarding the seasonal sports packages. These offerings can expire at a moment’s notice (because of seasonal changes). So check Cox’s sale’s page to see what’s available.
Other Cox Preferred TV 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. |
| Movie Pack | $12/mo. |
| Variety Pack | $12/mo. |
| Premium Channels | $9.00–$15 |
Additional purchases you can make for Cox Contour TV plans.
I listed every channel in Cox’s channel packages in a separate post.
For now, let’s check out a comparison of Cox’s DVR plans:
| 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 Contour DVR services compared.
When I say “Simultaneous Recordings,” I refer to how many shows you can record simultaneously.
Say 2 people want to record shows in the same time slot (e.g., 10 am– 11am). Essential DVR makes that possible. You’ll need to upgrade to a higher tier for any more simultaneous recordings.
Where Is Cox Preferred TV Available?
Cox Preferred TV serves some cities throughout the following states:
| Arkansas | Arizona | California | Connecticut |
| Florida | Georgia | Iowa | Idaho |
| Kansas | Louisiana | Massachusetts | Missouri |
| North Carolina | Nebraska | Nevada | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Rhode Island | Virginia |
List of states where you can get Cox Communications television services.
Since it’s cable internet, many rural areas won’t have much access to Cox’s services. I recommend checking the cities they support before buying a plan.
Follow this link and select your city. From there, Cox will show you every city they support.
Cox Preferred TV Installation Process
Here are the steps you’ll take to install Cox Preferred TV:
- Order your service
- Connect your Contour TV box to a power and coaxial outlet
- Program the included remote with your television
It should only take a day to receive your self-installation kit. While waiting, you can watch channels on up to 3 laptops and/or smartphones simultaneously using the Contour TV app.
If you don’t already have remote codes to program your Cox Voice remote to your TV, I’ve included them in a separate guide.
When using a third-party DVR, you’ll need to type cox.com/install into your browser’s address bar and follow the on-screen prompts.
And if you got the Streaming Only plan and received the 4K Contour Stream Player, it’s plug-and-play. Plug it into your TV and follow the prompts on your television screen.
Cox Preferred TV vs. Other Cox TV Plans
The following table compares Cox Preferred TV plans to its counterparts:
| Plan | Channels | Price | Price Per Channel |
| Contour Starter TV | 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 contour TV plans compared.
You’ll want Preferred if you want every local and cable channel. But don’t want to pay for premium or sports channels.
Otherwise, for just premium channels, you’ll want to get Preferred Plus.
To get every channel package (except International and Latino), you’ll want Ultimate TV.
The Streaming tier is only helpful if you want a 4K TV streaming box and don’t want to spend around $40 upfront for something like a Roku Express 4K device [2].
The Cox plan you should get depends on your home’s preferences. Sift through each plan’s channel lineup and see what everyone would actually watch.
Since there are no contracts or cancellation fees with any of their plans, you could try a plan for a month and observe what people watch.
And you can customize your plans. If you only want STARZ yet want every local and cable channel, go for Premium and subscribe to the STARZ package.
It’ll cost $107 per month and save you the $145 you would have spent on Premium Plus TV after 1 year. Because Plus’ price increases after their promotion.
Cox Preferred TV vs. Competing TV Plans
Compare Cox Preferred TV to other television plans to help you decide your household’s TV plan:
| Plan | Channels | Price | Price Per Channel |
| Contour TV Preferred | 140+ | $98/mo. | $0.70 |
| Your Fios TV | 125+ | $70/mo. | $0.56 |
| DirecTV Ultimate (Stream) | 140+ | $84.99/mo. | $0.60 |
| Xfinity Popular TV/Extra | 125+ | $49.99/mo. | $0.39 |
Television plans with over 100 channels compared.
Cox Preferred TV gives you the best overall value regarding cable television. While the table shows Xfinity has the lowest price per channel, that’s only during your term agreement.
Once this time passes, you’ll need to pay $70 monthly ($0.56 per channel). And you’ll still have fewer channels than TV Preferred.
They have the same number of channels as Your Fios TV. And if you’re in an area that supports Cox, Your Fios TV, and Xfinity, I’d go with Your Fios TV.
So long as they offer channels you’d watch. They use fiber optic internet and provide a reasonable price per channel compared to the competition. Fiber optic television means you’ll have the most reliable television signal.
A more reliable television signal means you’ll have less downtime.
DirecTV Ultimate’s streaming variation works best for sports enthusiasts with at least 24 Mbps of internet bandwidth available (per device) [3]. That’s because it’s technically a streaming service.
Though it requires almost as much download speed as 4K video streaming. And if you’re using an internet service provider with a data cap, you can likely only watch 200 hours of TV.
You may only have access to some of these plans based on your location. For an accurate comparison, I covered overlapping supported areas in a separate guide.
FAQs: Cox Preferred TV
Keep reading to find frequently asked questions about Cox Preferred TV.
Does Cox Offer Senior Discounts?
Cox does not offer discounts to seniors on their television plans.
Does Cox Preferred TV Require a Contract?
Cox Contour TV Preferred does not require a contract. If you bundle this plan with other Cox services, you may have to lock yourself into a 2-year contract.
Does Cox Preferred TV Have Any Discounts?
There aren’t any specific discounts for Cox Preferred TV.
Does Cox Offer Discounts When You Bundle Preferred TV With Other Services?
Cox will not give you any discounts when bundling Contour TV Preferred with other Cox services.
Conclusion
Cox Preferred TV doesn’t have the most availability or price per channel. But it doesn’t require a contract. That means you’ll love this plan if you’re in an area that supports Cox television, but don’t want to commit.
If you’re looking for an alternative to Xfinity cable TV.
Don’t like the plan I just covered? Check out alternative TV providers that we’ve reviewed.
