Update: As of August 1, 2022, Suddenlink is officially becoming Optimum. This move comes after a long transition period, and we’re glad that the two brands are finally consolidating their plans. Head over to our Optimum TV review to learn more.
Only a few months after introducing standalone TV plans, Suddenlink has already switched back to its old ways: selling TV only in bundles with high-speed cable internet service, a home phone line, or both.
Suddenlink also raised its prices by around 15%–20%, which puts its pricing in the mid-to-high range compared to other cable providers. But Suddenlink’s highest-tier TV and internet bundles, which include HBO Max™, offer decent value for the cost. And switchers can find even more value in Suddenlink’s $500 contract buyout offer, no contracts, and free installation offers.
But considering Suddenlink’s waffling on standalone TV plans, higher pricing, and poor customer satisfaction scores (it rated 7th for internet and dead last for TV in our 2020 survey), we recommend checking out other TV providers in your area before committing. If you’ve already done that, Suddenlink’s contract buyout offer and no-contract plans make it relatively risk free to try.
Suddenlink bundles and deals
Suddenlink lets you pair one of four internet plans (with speeds from 100–940 Mbps) with four TV plans (with 50–340+ channels) for a total of 16 internet and TV bundle options. You can also add a home phone line to any of these bundles for $10 a month.
Suddenlink basic cable
Suddenlink’s Basic TV package has 50+ channels for $30.00 a month and bundles with any of Suddenlink’s standalone internet plans:
- Internet 100 ($29.99/mo., up to 100 Mbps)
- Internet 300 ($39.99/mo., up to 200 Mbps)
- Internet 500 ($59.99/mo., up to 400 Mbps)
- Internet 1 Gig ($79.99/mo., up to 940 Mbps)
The thing is, we don’t recommend basic cable TV packages. An over-the-air (OTA) TV antenna should pick up virtually the same local broadcast channels and subchannels as any TV providers’ basic cable packages—and you’ll pay for it only once ($30.00–$60.00) instead of monthly.
Suddenlink Stream
Another TV option with Suddenlink is Suddenlink Stream, a streaming service and device combo similar to the Xfinity Flex.
For $5 a month (or free with Internet 1 Gig), Suddenlink Stream has 50+ channels, including America’s Test Kitchen, Bon Appetit, Cheddar, Divorce Court, Family Feud, Filmrise Classic, Glamour, i24, Stingray music channels, TMX, WIRED, Xumo Free Movies, and more.
Suddenlink Stream also supports 5,000 apps—including Discovery+, Google Play, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peaco*ck, and Prime Video (separate subscriptions required)—has 4K support, and comes with Google Assistant and a voice remote.
Popular channels on Suddenlink
Suddenlink carries 28 of the top 30 most-watched channels according to Variety (missing: ION and MeTV).1 Of those 28 channels, 9 aren’t in high-definition (HD), and Suddenlink doesn’t include HD local channels (ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, and NBC) in the Core package. So, if you want HD resolution, get Select or Premier.
Make sure Suddenlink has your favorite channels
You don’t want to sign up for a Suddenlink bundle, only to find out that you can’t get MTV Dad Rock (that’s a fake channel, but you get the point). Check out our Suddenlink channel guide to make sure the provider has the networks you need.
Suddenlink DVR service and TV equipment
When you sign up for Suddenlink internet and TV bundles, you can rent a modem/router, TV receiver, and other optional devices. Here’s the menu.
Suddenlink TV boxes, modem/routers, and Wi-Fi extenders
| Suddenlink equipment | Price* | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Suddenlink Gateway 6 | $10.00/mo. | Modem/router for Internet 1 Gig |
| Suddenlink Gateway 5 | $10.00/mo. | Modem/router for Internet 100, 200, and 400 |
| Smart Wi-Fi extenders | One free ($3.00/mo. per additional device) | Wi-Fi signal booster |
| Altice One Mini | One free ($10.00/mo. per additional device) | TV receiver |
| Apple TV 4K | $10.00/mo.* | Alternate TV receiver/streaming device (limit one) |
Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* For 18 mos.
Suddenlink charges $10 a month for its Gateway 5 or Gateway 6 modem/router devices (the one you need depends on your plan speed), but your first Altice One Mini is free.
If you want to watch your Suddenlink channels, on-demand content, and DVR recordings on other TVs in your house, you can select up to nine more Altice One Minis for $10 a month each.
You can also rent-to-own an Apple TV 4K streaming device ($10 a month for 18 months) to use as one of your TV boxes. The upside to this is having your Suddenlink TV service and streaming TV subscriptions in one place. You’ll also get three free months of the Apple TV+ streaming service, so you can finally see what’s so great about Ted Lasso.
Suddenlink cloud DVR service
Cable TV providers like Suddenlink are ditching physical DVRs for cloud DVR.
Suddenlink DVR plans and pricing
| Suddenlink DVR plan | Price* | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud DVR | $8.00/mo. | 25 hrs. |
| Cloud DVR Plus | $10.00/mo. | 75 hrs. |
| Cloud DVR Max | $20.00/mo. | 150 hrs. |
Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Okay, $8 a month for 25 hours of cloud DVR storage sucks. Cloud DVR Plus ($10 a month, 75 hours) doesn’t suck as much, but it’s still not great. Cloud DVR Max ($20 a month for 150 hours) has better storage, but its price just blows, especially since all these DVR plans increase your monthly payment by 12%–29%.
By contrast, other DVRs in the biz give you way more. The DISH Hopper 3 DVR has 500 hours of storage for $10 a month, which increases your payment by only 10%–13%. And DIRECTV’s Genie DVR has 200 hours of storage at no extra cost.
If you like huge DVR storage more than constantly deciding which DVR recordings to sacrifice for new ones, consider getting DISH satellite TV. Then you can get standalone internet service from Suddenlink.
Suddenlink TV FAQ
Suddenlink cable TV plans are available only in bundles. Internet and TV bundles run $104.99–$194.99 a month. If you want to add a home phone line with unlimited calling to the US, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, add an extra $10.00 a month onto your bill.
Suddenlink recently raised its prices—and scrapped its recently introduced standalone TV plans—in Fall 2021.
The Suddenlink2Go app has been replaced by the Altice One app, which is available for Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire devices. Just download the app using one of those links, sign in with your Suddenlink credentials, and start streaming.
Suddenlink offers cable TV (340+ channels) but only in bundles with cable internet and, if you want it, home phone service too. Internet and TV bundles cost $104.99–$194.99* a month and offer up to 340+ channels and 940 Mbps download speeds. (*Excludes basic cable TV bundles, which we don’t recommend.)
Suddenlink TV and internet bundles cost $104.99–$194.99 per month. Sorry, but Suddenlink doesn’t offer TV-only service at this time.
Suddenlink’s Basic TV bundles cost $48.99–$78.99 a month and have 50+ channels. Getting Basic TV won’t save you much money because you’ll be paying a monthly fee for channels you can get with an over-the-air (OTA) TV antenna, which you can get for one low payment of $30–$60.
Depending on the internet speed you select, Suddenlink’s Basic TV bundles run $48.99–$78.99 a month and include your local broadcast affiliates (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW) and their subchannels.
That said, we don’t recommend basic cable packages because you’re paying monthly for channels you can pick up with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, which you can buy for $30–$60 (one-time payment).
If you want more channels than that, we recommend Suddenlink’s Value TV package ($79.99 a month, 125+ channels).
See also: Suddenlink Overview | Suddenlink Internet | Suddenlink Bundles | Suddenlink Channel lineup| Suddenlink Customer service
Methodology
CableTV.com spends dozens of hours researching internet and TV providers like Suddenlink, comparing plans, pricing, features, reliability, promotions, testing the checkout process, and more, then offering our expert analysis to our readers to enhance and inform their buying experience. For more on our methodology, see our How We Rank page.
