Best Cheap TV Plans Under $50 in October 2025

With Xfinity NOW StreamSaver, you’ll get 125+ live channels, plus included subscriptions to Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock, for just $30.00/mo.. In contrast, to get 125+ channels with Xfinity’s cable TV plans, you’ll need to fork out between $88.85–$108.85 per month. Yikes.

Of course, there’s a little hitch in the StreamSaver giddyup—you gotta have Xfinity internet service to get NOW StreamSaver. (You’ll notice this requirement is a pattern with internet service providers and their streaming TV offshoots.) That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, since our internet expert Eric Chiu named Xfinity as 2025’s best cable internet provider.

Get more details about StreamSaver’s channel lineup, bundle deals, and more on our Xfinity StreamSaver guide.

Although Spectrum TV Stream isn’t as good a deal as Xfinity NOW StreamSaver,  it’s still an excellent option for folks looking for an affordable TV plan.

Coming in at $40.00/mo. for 85+ popular live channels, Spectrum TV Stream is a cheap way to get your TV fix without breaking the bank.

One downside is that, like Xfinity NOW StreamSaver, you’ll need Spectrum Internet® to get TV Stream. Unfortunately, Spectrum Internet is less widespread than Xfinity, which makes this plan a bit harder to cop if it interests you.

Although I am no longer a Spectrum Internet customer, I still receive mail at my apartment from Spectrum advertising TV Stream. Learning that it has popular channels like CNN, the History Channel, and TLC definitely piqued my interest, and makes TV Stream an attractive option that I’d consider if I were still subscribed to Spectrum.

If you’re already a Spectrum Internet customer—or are thinking of making the switch—head over to our dedicated Spectrum TV Stream guide to learn more before you buy.

If you’re a sportsball fan looking for cheap TV, I’d suggest skipping down to the next section. Philo has practically no sports channels, which is a big drawback. But again, for less than $30 per month (and with top-of-the-pack customer satisfaction scores), we say Philo is well worth the investment for non-sports fans looking for a deal.

If you closely review the channel lineups of the above budget TV picks, you may notice a pattern regarding a lack of sports channels. Sports and local channels can be costly, so those are typically the first channels providers cut to keep their costs low.

That’s where Sling TV’s Orange plan comes in, offering a low price and a wide selection of sports channels. Sling Orange offers ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, and MotorTrend, plus the ability to stack up add-ons for even more sports content (but for a little extra moola each month)

I will admit, Sling TV is not our favorite live TV streaming service. Sling has smaller channel lineups than other services, which is a major detraction.

On a positive note, Sling does offer plenty of cheap add-ons to bulk up your plan of choice. Sling also provides a solid selection of premium channels, including some excellent sports channel packs to supplement the already included sports content, which makes it my pick for the best budget-friendly plan for sports lovers.