Frontier Internet with TV Bundles Review

Frontier bundles for TV keep you on top of all the adrenaline-filled action with access to NFL RedZone or the latest episode of The Walking Dead. With Frontier's DSL or Fiber service bundled with YouTube TV, you'll find popular family channels and no annual contract.

Bundling with Frontier fiber internet is the only way you’ll get YouTube TV at a discounted price with gig speeds, and we’re about to find out if the price of bundling is still worth the number of channels you get.

At first glance, Frontier’s bundles for TV seem to have more similarities than differences. But take another look, and you’ll notice a few differences that might influence your decision of which TV bundle to grab.

The Frontier Internet + YouTube TV bundle price is the same as what you pay for Frontier's Fiber 500 + YouTube TV bundle, but you won't get the same fiber speeds. So if you can get it, we recommend the Fiber 500 + YouTube TV bundle.

Whether you get Frontier's DSL bundle or its fiber bundles depends on where you live. And yeah, it’s kind of maddening that you’re stuck with one or the other based on where you call home.

Fiber plus YouTube TV nets you a good amount of channels with those G-force fiber speeds.

The major difference between Frontier's Fiber bundles with YouTube TV is speed. And even Frontier's cheapest and slowest fiber plan, Fiber 500 + YouTube TV offers you half a gig of download speed for just about $50 more than the cost of YouTube TV itself.

But again, whether you can land this steal of a deal depends on where you live. Frontier's Fiber Internet service is available only in California, Florida, Indiana, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. So if you call another state home, you might want to check out Frontier’s availability.

If you are lucky enough to get Frontier's fiber and YouTube TV bundles, the Fiber 500 + YouTube TV plan is a good deal. To compare, a 500 Mbps AT&T Fiber plus DIRECTV PREMIER TV bundle does come with more channels (340+ to be exact), but it’ll run you almost a whopping $220 a month. That makes the Fiber 500 + YouTube TV bundle with 100+ channels and 500 Mbps look rather enticing, doesn’t it?

Channel counts are cool and all, but will you actually watch all of them? Probably not. We like to try though, right? Here’s which channels you'll get with YouTube TV.

YouTube TV's channel lineup has most of your favorite cable TV channels, and we think it is one of the best live TV streaming services for sports.

Here’s a look at the channels you can get with YouTube TV:

Don’t worry, you can still get your Max (formerly HBO Max) fix with Youtube TV. Premium channel packages can be added onto your YouTube TV service. Now all you have to do is pick and choose which ones you want. Hmm. . .

• CINEMAX
• MGM+
• MAX
• SHOWTIME
• STARZ
• MGM+
• AMC+
• Sports Plus
• NBA League Pass
• Spanish Plus

YouTube TV offers 14 sports channels plus the option to add a Sports Plus add-on package for $11 a month or $80 a year, which comes with the NFL RedZone Channel, Stadium, Fight Network, Fox Soccer Plus, GoITV, and beIN Sports. You can even cancel the Sports Plus add-on after the season has ended.

YouTube TV includes the following sports channels:

YouTube TV's DVR gives you unlimited storage for no extra cost, and you'll be able to access your recordings for up to nine months. We wish YouTube TV let you download content from you're library, so keep in mind you'll have to be connected to the internet to view your recordings.

On top of unlimited cloud storage, you'll be able to share six accounts per household with three simultaneous streams. And with Frontier's Fiber 500 Mbps service, you shouldn't run into any buffering. 

Frontier's bundle with YouTube TV has a refreshing approach to contracts: it has none. And since YouTube TV is an online streaming service, you won't have to worry about installation or equipment fees.

You'll still have a two-year contract with your Frontier DSL or Fiber Internet service, but you can cancel YouTube TV anytime. 

Because Frontier Internet service comes with a contract, you'll want to watch out for early termination fees (ETFs). Frontier says you'll need to check on your service terms to determine how much you'll owe, so our guess is this is how that contract cancellation story goes:

Frontier early termination fee: Your monthly price x the number of months you have left on your two-year contract

You should also watch out for other miscellaneous fees, which Frontier is pretty candid about. It even includes a handy image of what your final bill might look like and annotated those miscellaneous charges.

If you consult the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Frontier rates near the bottom of the list for customer service.¹ That’s pretty shabby—and its score of 61 out of 100 leaves a lot to be desired. (It did, however, improve from last year’s ACSI report of 57.)

Our experience chatting with Frontier customer service wasn’t the worst—but it also wasn’t the best. The service rep was responsive but got a few details mixed up and had to re-clarify for us later.

Of course, this would have been less of a problem if it was easier to find features and prices on Frontier’s website. Oh, and if Frontier didn’t require your name, phone number, and email to chat with customer service. (Can you tell that’s a pet peeve of ours?)

That’s the nuts and bolts of Frontier’s bundles with YouTube TV, but if you just want the TL;DR, here it is.

• Bundles and pricing: If you want YouTube TV at a discount price, you’ve gotta bundle up. While we think its fiber internet is great, bundling may not be for everyone. And don’t we all deserve a choice? This also makes it difficult to compare prices with the competition, but we did find it to be right on par or cheaper than other bundles.
• Channels: We rate YouTube TV as one of the best live TV streaming services for its channel lineup. You'll have access to 14 sports channels and sports add-on options, popular family channels, and premium channel add-ons.
• YouTube TV DVR: With YouTube TV's DVR you'll get unlimited recordings available for nine months, access to six accounts, and three simultaneous streams.
• Contract: RIP the no-contract Frontier we knew and loved. Your Frontier internet service now comes with a two-year contract. But you'll be able to cancel YouTube TV anytime without any cancellation fees.
• Customer service: Frontier’s customer service doesn’t get great ratings, and our own experience was pretty “meh.” Long story short, get ready to power up your patience.

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