Several cable TV operators offer a virtual option to subscribers of their home broadband service, including Charter Communications Inc.'s Spectrum TV Choice, Comcast Corp.'s Xfinity NOW TV and Cox Communications Inc.'s TV Lite. These virtual options include a limited number of channels which are streamed versus delivered through a cable box. Xfinity and Cox have bolstered their channel lineups for these packages by including free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels alongside traditional TV networks.

➤ Spectrum's TV Choice is the only virtual option that includes ESPN and all four major broadcast networks.

➤ When asked why they subscribed to the service, the reason selected was very different among those taking the virtual option compared to traditional cable subscribers.

➤ Less than a third of Cox TV Lite subscribers (28%) indicated they were very satisfied with the service they received, the lowest among virtual option subscribers surveyed.

For full tables in Excel format, click here.

The smallest of these packages is Spectrum's TV Choice where subscribers select 15 channels out of a list of 84 networks. Notably, TV Choice includes ESPN (US) and local broadcast networks, unlike the virtual options from Xfinity and Cox. Based on results from the survey, only 3% of Spectrum TV subscribers receive the TV Choice package. The low penetration rate is likely due to the package not being listed alongside the other options on the operator website. Also, the Spectrum Basic and TV Stream packages provide limited channel lineups for subscribers looking for less expensive options with more extensive channel lineups.

Among Xfinity subscribers surveyed, only 2% indicated they were subscribed to the NOW TV or NOW TV Latino packages. Like Spectrum, NOW TV is not the smallest package offered by Xfinity, which is the Limited Basic/TV Core package of 10-plus channels at an estimated penetration rate of 13%. NOW TV does not include ESPN but does include local FOX (US) and NBC (US) channels. The more recent additions to Xfinity are the genre pack offerings, Sports & News TV and World Soccer Ticket, each with a slightly larger number of channels at 50-plus and 55-plus, respectively, and both at a penetration rate of 2%.

Cox TV Lite is estimated at a 12% penetration rate, which is higher than virtual options among Spectrum and Xfinity subscribers. However, the larger penetration rate is most likely due to TV Lite being the base option with the smallest number of channels at 60-plus, while TV Starter has 75-plus channels. By comparison, the base (smallest) package offered by Xfinity and Spectrum are listed at only 10-plus channels.

When asked why they subscribed to their TV operator instead of another provider, Spectrum TV Choice subscribers were much less likely to indicate they subscribed because it was the "best service/only option in my area" at 10%, compared to traditional Spectrum subs at 21%. Among subscribers to Xfinity, 22% of NOW TV subs selected "best price for the channels I receive/wanted" compared to 11% among those receiving the traditional offering.

See Excel for the full list of options provided in the survey.

Examining satisfaction among subscribers shows that about a third indicated that they were very satisfied with the service they received across both the traditional and virtual options. However, Xfinity's NOW TV and Cox Communication's TV Lite had larger shares of neutral subscribers at 35% and 29%, respectively, compared to the traditional options at 16% and 17%, respectively. Across these offerings, Spectrum TV Choice had the largest share of satisfied subscribers, with 84% very/somewhat satisfied.

A quarter of Xfinity NOW TV subscribers (25%) indicated they have been subscribed to Xfinity for TV service for less than six months, compared to only 6% of those subscribing to the traditional offering. Among Charter subs, 26% of Spectrum TV Choice subscribers indicated they had been subscribed for six to eleven months, compared to 9% of traditional Charter subscribers. Similarly, Cox TV Lite subs were more likely to be subscribed for six months to a eleven months compared to traditional subs at 15% and 6%, respectively.

Data presented in this article is from the MediaCensus survey conducted in the first quarter of 2026. This sample included 19,214 US internet adults matched by age and gender to the US Census. The survey results have a margin of error of +/-0.98 ppts at the 95% confidence level. Survey data should only be used to identify general market characteristics and directional trends.

Consumer Insights is a regular feature from S&P Market Intelligence Kagan.

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This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.Consumer Insights is a regular feature from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan.
This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.