The Hidden Costs of Cable TV in Canada, Line by Line

Why the price you see is not the price you pay

TV offers are usually advertised with a promotional monthly price. The bill that arrives a year later can look very different. This is not always a trick. It is the sum of many small lines that are easy to miss. The only way to know what TV really costs your household is to read the bill line by line.

Promotional prices that end

Many offers come with a lower price for the first months or the first year. When the promotion ends, the price goes up, often without much notice. Check the end date of your current promotion, and the regular price that follows it. Calling to renegotiate can work, but it takes time every year.

Equipment rental, per TV

Each TV that receives cable or satellite usually needs its own receiver or box. Many providers rent them by the month. One box can be included, but the second and third TVs often add a rental fee each. Over a year, rentals for a three-TV home can add up to a noticeable amount. Look for lines such as "receiver", "terminal", "equipment" or "rental".

Fees that appear once, and fees that stay

• Installation or activation fees when you start or move.
• Service call fees when a technician visits.
• Late payment or paper bill fees, depending on the provider.
• Early cancellation fees if you leave before the end of a contract or a promotion period.
• Unreturned equipment charges if a box is not returned on time after you cancel.

Channel packs and add-ons

Since 2016, Canadian TV providers have had to offer a small basic package at an affordable price, and let customers add channels one by one or in small packs. In practice, many households still pay for larger bundles, sports packs or theme packs they rarely watch. List the packs on your bill and ask yourself, honestly, which ones you used last month.

The bundle question

Internet, TV and phone together often come with a bundle discount. That discount is real, but it can hide the true price of each part. Before you cut anything, ask your provider for the price of internet alone. Sometimes removing TV lowers the bill less than expected, because the internet price goes up when the bundle disappears. Knowing that number in advance avoids surprises.

Worksheet: what TV really costs you

Take your last bill and fill in each line. Use the monthly amount, before taxes.

Multiply the total by twelve. That yearly number is what you compare, not the advertised monthly price.

Comparing honestly with the alternatives

Whatever you choose, you keep paying for internet, so leave it out of both sides of the comparison. Then compare your yearly TV total with the yearly cost of the replacement: an antenna for local channels, one or two streaming apps for series, and an IPTV plan for live TV and sports. Our step-by-step plan to cut the cord explains how to combine them.

For reference, a Boreal IPTV plan for one screen costs CA$79 for twelve months, and CA$128 for two screens, with no box rental, no installation fee, no contract and no automatic renewal. The pricing page lists every plan. IPTV does need a good, stable internet connection, so test it at home before you cancel anything.