Attention TV lovers: C Spire TV is coming and it’s going to be awesome. How do we know? Because it’s being designed and developed from the ground up based upon feedback and input from you, our customers.
And although we’re in the early stages of development, we wanted to share a little bit about some of the aspects of the new service that we find most exciting.
No More Set Top Boxes
That’s right. That black piece of hardware that you rent and place in every room you want to watch TV in? You can kiss that thing goodbye.
C Spire TV will eliminate the need for a traditional set top box. Instead, the C Spire TV experience will run on will run on today’s most popular streaming media players like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and more. We’re taking the pay tv features you love and putting them into an app that will run on the devices you already have in your home. What’s not to love about that?
So that’s the first really big change that C Spire TV is bringing to the table — the elimination of traditional set top boxes and all the headaches that come with them.
TV On The Devices You Love Most
As we mentioned above, C Spire TV is being built to run on today’s most popular streaming media devices like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. But that’s not the only way you’ll be able to watch C Spire TV. We’ve listened and know that more and more of our customers are watching more and more TV on a wide variety of devices. So we’re building C Spire TV to run across a huge assortment of platforms including:
- Streaming Devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV (tvOS), Roku, Chromecast
- Smartphones & Tablets: iOS and Android
- PC & MAC laptops / desktop computers
- Smart TV’s – Android TV and Roku TV models (various manufacturers).
No Compromise, Fully Featured TV
In designing and developing C Spire TV, we’re putting our customers at the center of our focus. What does this mean? It means we’re taking all the things you love about traditional pay tv, and we’re combining those with the amazing search, discovery, and the personalization you’ve grown to love from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
And unlike a lot of the cord-cutter focused options available today, C Spire TV won’t be cutting corners by eliminating local channels, DVR functionality or whole families of networks!
Here are some of the main features you can expect:
- Live TV – Pause, rewind, fast forward to your hearts content, just like you can do today with your traditional set top box.
- Locals – We’ll be carrying each and every local channel available to you today on
C Spire TV - Cloud DVR – Record multiple shows at once and store them in the cloud for viewing at your convenience. Play them back on virtually any device, in any location.
- Video on Demand – watch top network and cable TV episodes as well as a large assortment of feature-length films.
- Replay TV – Miss a favorite show or forgot to set your DVR? Catch Up TV will enable you to watch up to seven previous days of a channel’s programming on those networks that permit this feature.
- TV Everywhere Access – Your subscription will entitle you to access network developed apps like Watch ESPN, Fox News, CNN, HGTV, HBO GO and more.
More to Come
In the coming weeks we’ll begin revealing more and more about this exciting new product as well as provide some insight on when you can expect to be able to subscribe!
Questions? Leave us your comments or questions below and we’ll be happy to provide additional info and details as needed.
With DirecTV I was able to use Chromecast to watch apps like Watch ESPN on my TV. Apparently C Spire doesn’t allow me to do that. Am I right? If so, when will that change?
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Hi Greg – Great question!
With your C Spire Fiber TV subscription, you have access to over 50 network developed apps, including WatchESPN.
To access, simply download and open the app on your device. When prompted, select C Spire as your TV provider and then enter in your cspire.com username and password to authenticate.
For a full list of all the apps your C Spire Fiber TV subscription enables access to, please see this help article: https://help.cspire.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/256/kw/tve/p/2.
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When will this service be available?
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Hi Trey – We are planning to launch C Spire TV this spring!
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Does that mean that each time you want to switch channels, you have to start a new app (1 of the 50)?
Secondly: is there also lineair tv supported? So I subscribe to a certain package with x channels. Start that up. And then quickly zap between those channels?
Thank you
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Hi Daan – thanks for your questions.
You’ll be able to change channels up / down the line-up without having to exit the app. It’s just like watching TV today. In fact, we’ve been working very hard to improve the channel change times over what many are accustomed to with traditional satellite and cable TV.
And secondly, linear TV (live tv) is supported.We will offer our full Standard and Expanded channel line-ups (https://www.cspire.com/cms/home-services/packages/super-hdtv-channels/) as well as introduce a new set of Skinny Packs which will allow you to subscribe to the channels you love most!
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How many concurrent streams are allowed?
Are they locked into a single physical location?
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Hey Kevin, awesome questions.
Before I give you an answer… how many streams do you need? We have our assumptions but as the Product Manager I really want to hear from potential customers what your needs are. So reply back if you can.
On to your answers: So as of today, we’re not ready to divulge the number of default concurrent streams or any specific pricing info. Just need to be a little patient on that front.
With regard to the ‘single physical location’ question, I can tell you that different experiences will be provided depending on if your are on or off your C Spire Fiber home network. We’re building C Spire TV to enable us to turn on/off certain viewing modes (live, vod, dvr, catch-up, etc) on a title by title basis, depending on things like your location and even what device you’re on. We’ll be covering this and many more important details in the weeks ahead.
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I’m of the view that if I’m paying for an internet TV subscription, I should be able to watch it anywhere I have internet access. I don’t want it to stop working if I go on vacation or I’m waiting in line somewhere.
As for # of streams, I’d say 5 should be a bare minimum – an average family should all be able to watch TV at the same time, just like they can with regular cable.
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Hi Charlie – Appreciate the feedback and suggestions!
You make some good points on being able to access the service in home or out of home while on vacation, etc. You’re not alone in this. I think it’s important to understand that in most cases with these specific use-cases, the decision isn’t being made by C Spire or any of the other providers. Those decisions about what type of content, where and how such content can be viewed are made by the networks and large media conglomerates.
Thanks again for your input.
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I live in Tulsa OK when is it going to be in that market
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Hi Samuel,
Happy to hear you’re interested in the C Spire TV service. At launch, our service will only be available to C Spire Fiber Internet subscribers. And to be 100% honest with you, we don’t have current plans to begin offering our 1Gbps Fiber Optic Internet product to Tulsa at this point in time.
From a strategic point of view, our desire is to ultimately offer a true OTT product using the platform we’re building for C Spire TV at which time we’d be able to offer you service in Tulsa, OK or anywhere else within the U.S.
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Will the service support PayPal for payment?
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Hi Ollie – we weren’t planning on including PayPal payment methods but it is a great suggestion that I’m going to add to our product roadmap. Thanks for the idea.
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I am in the process of getting cspire fiber installed this week and i’m evaluating tv options now. The possibility of using my rokus, xbox and appleTVs as the “cable box” has been a long time desire. If the cost remains at or below existing cable/internet packages then this will be a huge blow to traditional isp/cable companies. I will definitely give this a try when launched. As to the simultaneous stream question, I think this needs an unlimited in the home streams and if you selling it as a TV box replacement with maybe 1 “outside the home” as I see the problem of login sharing you are up against. If it’s just another “Sling”, which is where i’m likely landing for now, then it needs to be priced similar. Live cable TV is simply no longer worth 60,70,80$ price when you have OTA, Netflix, NewsOn, Amazon, Sling.
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Hey wadam – great to hear you’re getting C Spire Fiber installed. Bet you’re excited to experience the gig!!
And thanks for your input and suggestions as it relates to the number of streams. We’ll keep this in mind as we continue to hone the product.
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Thanks for the Information. Its really good to know
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When is this going to be available in the Biloxi/d’Iberville area? I’m stuck with another carrier for Internet and Apple TV. I would love another option.
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Hi Cheryl, we’re very glad to hear you’re exciting C Spire TV! C Spire TV will be offered exclusively to C Spire Fiber Internet customers. At present, we do not offer our Gigabit Internet product along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but we’re working hard to bring Fiber Internet to the people and areas that want it most.
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I would love to be a test location. I understand research is on going on the new fiber wireless. With the rural location that I live, it would be an excellent test site for the new fiber wireless.
If I’m not mistaken, fiber was ran along the the road in the area I live. Business in the area already have the fiber connection and use cspire.
I have been with cspire quite a while and would love to be a part of its success going forward.
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Hi Mark – thanks for taking the time to reach out and let us know about your desire to help test our C Spire TV and coming fixed wireless Internet products. Please send me your contact info, including residential address to rrubinoff@cspire.com. Thanks, Rob.
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Would love to have this TV service instead of what I’m stuck with now but we don’t have fiber in our neighborhood. Are there any other options to get CSpire TV?
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Hi Jon –
Unfortunately, at this time there are no options to subscribe to C Spire TV without also having our Fiber Internet (Gigabit) service. We are working hard to offer C Spire TV to as many folks, like you, that want it.
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Oh man, didn’t realize C Spire Fiber was a requirement.
Too bad C Spire Fiber is only in:
Brandon
Clinton
Flora
Jackson
Madison
Madison Co.
Quitman
Ridgeland
Starkville
I’d sign up to both if it was in Oxford.
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Hi Kevin – Thanks for taking the time to comment.
You are correct, the only areas where C Spire TV is available as of today are those cities and towns that have C Spire Fiber Internet.
Rest assured we continue to work hard to deliver our revolutionary gigabit Internet product to more areas across the state and region.
Additionally, we’re working hard to develop a live streaming TV product which we can offer to anyone regardless of their Internet provider.
Really your best bet is to reach out to your local Oxford community and municipal leadership. The town of Oxford is near and dear to our hearts at C Spire and we would like nothing more than to be able to deliver the world’s best technology to residents like yourself.
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I have cspire tv but can’t find how to access it via a desktop computer is there a place for that.
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