Stream March Madness
No. 1 UConn is the first team to reach the Final Four after it defeated No. 4 Illinois Saturday, with No. 4 Alabama taking down No. 6 Clemson to book their spot in next weekend’s action in Arizona.
Two more Elite Eight games are on tap for Sunday, with No. 1 Purdue taking on No. 2 Tennessee and No. 4 Duke playing No. 11 NC State. The Boilermakers and Volunteers are the first game on the docket with tip-off set for 2:20 p.m. ET.
Both of today’s games will be on CBS, while the Final Four and championship game will air on TBS.
Here’s everything you need to know for this year’s March Madness, from Elite Eight to the Final Four and the National Championship game. The short of it is you need only two apps costing $22 per month combined to stream every game of the tournament: Max (with Ads) and Paramount Plus with Showtime.
Read More: Women’s March Madness 2024: How to Watch Caitlin Clark Today and Every Tournament Game
How can I watch or stream March Madness?
As in past years, the tournament has be shown across four channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. At this stage in the tourney, we’re down to just two channels: CBS for Sunday’s action and TBS for the Final Four and championship.
You can watch these channels with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service, but the most affordable option is signing up for a pair of streaming services for a month: Max and Paramount Plus with Showtime. If you have the cheaper Paramount Plus Essential plan, you won’t be able to watch March Madness unless you step up to the pricier option.
For just $22, you can watch every March Madness game live. With the cheaper, ad-supported $10-a-month Max streaming service, you can watch the games broadcast on TBS, TNT and TruTV. With the $12-per-month Paramount Plus with Showtime plan, you’ll be able to watch the CBS games.
You’ll have to juggle between both apps but this is the cheapest way to catch all the action.
Max costs $10 per month and will show March Madness games on TBS, TNT or TruTV. If you’re determined to sign up for only one streaming service to watch the tournament, Max is the clear choice. Not only will it show more early-round games across the three Turner-owned networks, but it will also show both Final Four games and the national championship game that will be broadcast on TBS.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10-per-month B/R Sports add-on, but you won’t need to shell out for it to watch this year’s March Madness games. Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on option until sometime after the tournament.
Read our Max review.
You’ll need the premium Paramount Plus with Showtime plan to livestream the March Madness games broadcast on CBS. It costs $12 per month, which is double the price of the non-Showtime plan. For this year’s tournament, CBS will show games from the first round through the Elite Eight.
Read our Paramount Plus review.
Which devices can I use to watch March Madness?
You’ll find an app for each service to watch on an iPhone or Android phone as well as an iPad, Android tablet or Amazon Fire tablet. Max and Paramount Plus are also available on mainstream streaming platforms including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV/Google TV and Fire TV, as well as smart televisions from major manufacturers LG, Samsung and Vizio. Both services are also accessible through Xbox and PlayStation game consoles.
For more specifics, check out the full list of supported devices for Max and Paramount Plus.
Can I stream March Madness for free?
Go to the NCAA’s March Madness Live site or use its March Madness Live app and you’ll be able to watch games for free. You can watch March Madness Live on iOS and Android devices along with Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Xbox. The app also supports AirPlay and Chromecast.
As with most things that are free, there’s a catch. Without proving you’re a pay TV subscriber, you get only a three-hour preview, after which point you’ll need to log in to continue watching.
What is the March Madness schedule for the Elite Eight?
Here is the schedule for this weekend’s remaining games (all times ET).
Sunday, March 31
- No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Purdue, 2:20 p.m. on CBS
- No. 11 NC State vs. No. 4 Duke, 5:05 p.m. on CBS
Saturday, April 6
- No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 UConn, TBD on TBS
- Winner of NC State/Duke vs. winner of Tennessee/Purdue, TBD on TBS
What is the March Madness tournament schedule?
Here’s the remaining schedule, round by round:
- Elite Eight: March 30 to 31
- Final Four: Saturday, April 6
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8
What does the March Madness bracket look like?
You can check out the official bracket to see all the matchups and attempt to identify potential upsets and which teams will make it to the Final Four.
What’s the best live TV streaming service for March Madness?
Three of the five live TV streaming services offer the four channels needed to watch every tournament game but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.
We recommend YouTube TV to college basketball fans for its relatively low monthly charge and multi-view capability that lets you watch multiple games at once. It’s also one of the three services that offer all four of the channels needed to watch every game. At $73 per month, it’s significantly pricier than getting Max and Paramount Plus with Showtime.
Sling TV lacks CBS but is a good, low-cost option if you don’t need to watch every game of the tournament but want to be sure you can watch the Final Four and national championship game. At $40 per month, it costs nearly twice as much as it would to sign up for a month of Max and Paramount Plus with Showtime which would let you watch every game.
Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream have every channel needed as well, but both are pricier than YouTube TV and lack features like multi-view. Fubo offers multi-view but doesn’t offer the Turner networks (TNT, TBS and TruTV), making it a poor choice for March Madness.
Hulu with Live TV costs $70 per month and includes CBS and TBS. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code after clicking the “View channels in your area” link to see which local channels you get.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Sling TV’s $40-per-month Blue plan includes TBS which is good for both Final Four games and the national championship game.
Sling TV, however, lacks CBS.
Read our Sling TV review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.