Don’t have cable, but want to watch the biggest tournament in American sports? There’s never been a better time catch all the madness with streaming devices.
Fellow basketball lovers, the most wonderful time of the year is upon us: March Madness.
Now’s the moment when diaper dandies, buzzer beaters, bracket busters, upsets, and wild finishes come to the forefront of our minds as the greatest tournament in sports takes center stage.
But before we go play hooky and sit on our couches for 12 straight hours, let’s make sure we have you good to go with the right streaming service and best ways to watch March Madness online.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the NCAA Tournament without traditional cable.
First off, when does March Madness start?
The most important question. The madness officially kicks off on Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, with the “First Four” games on Tru TV.
The, the First Round kicks off on Thursday, March 21, and the tournament goes until Monday, April 8, with the National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
What channels will be showing March Madness?
Since 2011, the NCAA Tournament broadcast has been shared between CBS, TNT, TBS, and Tru TV.
Here’s the breakdown of which rounds will be available on each channel this year.
- First Four: Tru TV
- First and Second Rounds: CBS, TBS, TNT, and Tru TV
- Sweet 16 and Elite Eight: CBS and and TBS
- Final Four and National Championship: CBS
You can download the NCAA March Madness Live app for your phone or tablet
If you’re stuck at work but want/need to watch every game during the day, you can use the NCAA March Madness Live app, which requires you to sign in to your cable provider and will show every tournament game. The app will also send you “upset alert” and “close game” notifications throughout the tournament. NCAA March Madness Live is available on smartphones, the iPad, Apple TV, Android Tablets, Google Chromecast, Amazon Tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Windows 10 devices, Xbox and NCAA.com
But if you don’t have cable, it’s no problem at all
If you’re in the market for an OTT service, and don’t want to worry about the hassle of switching services to find the right game, these streaming companies will be showing every March Madness game from start to finish across the four networks.
fuboTV
- Offering: The entire tournament (check to make sure it carries your local CBS affiliate)
- Price: $44.99 - $49.99 per month (with a seven-day free trial)
- Available for Roku, Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, and Android TV
Hulu with Live TV
- Offering: The entire tournament (check to make sure it carries your local CBS affiliate)
- Price: $39.99 per month (with a seven-day free trial)
- Available to stream with Roku, Apple TV 4K, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox One
PlayStation Vue
- Offering: The entire tournament (check to make sure it carries your local CBS affiliate)
- Price: $49.99 - $79.99 per month (with a five-day free trial)
- Available to stream with Roku, Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, PS4, and Android TV
YouTubeTV
- Offering: The entire tournament (check to make sure it carries your local CBS affiliate)
- Price: $40 per month (with a five-day free trial)
- Available to stream with Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, and Xbox One
DirecTV Now
- Offering: The entire tournament (check to make sure it carries your local CBS affiliate)
- Price: $50 - $70 per month (with a seven-day free trial)
- Available to stream with Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, and Samsung Smart TV
There are a few other ways to catch parts of the tournament, too
If you password share with the parents (we won’t tell anyone), or already have one service and are just looking for the cheapest option, here’s what else is available.
SlingTV
- Offering: Games on TBS, TNT, and TruTV. Will not show the Final Four and National Championship
- Price: $15 - 25 per month
- Available to stream with Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast
CBS All-Access
- Offering: Only games on CBS, including the Final Four and National Championship
- Price: $5.99 per month (with seven-day free trial)
- Available to stream with Roku, Apple TV 4K, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox One
If you want to go old school, antennas still exist
And because this year it’s CBS’s turn to carry the big game, you’ll be able to catch this year’s Final Four and National Championship via the antenna.
But wait, can I watch March Madness for free anywhere?
The short answer: yes.
The long answer: yes, but only up to a certain point.
If you download the March Madness Live app, you’ll have access to every game shown on CBS, which includes this year’s Final Four and National Championship games.
This year, Roku will also be offering three hours of live tournament action before asking for your cable or streaming authentication log in.
May the odds be ever in your favor, and enjoy the madness!
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