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Wondering how to watch March Madness online?
With 2 weeks to go until Selection Sunday—when 68 college basketball teams are selected for the national championship tournament—there’s still plenty of time to get your streaming plan in order.
So before you sit down to fill out your March Madness bracket, here’s all you need to know about watching NCAA March Madness without cable in 2024.
🏀 JUMP SHOTS
Go straight to the March Madness broadcast schedules.
For how to watch all of March Madness for $22, jump to the end.
When is NCAA March Madness 2024?
March Madness kicks off on St. Paddy’s Day, March 17, and wraps up on April 8. Here are the schedules for both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournaments.
Men’s NCAA March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 17 (6PM ET)
- First Four: March 19–20
- First round: March 21–22
- Second round: March 23–24
- Sweet 16: March 28–29
- Elite Eight: March 30–31
- Final Four: Saturday, April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Women’s NCAA March Madness schedule
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 17 (8PM ET)
- First Four: March 20–21
- First round: March 22–23
- Second round: March 24–25
- Sweet 16: March 29–30
- Elite Eight: March 31–April 1
- Final Four: Friday, April 5 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio
Where to watch March Madness online in 2024
The Men’s NCAA basketball tournament is on CBS and Turner Broadcasting channels and the Women’s NCAA basketball tournament is on ABC and ESPN channels.
CBS has been the main broadcaster of the NCAA tournament since 1982 when it locked down the television rights. ESPN covered some games during the 80s and DirecTV and Yahoo! got a small taste of the action around the turn of the century. But it was mostly CBS’ game until Turner Broadcasting got in on a three-way contract with the NCAA and CBS.
CBS and TBS share coverage of the Elite Eight and alternate coverage of the Final Four and championship game each year. TBS gets the latter on even-numbered years and CBS gets them on odd-numbered years. Therefore, as it’s 2024, the Final Four and championship game are broadcast on TBS.
Broadcast rights for the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament have been held by ESPN since 1996. The NCAA and ESPN renewed their contract in January 2024 for another 8 years, giving it broadcast rights through the 2023 season. That means you can catch of the Women’s March Madness action on ESPN network channels and ABC.
List of March Madness broadcasters
This is the full list of channels with March Madness games in 2024 for both the Men’s and Women’s tournaments.
Men’s NCAA basketball tournament
- CBS
- Paramount+
- TBS
- TNT
- truTV
Women’s NCAA basketball tournament
- ABC
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPNU
- ESPNews
- ESPN+
Broadcasters for each event
Selection Sunday
CBS, Paramount+
One of the biggest day of the year in college basketball is broadcast on CBS and simulcast on Paramount+. The NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee will reveal the first bracket at 6PM ET / 3PM PT on CBS.
The men’s bracket is revealed first, with the women’s bracket following later around 8PM ET on ESPN.
First Four
truTV
The First Four games will be broadcast exclusively on truTV.
First Round through Elite Eight
CBS, Paramount+, TBS, TNT, truTV
The First and Second Round, Sweet 16, and Elite Eight games are shared between CBS (and Paramount+) and the 3 Turner Broadcasting channels (TBS, TNT, truTV).
Final Four and Championship Game
TBS
The Final Four games and the National Championship Game will be broadcast by TBS.
The tables below detail how the March Madness broadcast schedules for both Men’s and Women’s basketball are divvied up this year.
Men’s March Madness broadcast schedule
| Event | Date | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Selection Sunday | Sunday, March 17 | CBS, Paramount+ |
| First Four | March 19–20 | truTV |
| First Round | March 21–22 | CBS, Paramount+, TBS, TNT, truTV |
| Second Round | March 23–24 | CBS, Paramount+, TBS, TNT, truTV |
| Sweet 16 | March 28–29 | CBS, Paramount+, TBS |
| Elite Eight | March 30–31 | CBS, Paramount+, TBS |
| Final Four | Saturday, April 6 | TBS |
| NCAA Championship Game | Monday, April 8 | TBS |
You’ll need the more expensive Paramount+ with Showtime plan to watch NCAA basketball on Paramount+. While the Paramount+ Essential has some live sports, like NFL and Champions League, it doesn’t have college sports.
While Paramount+ will get you a lot of the action, you’ll need a streaming service with TBS to watch the most important games of March Madness 2024—the Final Four and the NCAA Championship Game. And to watch the First Four and select First and Second Round games, you’ll need a streaming service with truTV.
Live TV streaming services with CBS:
Live TV streaming services with Turner Broadcasting channels (TBS, TNT, and truTV):
HOWEVER: You actually don’t need a live TV streaming to watch the Turner Broadcasting games because they’re all live on Max, HBO’s streaming service. Even better, HBO is currently offering 40% off annual subscriptions of Max ahead of March Madness.
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Women’s March Madness broadcast schedule
| Event | Date | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Selection Sunday | Sunday, March 17 | ESPN |
| First Four | March 20–21 | ESPN2, ESPNU |
| First Round | March 22–23 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU |
| Second Round | March 24–25 | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU |
| Sweet 16 | March 29–30 | ESPN, ESPN2 |
| Elite Eight | March 31–April 1 | ESPN |
| Final Four | Friday, April 5 | ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN+ |
| NCAA Championship Game | Sunday, April 7 | ABC, ESPN+ |
Live TV streaming services with ESPN:
Live TV streaming services with ABC:
- DirecTV Stream
- Fubo
- Hulu + Live TV
- Sling TV (Select markets only)
- Vidgo
- YouTube TV
While Sling TV’s Orange plan is the cheapest way to get ESPN and ESPN3, you’ll need the Orange & Blue plan plus the Sports Extras add-on to get ESPNU and ESPNews. That kills Sling’s appeal as a low-priced live TV streaming option.
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That Sling package costs a penny more than Vidgo’s Plus plan and is only $3 and $7 a month cheaper than YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, respectively.
How to watch March Madness for free
Unfortunately the days of every streaming service offering a free trial are behind us. The good new is that some still do.
Here’s the free trial status for each streaming service with NCAA March Madness live:
- DirecTV Stream: 5 days
- ESPN+: None
- Fubo: 7 days
- Hulu + Live TV: None
- Paramount+: 7 days
- Sling TV: None
- Vidgo: None
- YouTube TV: 7 to 30 days
Q&A: March Madness streaming quick facts
Can I watch March Madness on Hulu?
Yes (and no).
You can watch every March Madness game on Hulu + Live TV but not on the (much cheaper) Hulu on-demand streaming service.
Can I watch March Madness on Amazon Prime Video?
No.
You can NOT watch March Madness on Prime Video.
Can I watch March Madness on Paramount Plus?
Yes. But not all games.
You can NOT watch the Final Four or NCAA Championship Game.
See the table above for which March Madness games and events you can watch on Paramount+. Read more about getting a Paramount+ free trial or start streaming with the banner at the bottom of the page.
Can I watch March Madness on Max?
Yes. But not all games.
You can watch all of the games on TBS, TNT, truTV, which means you can watch the Final Four and NCAA Championship Game.
Can I watch March Madness on Peacock?
No.
There are no March Madness games on NBC and therefore none on Peacock.
Can I watch March Madness on Apple TV+?
No.
There are no March Madness games on Apple TV+.
Can I watch March Madness on ESPN+?
Yes, but…
Only Women’s March Madness games are on ESPN+. You can watch some of the Final Four games and the Women’s National Championship Game.
Can I watch March Madness on Fubo?
Yes, some games.
You can’t watch all March Madness games on Fubo because it does not have Turner Broadcasting stations (TBS, TNT, and truTV). You won’t be able to watch the Final Four on Fubo or the Championship Game this year.
Which streaming service has every March Madness game?
There are 3 live TV streaming services that have every game and event—both Men’s and Women’s—of March Madness 2024.
Conclusion: The best way to watch every March Madness game
The cheapest way to watch every March Madness game without cable is to get a month of Paramount+ and a month of Max. The Paramount+ with Showtime plan ($11.99) and the Max With Ads plan ($9.99) total just $21.98. That’s far less than even the cheapest live TV streaming service with college basketball.
However, the current deals on annual plans are definitely worth considering.
What’s your preferred way for watching NCAA Basketball? If you know any other (or better) ways to stream March Madness without cable in 2024 let us know in the comments below!
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