March Madness is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, dominating most of March and early April. With 67 games over three weeks, the NCAA Tournament is one of the most exciting times of the year to be a sports fan and/or bettor.
With so many games in such a short time, the games are spread out across different time slots and TV channels. It can be tough to keep track of where and when to watch each game, especially if you’re hoping to catch a specific matchup.
With that in mind, here’s a guide on how to watch March Madness.
How to Stream March Madness
There are several March Madness streaming services to watch games throughout the tournament, which include Paramount+ With Showtime, Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ Bundle, Fubo and Sling TV.
Let’s take a look at some of the options.
Paramount+ With Showtime
For games airing on CBS, viewers can stream the action on Paramount+ With Showtime.
A subscription to Paramount+ With Showtime costs $11.99 monthly and includes a seven-day free trial. Paramount+ Essential does not include March Madness games, so you’ll need to sign up for Paramount+ With Showtime to stream the tournament.
It’s also possible to add Paramount+ With Showtime to your Amazon Prime Video account. The add-on subscription includes a seven-day free trial and costs $11.99 per month after the trial ends.
Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ Bundle
Viewers can stream every game of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle offers 95 channels, including CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV, ABC and ESPN. It also has unlimited DVR storage, so you can record as many games as you’d like.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It costs $76.99 per month with ads and $89.99 without ads.
This is the only streaming service that carries every March Madness game.
Fubo
Fubo offers hundreds of channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage space to record games. It also has a lookback feature that allows customers to watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air, so you don’t have to worry about missing a crazy upset or buzzer-beater.
Fubo typically costs $79.99 per month for the Pro tier, which includes 199 channels. However, it’s currently offering the first month for $59.99, along with a seven-day free trial.
Fubo doesn’t carry truTV, TBS or TNT, so you won’t be able to watch March Madness games airing on those channels.
Sling TV
Viewers looking for a more cost-effective option should consider Sling TV. With Sling TV, you can watch any March Madness game that doesn’t air on CBS.
Sling TV has two deals for new customers. New users can either take $10 off their first month of any tier or save $40 when they prepay $120 for four months of Orange tier.
Orange tier is typically $40 per month and includes 32 channels, including ESPN, TNT and TBS. It also includes 50 hours of DVR storage for recording games.
When is March Madness?
Despite its name, March Madness takes place during the second half of March and extends into early April.
The tournament involves seven rounds of games spanning three weeks after the tournament field is chosen on Selection Sunday.
The week after Selection Sunday includes the First Four: four play-in games to determine the final four teams in the Round of 64. Those four games are followed by the Round of 64 (32 games) and the Round of 32 (16 games).
The second week of the tournament includes the Sweet 16 (eight games) and the Elite Eight (four games).
The tournament concludes in early April with the Final Four (two games) and NCAA Championship Game (one game).
Here is the schedule for the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
- Selection Sunday: March 17
- First Four: March 19-20
- Round of 64: March 21-22
- Round of 32: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: April 6
- NCAA Championship Game: April 8
Start times and broadcast schedules will vary by round.
Where is March Madness?
To avoid giving teams home-court advantage, March Madness takes place at neutral sites around the country.
Each site hosts multiple games and the location of each game varies by round.
First Four Locations (March 19-20)
- UD Arena, Dayton, OH
Round of 64 Locations (March 21)
- Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
- CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
- PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Round of 64 Locations (March 22)
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
- FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
- Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
Round of 32 Locations (March 23)
- Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
- CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
- PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Round of 32 Locations (March 24)
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
- FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
- Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
Sweet 16 Locations (March 28)
- TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Sweet 16 Locations (March 29)
- American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Elite Eight Locations (March 30)
- TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Elite Eight Locations (March 31)
- American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Final Four Location (April 6)
- State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
National Championship Game Location (April 8)
- State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
What Channel is March Madness on?
March Madness is broadcast on several different TV channels over the course of the tournament. Stations vary depending on round, region and matchup, but games will be broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
First Four TV Channel
- truTV
Round of 64 TV Channels
- CBS
- TBS
- TNT
- truTV
Round of 32 TV Channels
- CBS
- TBS
- TNT
- truTV
Sweet 16 TV Channels
- CBS
- TBS
- truTV
Elite Eight TV Channels
- CBS
- TBS
Final Four TV Channel
- TBS
National Championship Game TV Channel
- TBS
Photo by Tim Fuller/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
