Watch the March Madness live stream
March Madness will be available for basketball fans in the US to watch on TruTV, TBS, TNT and CBS. You can also watch March Madness games on ESPN Player and BT Sport in the UK and Kayo Sports in Australia. Use a VPN to watch your usual stream from anywhere when you’re abroad. Below are full details on how to watch March Madness online and on TV.
Watch the March Madness Live Stream: Tournament Preview
The start of the month of March only means one thing in the world of college basketball: it’s time for March Madness.
The NCAA season concludes with a frenetic 68-team tournament as colleges from across the United States compete for seven rounds for a shot at the National Championship game in Houston, Texas on April 3.
What makes it so crazy? Apart from the sheer number of games played in such a short space of time, the competition is organized in such a way that it is almost impossible to predict which team could win. Every year is full of setbacks and underdog stories, and 2023 looks to be no different, though the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Houston Cougars seem to be hitting particularly good form at the right time.
After the opening of the first four games, when the field is narrowed down to 64 teams, the tournament will be split into four regions – South, East, West and Midwest – with the 16 teams in each series based on their regular season performance. After that it’s almost non-stop basketball until the final.
To keep up with the Madness, you can download a printable March Madness bracket from the NCAA website (opens in new tab).
US: Watch March Madness without cable
American coverage of March Madness is split between four different cable channels: TruTV, TBS, TNT and CBS. Those without cable can use a cord-cutting service such as Sling.
With a Sling Blue subscription, you have coverage for the first three of those channels and can catch the CBS games with the Paramount Plus streaming services. That only costs $20 for your first month. After that it’s $40 for Sling, but you can cancel anytime. The first month of Paramount Plus is currently free. Plans then start at $4.99/month.
Cheapest March Madness deal
Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV are three other options that include all the required cable channels, including CBS, but they are much more expensive options.
Hulu + Live TV costs $69.99 per month, while YouTube TV has an offer where you pay $54.99 per month for the first three months and then $64.99 after that, though you can cancel both at any time.
Watch the March Madness live stream from anywhere
You will not be able to watch your regular March Madness live stream if you are traveling abroad. The streaming service sees that you are abroad and blocks you. However, you can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this.
It’s a straight forward piece of software that makes your device look like it’s in the right country so you can watch any March Madness live stream from anywhere in the world.
We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for March Madness. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service.
Using a VPN for the March Madness live stream
1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN (opens in new tab) is the one we recommend.
2. Open the VPN app and choose the location of the service you want to access. For March Madness, you may want to choose “US” for Sling.
3. Then go to sling (opens in new tab) on your browser or device and enjoy the March Madness live stream for free!
UK: Watch the March Madness live stream
ESPN Player is the best place to watch March Madness in the UK and Ireland, with every single game available to watch live for just £9.99. That gives you a full month’s access, securing you from the First Four, which begins March 14, to the NCAA Men’s Championships on April 3.
ESPN Player is only available on the web, Apple and Android phones and tablets, and Android TV, but it does support Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, so you can stream it from your mobile device to a compatible TV or streamer.
Are you currently outside Blighty? Don’t forget it’s possible use a VPN (opens in new tab) to access your usual live stream without being blocked.
BT Sport will also be showing March Madness live, split between BT Sport 3 and BT Sport 4. The first games to be shown will be the First Four, starting at 10.30pm on Tuesday 14 March.
Not a BT subscriber? Attempt BT Sport Month Pass (opens in new tab). For £30 a month, the monthly pass lets you watch March Madness live online or via an app, without being tied into a lengthy contract.
Watch March Madness 2023 in Australia
Hoops fans in Oz can catch NCAA college basketball on Foxtel. Another – cheaper – option is to stream via Foxtel Kayo (opens in new tab)Australia’s top sports streaming service.
Kayo offers new subscribers a 7 days free trial (opens in new tab). After that, membership starts at $25 per month.
Kayo is only available in Australia, but you can access your Kayo account from abroad using a VPN (opens in new tab). Details just above.
Schedule March Madness 2023
NCAA men’s basketball schedule
March 14-15: first four
March 16-17: First round
March 18-19: second round
March 23-24: Sweet Sixteen
March 25-26: Elite Eight
April 1: final four
April 3: National Championship
NCAA women’s basketball schedule
March 15-16: first four
March 17-18: First round
March 19-20: second round
March 24-25: Sweet Sixteen
March 26-27: Elite Eight
March 31: Final Four
April 2: National Championship
You can download a printable bracket for the men’s tournament from the NCAA website here (opens in new tab).