by TL;DR: March Madness takes place from March 14th to April 3rd. You can watch for free with DirecTV Stream, Sling, fuboTV, Paramount+ and YouTube TV trials.
March Madness is back, and that means intense rivalries, big upsets and everyone desperate for their failed brackets. We don’t know what it is about March Madness, but it always seems to provide a lot of drama.
If you’re looking for the best way to watch March Madness from anywhere in the world, we’ve got all the information you need.
When is March Madness?
March Madness takes place from March 14th to April 3rd. Between these two dates will be full of basketball, so keep this schedule close and don’t miss:
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Selection Sunday: March 12
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Four first: March 14-15
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First round: March 16-17
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Second round: March 18-19
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Sweets 16: March 23-24
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Elite Eight: March 25-26
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Final Four: April 1st
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NCAA Championship Game: April 3rd
Write these dates down. Commit them to memory. Do your best to remember. We don’t want you to miss a single moment.
Can you watch March Madness online?
The good news is that fans can follow March Madness 2023 without going outside. The tournament airs on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV, which means the best way to stream March Madness is to subscribe to a streaming service like DirecTV Stream, Sling, fuboTV, Paramount+ or YouTube TV. These popular services have access to live TV streams from a wide range of channels so you can keep up with everything that’s happening during March Madness.
What is the best streaming service for March Madness?
It’s always nice to have options, but with multiple streaming platforms hosting March Madness games, it can be difficult to know which service is best for you. It’s important to consider which games appear on which service, the cost, and whether or not they offer a free trial. Luckily, we’ve done it for you:
Stream DirecTV(Opens in a new tab) — You could argue that DirecTV Stream is the best way to follow March Madness because this streaming platform features CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. The catch; Definitely not the cheapest option. The entertainment plan (with TBS, TNT and TruTV) is $74.99 per month, or you can upgrade to the Choice package (including CBS) for $99.99 per month. Alternatively, you could make the most of the free five-day trial to watch March Madness highlights.
fuboTV(Opens in a new tab) — The Pro package offers live CBS coverage, meaning you can watch part of March Madness with fuboTV. This plan costs $74.99 per month, but best of all, it starts with a seven-day free trial.
Paramount+(Opens in a new tab) — Paramount+ doesn’t offer the range of the other services on this list, but it’s only $9.99 a month. And even better, it will offer live streaming for every March Madness game hosted by CBS, including the Final Four and Championship games. That’s pretty attractive, especially when you consider that Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial.
Sling(Opens in a new tab) — Sling’s Blue subscription comes with TBS, TNT and TruTV to watch March Madness. This normally costs $45 per month, but for a limited time, you can save 50% on your first month and get this package for just $22.50. Sling is also offering its Orange subscription half price for the first month — that tier offers TBS and TNT and TruTV with a free trial until March 19. This tier is normally $40 per month, but with the first month’s deal, it’s available for just $20.
YouTube TV(Opens in a new tab) — Want to watch multiple March Madness games at once? Check out YouTube TV. For a limited time, this service costs $62.99 per month for your first three months ($72.99 per month after the promotional period) and includes access to CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. This deal also gives you access to the new multi-view feature, which allows subscribers to watch up to four games simultaneously. Not convinced? New subscribers are entitled to a free 14-day trial of the basic package.
The best service for you depends on many factors and is something you should consider carefully before committing. You definitely shouldn’t do anything drastic, because you may not have to decide.
Can you live stream March Madness for free?
Yes, you can watch much of this year’s March Madness for free. You just have to make the most of the free trials offered by top streaming sites and think about the timings. DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Paramount+ and YouTube TV offer free trials so you can stream multiple March Madness games without paying anything.
You, but we recommend using the YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and fuboTV free trials for the first few rounds of the tournament, then sign up for the Paramount+ free trial for the Final Four and Championship games. This is sneaky, but it works.
Can you watch March Madness for free from abroad?
Most of the streaming sites that offer March Madness coverage are only available in the US, meaning that anyone connecting from overseas won’t be able to get the most out of the free trials. The only way to get around this is with a VPN.
By signing up for a streaming-friendly VPN and connecting to a secure server in a location that supports something like DirecTV Stream(Opens in a new tab) and fuboTV(Opens in a new tab), you can trick these streaming platforms into thinking you’re connecting from an approved site. The process is really quite simple. Just follow these simple steps:
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Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN
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Download the app on your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open the app and connect to a US server
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Sign up for a free trial of DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Paramount+ or YouTube TV
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Watch March Madness for free on fuboTV
This process is quick and easy with a friendly streaming service like ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN(Opens in a new tab) is the best service for streaming, with strong connection speeds, strong encryption levels, a built-in password manager, and fast servers in 94 countries. Subscribers also get apps for each platform and can connect up to five devices at once.
One year subscription to ExpressVPN(Opens in a new tab) retails for $103.78 and includes an additional three months free — 49% off for a limited time. This discounted plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a pretty generous 30-day money-back guarantee. You can use the money back guarantee to watch March Madness without spending anything.
Watch March Madness for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
