March Madness 2024 kicks off in just a few hours with two days of first four action, including a game featuring New York’s own Wagner College, ahead of the round of 64.
With so many games airing in such a short amount of time, you may be thinking it’s impossible to keep track of how, where, and when you’ll be able to watch them all.
March Madness is spread out across four networks (CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV), all of which are included in traditional cable subscriptions — but what if you’re a cord cutter? Will you need a pricey live TV streaming service to watch the tournament play out?
Luckily, the answer is no, because with just two relatively inexpensive streaming subscriptions — Max and Paramount+ — you’ll be able to catch every single game (and one might cost you nothing at all, thanks to free trials).
Want to know more? Keep reading for all of your March Madness streaming options broken down by service.
How to watch March Madness on Paramount+:
Paramount+ has two plans, but you’ll need to subscribe to the higher of the two (Paramount+ with Showtime) to stream live March Madness games on CBS. This year, CBS will be airing a handful of games in the first round, which kicks off March 21.
Paramount+ with Showtime costs $11.99/month and lets you watch your local CBS network live.
Does Paramount+ have a free trial?
Yes! Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial for all new users. For a limited time, you can use the code STALLONE to take advantage of an extended 30-day free trial.
How to watch March Madness on Max:
Since launching the Bleacher Report Sports module late last year, Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is the place to watch live sports that air on TNT, TBS, and TruTV.
All three of Max’s streaming plans include live sports at no additional cost this season, so you can watch March Madness for as low as $9.99/month (with ads). Ad-free plans cost $15.99/month and $19.99/month if you also want to upgrade to 4K quality.
Max streaming deal:
In addition to monthly subscriptions, Max also give you the option to prepay for an entire year of streaming, and right now, annual plans are up to 45% off.
- With Ads: normally $99.99/year, now $69.99
- Ad-Free: normally $149.99/year, now $104.99
- Ultimate Ad-Free (4K UHD streaming): normally $199.99/year, now $139.99
Does Max have a free trial?
Unfortunately, Max does not offer a free trial.
Wagner guard Zae Blake practices in front of coach Donald Copeland. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports What other streaming services have March Madness games?
If you’re a cable subscriber with a valid cable login, you can watch March Madness games live on March Madness Live, CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV, and their respective websites.
The following live TV streaming services also include TNT, TBS, and truTV: Sling TV Blue, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, or YouTube TV.
March Madness schedule:
You can check out a full game schedule here, but see below for important tournament dates.
- 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
- NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8
