The Productivity Killer Returns: How to Watch March Madness Online

Sixty-eight teams. Seven rounds. Sixty-seven games. Single elimination. One winner. Buzzer-beating shots, upsets, and Cinderella stories; welcome back to March Madness, folks. After some slightly modified tournaments during the worst pandemic years, the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament will see the finest young hoopers test their skills—and rep their colleges—across the country.

This year’s television schedule is split across the four traditional channels: CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. However, if you don’t have a TV with a cable package, the tournament is also available through apps, media devices, and streaming video platforms. Here’s how to watch the basketball action online when the games kick off on March 14.

How to Watch March Madness With Cable

The NCAA has made things a little less chaotic the last few years by centralizing the tourney streams in the March Madness Live(Opens in a new window) web-based app. If you plan to covertly stream games next to that super-important email or spreadsheet tab, the main web app is your best bet. It works on the desktop and mobile web.

However, the March Madness Live app comes with caveats. The games televised by CBS will be available for free through the app, and viewing them doesn’t require a cable login. However, you’ll need a cable or satellite login to access the live streams from the three Turner-owned channels (TNT, TBS, and truTV).

Alas, even if you don’t own a TV, you’re still subject to its whims. Make sure to check the full March Madness TV schedule(Opens in a new window) for where games are airing (and their start times).

If you’ve got a cable login, this is still the best and most widely available way to stream March Madness games. You also get extra features, such as Fast Break (live coverage of multiple games that eliminates the need for a second screen), BracketIQ (matchup analysis), instant highlights, and real-time stats we’ve seen in past years.

How to Use the March Madness Live Everywhere App

If you’re not watching on a desktop computer, many live-streamed games are available on other officially supported devices and platforms. You can download the March Madness Live app for your smartphone, tablet, smart TV, or media streaming device. A reminder: Games broadcast by Turner require login credentials. Check out the full list of supported devices and services below:

How to Watch March Madness Without Cable TV

If you want to watch every game without worrying about network broadcasts and login credentials, true cord-cutters can turn to one of several live TV streaming services. Most of these have free trials if you’re really desperate to stream the games without paying:

• Sling TV is available on a variety of streaming devices, offering two different subscription packages starting at $40 per month. Sling Blue package subscribers have access to all three Turner channels: TBS, TNT, and truTV. Sling Orange customers have TNT and TBS, but can add truTV for $6 per month with the Comedy Extra add-on.

• Paramount+ subscribers can live stream all the games broadcast on CBS. Paramount+ is priced at $4.99 per month (or $49.99 a year) with limited commercials. There’s also an ad-free version for $9.99 a month (or $99.99 a year); both offer a 7-day free trial.

• DirecTV Stream has a $75-per-month base Entertainment package, with a five-day free trial, that gives you access to TBS, TNT, and truTV, and a channel lookup tool(Opens in a new window) to find a live CBS feed in your area. (For a limited time, it’s $64.99 per month for the first three months.)

• Hulu lets you stream all four channels with its ad-supported, $69.99-per-month live TV package ($82.99 without ads); there’s no free trial available.

• YouTube TV gives you access to CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV for $64.99 per month ($54.99 per month for the first three months for a limited time). Free trials vary by plan.

• FuboTV offers TNT, TBS, and truTV with a one-week trial, after which it’s $74.99 per month.

Video Streaming Services: What You Should Know

How to Watch March Madness With a VPN

If you’re watching outside the US and games are unavailable in your country, fire up a VPN. Set the region to a location in the US to access local streaming content. If you’re watching on the go, check out our best VPNs for iPhones and Android devices. Not all VPN services work well with all streaming services, but the best VPNs for sports streaming will deliver high speeds without data limits. Great examples include CyberGhost VPN, NordVPN, and Editors’ Choice pick ProtonVPN.