Barry Brown #5 of the Kansas State Wild Cats tries to hit a hit against the Loyola Ramblers during the first half of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Zone at the Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia . Kevin C. Cox’s photo/Getty Images
Welcome to the season of March Madness! If you’re a fan, no other sporting event comes close.
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In these tournaments, the lowest-seeded college basketball teams compete for the “privilege” of going against the top seed. But remember, the University of Maryland Baltimore Country (UMBC) let Virginia down in the 2018 tournament. It could happen!
Basic Information about March Madness
- March Madness begins March 14 with the men’s First Four on truTV and the women’s First Four on ESPNU and ESPN2.
- CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV will broadcast the men’s tournament. You’ll find the women’s tournament on the ESPN network.
- You can watch some OTA games. However, to actually watch the games, you’ll need satellite, cable, or streaming.
- If you follow multiple teams, you will also need a DVR service because it is certain that two or more of your teams will be competing at the same time.
All your streaming options
With Paramount+, you can watch some, but not all, of March Madness. Only CBS games are available on this streaming service.
Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access, offers two plans. The first is the ad-supported Essential plan for $5 per month and the ad-free Premium plan for $10 per month. However, you can’t watch boys games on TBS, TNT or truTV, or any girls games on it. However, if you like CBS shows and for some reason you can’t get CBS on your main streaming services or you’re a serious Star Trek fan, it’s worth the money. rice bowl.
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One thing you should know when joining is that Paramount Plus does not have a cloud DVR service. You will need to watch the game in real time.
Hulu’s combination of video-on-demand and live TV with Live TV is great, and it also comes with a Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle. For $83 a month, you’ll get your local CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV channels. With the ESPN+ bundle, you can get all of the 2023 March Madness games.
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Another plus is that you can store an unlimited number of videos in your cloud DVR storage for up to nine months.
DirecTV Stream has gone through a number of name changes. Previously, it was AT&T TV, AT&T TV Now, and DirecTV Now. Whatever you call it, you’ll get CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV at its cheapest, $75 Entertainment bundle.
For women’s games, the bundle includes ESPN and ESPN2. However, if your favorite team is not one of the top teams, its matches can be on ESPNU or ESPNews. To get those, you’ll need to upgrade to the $100 DirecTV Stream Selection plan.
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On the plus side, DirecTV Stream now comes with ample unlimited Cloud DVR storage. At home, you can watch a game or any other show on up to two streaming devices at the same time. When you’re not at home, you can share your stream with three other devices.
Sling TV’s a la carte approach to channels sets it apart from its competitors.
While others tend to offer only two to four packages, Sling TV offers two basic packages — Blue and Orange — and a variety of packages that include dozens of related channels. However, CBS is not in any of them. For those games, you’ll need an antenna for your local CBS channel or a Paramount+ subscription.
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Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes TBS, TNT, and truTV. If you also want to watch the women’s tournament, you’ll need Sling TV’s Orange package. You can get this pairing plan for $20 for the first month and $40 monthly thereafter. Sling Orange and Blue will let you watch matches on TBS, TNT, truTV and the main ESPN channels. For the less popular ESPN channels, you’ll need the Sports Extra package for $11 a month.
To watch these games later, Sling TV’s default cloud DVR offers 50 hours for free. If you need more – and who doesn’t? — you can upgrade to 200 hours for $5 a month.
With over 100 channels, YouTube TV offers many of the most popular channels compared to its competitors. YouTube TV costs $65 monthly and includes all relevant ESPN, CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV channels.
According to CNET’s count, out of Top 100 networks, YouTube TV has the most to offer — 79 — of any streaming service.
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YouTubeTV also has unlimited cloud storage. And you have six accounts to share with your household. For this you will pay $55 for the first three months and then $65 monthly. You can use this service on three screens at the same time.
FuboTV is all about sports. But I’m sorry to say it wasn’t a great choice for March Madness.
Although its starter plan, Pro, has over 100 channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage for $75 a month, it only includes CBS and ESPN. It does not offer TBS, TNT and truTV. You may have heard rumors that these Turner Network channels are coming back, but it turns out those stories are nothing.
For followers of the NCAA Women’s March Madness, to watch every game, you need to purchase the Fubo Elite package, which includes ESPNews and ESPNU, for $85 a month.
To watch these games later, FuboTV’s cloud DVR service comes with 1,000 hours free.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stream games from outside the US with a VPN?
If you’re in Canada, you’re in luck. TSN will host all NCAA men’s and women’s games. In the UK, Sports BT And ESPN players will broadcast the games of March Madness 2023. If you are an existing BT Sport subscriber, you can watch every match for free by logging in and streaming. If you don’t have a cable, you can choose BT Sport’s recently introduced online-only plan, which costs £25 per month. However, there is no free trial for this service. Additionally, ESPN Player offers a seven-day free trial and after that, a monthly subscription of £9.99.
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If not, you will need a virtual private network (VPN), so you can stream games from your US streaming service. For travelers, ZDNET recommends NordVPN, ExpressVPNAnd SurfShark VPN.
What is the March Madness schedule?
Men’s March Madness Fixtures 2023
- The first four: March 14-15.
- First round: March 16-17.
- Second half: March 18-19
- Sweet 16: March 23-24.
- Eight elites: March 25-26.
- Four finals: April 1.
- NCAA Championship Game: April 3
Women’s March Madness schedule in 2023
- The first four: March 15-16.
- First round: March 17-18.
- Second half: March 19-20.
- Sweet 16: March 24-25.
- Eight elites: March 26-27.
- Four finals: March 31.
- Women’s NCAA Championship Game: April 2.
Can I stream March Madness for free?
Arrange. If you go to NCAA’s March Madness Live Website or use it March Madness Live app, you’ll be able to watch the games for free… if so, you’re a pay TV subscriber. Otherwise, you can still preview three hours. With ads, that means you’ll be able to watch a game.
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In other words, this “free” trick only works if you’ve already paid for cable, satellite, or streaming service.
What is the cheapest way to stream games?
The least expensive option available to watch the men’s tournament is a subscription to Sling TV Blue and Paramount Plus Premium. By choosing Sling TV Blue for $40/month, you get access to TNT, TBS, and truTV games. Plus, with Paramount Plus at $10/month, you get CBS games. Two members add up for $50/month. However, if you are a new subscriber, you can get 50% off the first month of Sling. This will bring your total cost down to $30 for the first month.
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For the women’s league, Sling TV’s Orange, $40/month, with Sports Extra for obscure ESPN channels, $11/month, is the cheapest option.
Will the March Madness games be in 4K?
It’s not like it. While there’s a chance that Final Four will be played in 4K, there’s been no announcement to that effect.
