How To Watch March Madness for Free
You can still watch the magical moments of March Madness even if you don’t subscribe to cable TV. Where can you find online platforms that cover the 2023 March Madness games this year? Continue reading to discover some outlets to catch the best of the spring season.
Where Can You Watch March Madness for Free?
To watch your favorite college basketball teams play in this year’s NCAA basketball tournament for free, you must have access to CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV through your cable provider or with a paid subscription.
However, not having cable TV shouldn’t stop you from enjoying March Madness games from the first four through the final four. You only need an internet-connected device and access to one of the supported streaming services.
Five Best Streaming Apps To Watch March Madness in 2023
At a glance, here are five apps where you can stream March Madness for free. These include the length of the free trial period and the monthly subscription cost if you decide to continue the service.
| Streaming App | Monthly Subscription Cost | Free Trial Period |
|---|---|---|
| Sling TV | $40 | Half off the first month at $20 |
| DirectTV Stream | $75 to $155 | Five days |
| Fubu TV | $75 to $95 | Seven days |
| Paramount Plus Premium | $10 | One week |
| YouTube TV | $73 | Up to 30 minutes |
Good To Know
Taking advantage of limited-time free trials is a smart way to see the tournament games you want for free. But be sure to cancel before you’re charged. Fortunately, these streaming services will typically send you a courtesy email before your free trial ends.
Sling TV
Sling TV doesn’t currently offer a free trial, but they do offer 50% off the first month’s subscription to new customers. The streaming app has three monthly packages — Orange at $40, Blue at $40 and Orange & Blue at $55. The packages include 31, 39 and 43 channels respectively, so you can watch your favorite NCAA team during the March Madness games.
DirectTV Stream
If you’re a March Madness fan, you can watch the tournament games on DirectTV’s streaming service. Be aware that DirectTV Stream requires the purchase of a device, but offers a $10 per month discount for the first 12 months of service to new customers only. The free trial is for five days and is only available for online purchases.
DirectTV Stream has four packages, including regional sports networks:
- Entertainment — 75+ channels for $75 per month
- Choice — 105+ channels for $100 per month
- Ultimate — 140+ channels for $110 per month
- Premier — 150+ channels for $155 per month
Fubu TV
Fubu TV offers live streaming of the NCAA tournament games. If you don’t have time to watch the games live, you can record them on Fubu’s Cloud DVR storage included with your subscription. You can try it out free for seven days. Fubu’s three live-streaming packages are:
- Pro — 156 channels for $75 per month
- Elite — 219 channels for $85 per month
- Premier — 228 channels for $95 per month
Paramount Plus Premium
For only $9.99 a month, you can subscribe to Paramount Plus Premium and stream live-action sports, including March Madness games. The Premium plan includes game highlights and replays and has a free one-week trial.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV streaming service offers more than 100 channels for about $73 a month. There’s a limited-time offer for new subscribers at $63 a month for the first three months. With YouTube TV, you can watch March Madness with no annual contract or hidden fees. Unfortunately, you can only watch up to 30 minutes on the platform for free.
Final Take
If you want to watch March Madness and do not have cable, you can easily watch by using a streaming service. By taking advantage of a free trial that some are offering, you won’t have to pay a cent. Just be sure you cancel your subscription before your trial period runs out.
Information is accurate as of March 23, 2023.
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- Cabletv.com. 2023. "HOW TO WATCH THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 2023."
- Techhive. 2023. "The secret way to watch March Madness for free (or cheap)."
- Federal Trade Commission. "Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions."
