March Madness is back for 2024! With rising cable prices, many cord-cutters have snipped their cable or satellite subscriptions. Thankfully, there are loads of ways to tune into March Madness games live. Learn how to watch men’s NCAA tournament March Madness games live without cable in 2024!
Where to Watch March Madness Games in 2024- What Networks are Broadcasting the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2024?
For 2024, March Madness games will air on CBS and Turner Sports stations such as TBS, TNT, and TruTV. As such, you can watch some NCAA March Madness games for free using an over-the-air (OTA) TV tuner. But for all other games not broadcast on CBS, you’ll need a premium subscription to a paid over-the-top (OTT) streaming service.
What networks will broadcast NCAA March Madness 2024 matchups:
- CBS
- TNT
- TruTV
- TBS
2024 NCAA Tournament Dates – When to Watch March Madness 2024 Games
The 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 15 with the First Four playing. Then, the First Round starts on March 17 with Thursday and Friday games. The Second Round plays on Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20.
Sweet 16 matchups fall on Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25 with the Elite 8 falling on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26. Then, the Final Four takes place on Saturday, April 1 with the National Championship game NRG Stadium on Monday, April 3.
NCAA March Madness 2024 tournament dates and stations:
- Selection Sunday (March 12, 2023): CBS
- First Four (Tuesday, March 14- Wednesday, March 15, 2023): truTV
- First Round (Thursday, March 16-Friday, March 17, 2023): CBS, truTV, TNT, TBS
- Second Round (Saturday, March 18-Sunday, March 19, 2023): CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
- Sweet 16 (Thursday, March 23-Friday, March 24, 2023): CBS, TBS
- Elite 8 (Saturday, March 25-Sunday, March 26, 2023): CBS, TBS
- Final Four (Saturday, April 1): CBS
- National Championship (Monday, April 3): CBS
Looking for information on the women’s NCAA tournament? Learn how to watch women’s NCAA tournament March Madness games live without cable!
How to Watch March Madness for Free Without Cable – The OTA Antenna Method
Because many NCAA tournament games air on CBS, you can watch a lot of games for free and without cable using an over-the-air (OTA) antenna. Plugging an OTA antenna directly into your television or projector using a coaxial cable should work just fine. Still, if your TV or projector lacks a coax input, you’ll need either an OTA TV tuner or better yet, an OTA DVR which lets you pause, rewind, fast forward, and record live television. We recommend the Tablo Dual HDMI, though there are plenty of digital video recorder options on the market.
Our favorite OTA antennas include the Mohu Leaf Supreme, Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse, and 1byone digital amplified HDTV antenna. The best OTA DVRs are the Tablo Dual HDMI, ZapperBox M1, and SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex.
However, you won’t be able to watch any games aired on TBS, TNT, or truTV. Nevertheless, CBS lets you watch many games from the First Round, Second Round, Sweet 16, and Elite 8. All Final Four games as well as the National Championship game will be broadcast on CBS.
How to Watch March Madness Online – Stream March Madness NCAA 2024 Games
With a plethora of paid over-the-top cable replacement streaming services available, you can stream March madness 2024 without cable easily. You’ll need access to CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV.
| Streaming service | YouTube TV | Hulu With Live TV | Sling TV | Fubo TV | DirecTV Stream |
| NCAA men’s March Madness Channels | CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV | CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV | TNT, TBS, and tuTV (Sling Blue/Sling Orange + Blue); TNT, TBS (Sling Orange); CBS (N/A) | CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV | CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV |
| Total channels | 100+ | 75+ | 31-72+ | 120+ | 65-140+ |
| DVR | Yes (unlimited) | Yes (unlimited) | Yes (50 hours free, $5/month for 200 hours) | Yes (1,000 hours) | Yes (unlimited) |
| Starting price | $64.99/month | $69.99/month | $40/month | $69.99/month | $69.99/month |
| Supported platforms | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TVs, Chromecast, web browser | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TVs, Chromecast, web browser | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Android, iOS, Xbox, Smart TVs, Chromecast, web browser | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Android, iOS, Xbox, Smart TVs, Chromecast, web browser | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Android, iOS, Smart TVs, Chromecast, web browser |
| Sign up | Try YouTube TV | Try Hulu + Live TV | Try Sling TV | Try Fubo TV | Try DirecTV Stream |
Stream March Madness Without Cable on NCAA March Madness Live
The NCAA March Madness Live app is available for Android/Android TV, iOS/tvOS, Amazon Fire TV/Amazon Fire Tablets, Roku, Xbox, and in web browsers. You can watch up to three hours for free, after which you’ll need to log in with a TV provider. Traditional cable and satellite providers work with NCAA March Madness Live, or you can use a slew of OTT cable alternative streaming sites. For 2024, the NCAA March Madness Life app lets you sign in with over-the-top streaming service providers including YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, and others.
NCAA March Madness Live TV Streaming on YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a fantastic OTT live TV streaming service. Because YouTube TV provides access to CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV, it’s a great choice for watching March Madness games live without cable. What’s more, YouTube TV features a compatible log-in for NCAA March Madness Live. Because it includes multiview for watching up to four different simultaneous streams, we recommend YouTube TV for streaming March Madness. Read our YouTube TV review to decide if YTTV is right for you.
- Available March Madness television stations on YouTube TV: CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV
- NCAA March Madness Live provider log in: Yes
Stream 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament March Madness Games Live Without Cable on Hulu + Live TV
Hulu with Live TV lets you stream the entire NCAA March Madness tournament 2024 from start to finish. You’ll have access CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Additionally, Hulu with Live TV lets you log into the NCAA March Madness Live app. Read our Hulu with Live TV review to learn if you should cut the cord with Hulu this March.
- Available networks for streaming March Madness games on Hulu with Live TV: CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV
- NCAA March Madness Live log in: Yes
Stream NCAA March Madness on fuboTV
fuboTV is an excellent cable alternative streaming service that allows you to watch the whole NCAA men’s basketball tournament live. Since fuboTV carries CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV, you can watch every NCAA March Madness game, from the First Four until the Final Four and the title game. Unfortunately, fuboTV isn’t available as a TV provider for logging into the NCAA March Madness Live app, although you can just as easily use the fuboTV app instead.
- Available networks for NCAA tournament streaming: CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV
- NCAA March Madness Live log in: No
Watch NCAA March Madness Live Without Cable on Sling TV
Sling TV is one of the most cost-effective cable alternative OTT streaming services on the market. It comes in two different packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. With Sling Blue, you pay $35 USD per month for over 45 channels and a free 50 hour DVR. It’s best for news and entertainment.
The Sling Orange plan retails for $35 and lets you stream on 1 device, features more than 30 channels of mostly sports and family entertainment content, plus includes a 50-hour DVR. Or, you can bundle Sling and Orange for $50 a month. With Sling Blue, you can stream from TNT, TBS, and truTV.
Sling Orange also includes TBS and TNT, but no truTV. Unfortunately, Sling TV lacks local channels, but you can easily solve this problem with either an OTA antenna for live, over-the-air CBS, or by subscribing to Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access, which lets you watch all NCAA March Madness 2024 games broadcast on CBS. Read our sling TV review to find out if this is the right option for your sports streaming.
- Available NCAA March Madness 2024 TV stations on Sling TV: TNT, TBS, and tuTV (Sling Blue/Sling Orange + Blue); TNT, TBS (Sling Orange); CBS (N/A)
- NCAA March Madness Live log in: Yes
March Madness 2024 Tournament Live Streaming on DirectTV Stream
DirectTV Stream is a live streaming cable alternative that’s fantastic for watching March Madness games live. Each of its tiers, from Entertainment to Premier boast TBS, TNT, and truTV. Additionally, with local CBS affiliate stations available, DirectTV Stream enables you to stream the entire NCAA men’s basketball tournament from the First Four until the Championship Game. And DirectTV Stream offers an NCAA March Madness Live log in.
- 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament channels on AT&T TV: CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV
- NCAA March Madness Live log in: Yes
Watch CBS-broadcast March Madness Games Live Streaming on Paramount+
Paramount Plus, formerly CBS All Access, includes a massive library of on-demand and live content. Since many 2024 NCAA March Madness games air on CBS, Paramount+ will let you stream those NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament matchups. While the Final Four and National Championship games all broadcast on CBS, only select First Round, Second Round, Sweet 16, and Elite Eight games are available on CBS. As such, Paramount Plus only nets you eight of the first 32 games. The other 24 games fall on truTV, TNT, and TBS which, being WarnerMedia properties instead of ViacomCBS stations, aren’t available in Paramount+.
Likewise, the Second Round, Sweet 16, and Elite 8 all split games between CBS, TNT, truTV, and TBS. Still, Paramount Plus is a cost-effective solution to watching many March Madness games including the Final Four and the Championship game. For Sling TV subscribers, Paramount+ could be a solution for watching games shown on CBS.
- Available channels: CBS
- NCAA March Madness Live log in: No
How to Stream March Madness 2024 in Canada, the UK, and Other Countries Outside of the United States
If you’re a basketball fanatic located outside of the United States, you’ll want to be able to watch NCAA matchups nonetheless. You’ll first want to subscribe a cable replacement streaming service such as Hulu with Live TV, fuboTV, Sling TV, Paramount Plus, YouTube TV, or DirecTV Stream. Additionally, you’ll need a VPN, or virtual private network. This will let you unlock geo-protected content by setting your VPN to route your web traffic through a server in the United States, thereby making streaming services view your IP address as based out of the US. There are tons of different VPNs available. I recommend EspressVPN, NordVPN, FastestVPN, and SurfShark.
Best VPN for watching NCAA March Madness 2024 games in Canada, the UK, and outside of the US:
Best Devices for Live-streaming March Madness Games
Need a streaming device? You’ve got lots of options, including Android TV boxes, Rokus, and Amazon Fire TV media players.
Android TV
Our favorite Android TV box is the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. It gets you outstanding 4K HDR video streaming capabilities alongside with a beefy processor for gaming. Alternatively, the Chromecast with Google TV (our review) is a solid budget Android TV box.
Roku
The best Roku on the market is the Roku Ultra with its Dolby Vision HDR video output, Ethernet jack, and powerful CPU. For a smaller form factor, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ is a great pick.
Amazon Fire TV
Our favorite Amazon Fire TV device is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max which boasts Wi-Fi 6, a strong processor, and 4K HDR with Dolby Vision support. On a budget, check out the Fire TV 4K non-max.
Apple TV
Apple aficionados will love the Apple TV. Running tvOS, the Apple TV integrates flawlessly with macOS and iOS.
How to Watch NCAA Tournament March Madness Games Live Without Cable: FAQs
You can live stream NCAA tournament March Madness games without cable in 2024 using DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, and Paramount+. Additionally, an OTA antenna lets you watch March Madness games on CBS for free.
You can stream March Madness on the NCAA March Madness Live app using a provider log-in. You can also stream March Madness games on DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, and Paramount+.
Yes, Hulu does have March Madness games since it includes CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV for watching the men’s NCAA tournament as well as ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU for live-streaming the women’s NCAA tournament.
Yes, there is an app to watch March Madness, the March Madness Live app. You can log in with a provider login from the likes of DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, and Paramount+, or even many cable and satellite companies. Using the March Madness Live app, you can track your bracket, watch live college basketball games, view replays and highlights, plus more.
Yes, CBS is slated to show the 2024 Men’s NCAA Final Four.
Yes, you can stream March Madness on YouTube TV with every game – from Selection Sunday and the First Four to the Final Four and championship game – on YTTV thanks to its channel lineup which includes CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
You can stream the Final Four on the NCAA March Madness Live app, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, and Paramount+.
You can watch March Madness on Roku with the NCAA March Madness Live app, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, and Paramount+.
No, Paramount+ does not have all March Madness games, only the NCAA tournament games broadcast on CBS.
Yes, the Final Four will air on Hulu with Live TV since Hulu has CBS.
For 2024, the networks carrying men’s March Madness include CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
How to Watch March Madness Without Cable – Watch NCAA Basketball Tournament Games Live
Even if you don’t have cable or satellite, there are several ways to watch. An OTA antenna will get some of the First Round, Second Round, Sweet 16, and Elite 8, in addition to the entirety of the Final Four as well as the NCAA Championship game. Paramount+ lets you stream games from CBS, but misses out on matches broadcast on TBS, TNT, and truTV.
Hulu with Live TV, fuboTV, YouTube TV, and AT&T TV all feature the complete channel lineup of TBS, TNT, truTV, and CBS required to watch all 68 NCAA March Madness games. Sling TV lacks CBS, but provides access to TBS, TNT, and truTV. For NCAA basketball buffs located outside of the United States, a VPN is a must-have for circumventing geo-protection and live-streaming March Madness from around the globe.
Your turn: How do YOU plan to watch NCAA March Madness games live and without cable in 2024?
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