How to watch NCAA March Madness 2024 today

March Madness 2024 is here. One of the most exciting sporting events of the year, the culmination of the NCAA college basketball season promises a tournament rich in drama, surprises, career-defining moments and (most importantly) excellent play from college basketball's most elite men's and women's student-athletes.

The road to the Final Four starts with the First Four, but figuring out how to watch your favorite team shoot its shot at the national championship can prove downright overwhelming. We've taken the mystery out of figuring out how and when to watch March Madness 2024. Think of it as Cliffs Notes for the best streaming platforms for watching March Madness 2024. Keep reading for everything you need to know.

CBS Essentials, CBS and Paramount+ are all subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men's March Madness tournament.

When is March Madness 2024?

• Selection Sunday was on March 17, 2024. 
• The men's tournament will be played March 19, 2024 - April 8, 2024.
• The women's tournament will be played March 20, 2024- April 7, 2024.

How to watch March Madness 2024 

Men's March Madness 2024, including the Final Four, will air on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. The first men's March Madness Round of 64 game, Michigan State vs. Mississippi State, will be broadcast on CBS at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The national championship will air on TBS.

Women's March Madness 2024, including the Final Four, will air on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

How to watch March Madness 2024 without cable

If you've given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn't include the channels carrying March Madness this year, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.

How to watch March Madness 2024: Paramount+ with Showtime

CBS will play host to some of this year's men's March Madness games, which means Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers can stream CBS-aired men's March Madness games live.

The streamer offers access to all college basketball games locally and nationally televised on CBS on all its subscription tiers. In addition, you can watch top-tier soccer like the Champions League live and SEC college football games, plus popular shows such as "Survivor" and "NCIS." 

A subscription to Paramount+ with Showtime is $11.99 per month. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial. (You won't be able to stream men's March Madness live with a Paramount+ Essential subscription.)

Stream March Madness: Paramount+ with Showtime free on Amazon Prime Video

Paramount+ content, including men's March Madness 2024, is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports documentaries, including "Kelce," which chronicles former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce's last season in the league.

Amazon is offering a seven-day free trial of Paramount+ with Showtime. Tap the button below to start your trial and start streaming now for free. After the free trial period ends, a subscription to the Paramount+ with Showtime tier is $11.99 per month.

Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: The one way to stream every March Madness game

You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men's and women's tournaments, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ESPN, ABC and CBS, and includes ESPN+, so you'll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women's Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It's priced at $77.

Watch March Madness free with Fubo

If you're new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every March Madness game airing on network and cable TV, plus your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. Another great reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live. 

Start watching NCAA basketball on Fubo and get access to network-aired NFL, NBA and MLB games by starting a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier, which includes 199 channels, but the streamer is currently offering the first month for $60.

Note: Because Fubo doesn't carry TruTV, TBS or TNT, you won't be able to watch every game of the tournament with a FuboTV subscription. If you want one streaming platform to watch the entire tournament, you'll need a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.

What you'll get with Fubo Pro Tier:

• There are no contracts with Fubo -- you can cancel at any time.
• The Pro tier includes 199 channels. 
• Fubo includes all the channels you'll need to watch college and pro sports, including CBS.
• In addition to March Madness, Fubo offers NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. 
• All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
• Stream on your TV, phone and mobile devices.

Save $40 on Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream March Madness 2024

If you don't have cable TV that includes TNT, TBS and ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream March Madness game this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to your local network affiliate's live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes the NFL Network and ESPN with its Orange tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups.

The Orange tier is normally $40 per month, but right now Sling TV is offering a pair of offers for new subscribers. You can choose to take $10 off your first month of service on any tier or save $40 when you prepay $120 for four months of the Sling TV Orange tier.

Note: Because some men's March Madness 2024 will be broadcast on CBS, you won't be able to watch all the men's March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you're looking to stream the men's tournament, we suggest a subscription to one of the other platforms featured here.

Top features of Sling TV Orange tier:

• There are 32 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT and TBS. (where available).
• You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

ESPN+: How to watch the women's Final Four

ESPN+ is ESPN's subscription streaming platform. It offers exclusive live events, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren't accessible on the ESPN networks. To watch the women's Final Four, simply sign into the ESPN app. You'll watch college basketball at no extra charge. You can stream ESPN+ through the ESPN app on your favorite mobile device and ESPN.com. It's also available as an app through major smart TV streaming platforms and gaming consoles such as the PS5.

Keep in mind there are some blackouts prohibiting you from watching certain in-market games with ESPN+, even if they're nationally televised. If you're looking to avoid those blackouts, we suggest subscribing to the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle featured above.

It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming.

An ESPN+ subscription costs $10.99 per month, or save 15% when you pay annually ($110).  ESPN+ is also currently offering a cost-saving bundle. Get ESPN+ (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $14.99 per month.

Watch March Madness games live with a digital HDTV antenna

You can also watch CBS and the network's 2024 March Madness coverage on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels. Here's the kicker: There's no monthly charge.

For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal -- or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch NASCAR without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.

This amplified digital antenna with a 400-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more (depending on your location) and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV and top-tier sound. It comes with a 16-foot digital coax cable.

When is Selection Sunday?

The day when the tournament's brackets and seeds are released is known as Selection Sunday. For the 2023-24 NCAA college basketball season, Selection Sunday was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024.  

Key dates for the 2024 NCAA men's college tournament

Below are key dates for March Madness 2024.

• First Four: Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, 2024
• First round: Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22
• Second round: Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24
• Sweet 16: Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29
• Elite Eight: Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6 (TBS)
• National championship: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (TBS)

Key dates for the 2024 NCAA women's college basketball tournament

• First Four: Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21, 2024
• First round: Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23
• Second round: Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25
• Sweet 16: Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30
• Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 and Monday, April 1
• Final Four: Friday, April 5 (ESPN+)
• National championship: Sunday, April 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio (ABC)