NCAA March Madness 2026: Where to Watch the Men’s College Basketball Tournament Live Online

19 Mar 2026, 10:30 by Rudie Obias · Variety

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NCAA March Madness games starts on Thursday, Mar. 19 with the top 68 teams in college basketball competing for the 2026 National Championship. The tournament ends on Monday, Apr. 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The action tips off with No. 9-ranked TCU Horned Frogs taking on No. 8-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at 12:15 p.m. ET/9:15 a.m. PT. The game airs on CBS and livestreams on Paramount+. Check out a complete NCAA March Madness schedule here.

Where to Watch NCAA March Madness 2026 Live Online

Want to watch online? March Madness games air across on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV.

You don’t have to miss any of the action, even without cable. You can access select games on CBS on your TV with one of these affordable indoor digital HD TV antennas. March Madness livestreams online on a wide range of streaming platforms, such as DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and others.

In fact, some services offer free trials that you can use to livestream the championship game online for free.

watch 2026 March Madness with directv

How to Watch NCAA March Madness Online: Livestream College Basketball Tournament Without Cable

Want to watch online? Check out the best ways to livestream March Madness games, below:

DirecTV

DirecTV is one of the best ways for cable-cutters to access live sports and TV from home.

Get 5-day Free Trial

Priced at $44.99/month for the first two months of service ($69.99/month afterwards), you get access to the streaming service’s “MySports” package for March Madness on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, along with over 20 sports channels. The package comes with a 5-day free trial to watch the college basketball tournament for free.

Paramount+

Prices start at $2.99/month for the first two months

Get Paramount+

For March Madness games on CBS, Paramount+ has you covered with prices starting at $2.99 for the first two months of service ($8.99/month afterwards). Paramount+ includes hit movies, TV shows, originals and sports. Although Paramount+ doesn’t offer a 7-day free trial anymore, you can still get access to the streaming service when you sign up for a 30-day free trial for Walmart+. Learn more about Paramount+ and Walmart+ here.

HBO Max

The streaming service offers TNT, TBS and truTV games starting at $10.99/month for the ad-supported plan

Get HBO Max Bundle

While HBO Max doesn’t offer a free trial, you can bundle HBO Max with Hulu and Disney+ starting at $16.99/month.

Additionally, you can get HBO Max through Prime Video as a channel add-on starting at $10.99/month. Not an Amazon Prime member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video and Prime Gaming; fast free shipping in less than two days; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market, access to exclusive shopping events — like Prime Day and Black Friday — and more.

Sign up to watch March Madness live online, along with other TV shows, like “Hacks,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and hit movies, like “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” “Barbie,” “Wonka” and “Priscilla.” You can access live sports for pro leagues, like the NHL, MLB and MotoGP, as well as live news from CNN.

Hulu

Hulu + Live TV

Prices start at $89.99/month.

Get 3-day Free Trial

For another great option for to watch all of the March Madness hoops in action, check out Hulu + Live TV for live channel streaming March Madness with access to CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV. Starting at $89.99/month, the streaming service has more than 95 other channels, as well as access to hit originals on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited.