How to Watch March Madness 2026

Spring is upon us, which means the opening of the extremity of seasonal slump (fingers crossed), outpouring breaks with the kids, and of course, brackets and betting with March Madness.

This is the yearly tourney that determines which men’s and women’s Division I teams volition triumph the NCAA Basketball championships. This year, the games statesman connected Tuesday, March 17 for the men and Wednesday, March 18 for the women.

However, 2026 March Madness officially starts this weekend, with the announcement connected March 15 of the participating teams connected Selection Sunday.

You tin ticker the March Madness games unrecorded if you inactive subscribe to the old-school cablegram box, but who are we kidding—I cognize you’ve chopped the cablegram and privation to watercourse the games connected the internet.

To watercourse March Madness games for the NCAA Championship, you'll person to entree assorted platforms. I’ve done each the probe for you, including however overmuch it costs and what’s included (and erstwhile you should cancel your rank aft March Madness ends).

Where to Stream

HBO Max ($18.49 a period and up for the tiers with unrecorded sports): Your HBO Max relationship lets you watercourse 42 of the men's March Madness games airing crossed CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. There are a fewer tiers of HBO Max available, and the work is often bundled with Hulu and Disney+, but conscionable cognize that the cheapest $11 per period program for HBO Max does not see unrecorded sports streaming. There's the Standard program astatine $18.49 that gets you each the games successful HD, and the Premium program astatine $23 a period that shows the games successful 4K with Dolby Atmos audio. (WIRED besides has Max promo codes, which tin assistance you prevention connected Max subscription plans.) No escaped trial.

Paramount+ Premium ($13 per month): To ticker immoderate men's March Madness games that are being broadcast connected CBS, get the Paramount+ Premium plan. Since this subscription gets you the games airing connected CBS, and HBO Max's Standard program gets you the games airing the large cablegram networks, you tin ticker each of the men's March Madness games with a operation of these 2 plans. Just enactment that Paramount+ Premium is marketed arsenic ad-free streaming, but that doesn't use to unrecorded TV; your NCAA sum volition see ads. One-week escaped trial.

ESPN Unlimited ($30 a month). ESPN's top-tier streaming work has each of the programming crossed each of the ESPN networks. This is simply a large enactment if you privation to ticker each of the women's March Madness games, since the full women's tourney volition beryllium shown crossed ESPN's assorted channels. ESPN is often bundled successful with Hulu and Disney+, but if you person 1 of these bundles, conscionable cheque your ESPN tier to marque definite your program lets you ticker each the games.

Hulu + Live TV ($90 per month): You tin ticker each of the games—men's and women's—that are being broadcast unrecorded connected CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV, and ESPN successful 1 spot by choosing a Hulu subscription with the “Live TV” add-on. This bundle is simply a steep $83 per month, but Hulu gives you a three-day escaped trial. Hulu has been amping up its NCAA sum successful caller years, with personalized recommendations, unrecorded TV video streaming connected up to 2 devices, propulsion notifications erstwhile games are starting, and the quality to people games you privation to ticker later. (WIRED besides has Hulu coupons, which tin assistance you prevention connected Hulu subscription plans.) Three-day escaped trial.

YouTube TV ($83 per month): Having YouTube TV is similar having unrecorded TV from fundamentally immoderate transmission you want, with contented from implicit 100 channels, including CBS, ABC and the cablegram channels with March Madness coverage. You tin watercourse each televised men's and women's crippled with this package. YouTube TV besides has a chill multi-view diagnostic that lets you put 4 streams connected the tv astatine once, truthful you tin ticker aggregate games astatine the aforesaid time. If you motion up close now, until March 17, you tin prevention large connected your archetypal 2 months with a discounted program of lone $60 per month.