NCAA March Madness 2018: How to Stream Every Game
This article was originally published on March 8.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness 2018, is almost upon us. Here are the ways to stream the games across multiple devices.
As in past years, CBS and its partners, TBS, TNT, and truTV, are airing the games. These channels are provided across multiple platforms, including the following:
On your iOS device
If you subscribe to a cable or satellite service, your best bet is to use the NCAA March Madness Live app. It’s here where you’ll have access to all 67 games across all networks when you’re on the go.
Non-subscribers can still use the app to watch games airing on CBS. You only get three hours of access, however, for games broadcast on TBS, TNT, and truTV. The same rules apply when you’re viewing games through the NCAA March Madness site.
Note: CBS plans on airing 20 games this year.
NCAA March Madness 2018 Schedule
The participants in this year’s tourney will be announced on Sunday, March 11 on TBS. The First Four games will air on truTV on March 13 and March 14. The First and Second Rounds of the tournament run from March 15 through 18 on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
On March 22 and March 23, it’s the Sweet 16 on CBS and TBS. The Elite 8 are also on CBS and TBS, airing March 24 and March 25.
The Final Tour airs on March 31 on TBS, while the Championship, also on TBS, airs on April 2.
On Apple TV
When you use a connected TV or a TV set-top box such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire, or Roku, different rules apply. In this case, the only way to stream CBS games is through the company’s All Access subscription service, which starts at $5.99 per month. If you’ve never subscribed to All Access before, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial from the CBS website.
Games airing on TBS, TNT, and truTV require a cable/satellite subscription.
Through streaming subscription services
Services like DirecTV Now, Hulu Live TV, PlayStation Vue, and Sling TV will offer some combination of March Madness 2018 content. Whether you’ll receive a game, however, will depend on where you live.
The bottom line
As usual, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament offers an odd mix of rules and location requirements when it comes to online viewing. Games airing on CBS are available to everyone; those offered elsewhere, not so much.
Get the apps:
