Where To Stream Every March Madness Game In 2023

It’s March so that means March Madness. With CBS Sports and Turner Sports broadcasting the games in 2023, here is a closer look at the TV channels and streaming services that you’ll need if you want to avoid missing out on any of the action.

Compared to previous years, the good news is that it is a little easier to watch some March Madness games this year, and that’s thanks to Paramount Plus. However, a standalone Paramount Plus subscription won’t solve all your March Madness issues.

The reason for this is that some of the games will still be shown on other live TV channels, which does mean that a live TV subscription is also needed.

March Madness on Paramount Plus

CBS Sports is the home of many of this year’s March Madness games, so for those already able to access CBS through an existing live TV package, or those that can access their local CBS station for free, they are all set and will be able to watch a number of live games without any other channels or services.

For those without access to CBS, and looking to avoid signing up for a paid live TV plan, Paramount Plus is the easiest way to plug the CBS gap.

CBS and Paramount Plus are both owned by Paramount Global and all of the games that are due to be shown on CBS will also be available to watch through Paramount Plus. However, access to CBS (and by association, March Madness) through Paramount Plus is reserved for the Premium tier.

Paramount Plus offers two main plans to choose from, Essential and Premium. While both unlock access to the same on-demand catalog, Premium comes with some additional benefits including the ability to watch catalog titles without ads and access to the subscriber’s local live CBS station.

Basically, if you are signing up to Paramount Plus to watch March Madness, you will want to make sure that you are signing up to the $9.99 per month Premium package. For reference, Paramount Plus does offer a free trial and it is available with both the monthly and annual Premium plans.

Paramount+
	-$4.99+ per month -Live channels -On-demand library -3 Streams Use 'ADVANCE' for 1 month free

March Madness on TV

While Paramount Plus will cover all of the games that are being shown live on CBS, plenty are being shown on Turner Sports channels, which means TBS, TNT, and truTV. Unfortunately, this also means that a live TV package will be required.

The cheapest way to get access to all of these Turner Sports channels is currently Sling TV. Even though this live TV service offers two main base plans to choose from, the $40 ($45 in areas where ABC is available) Sling Blue plan is the only live TV base package that comes with access to TBS, TNT and truTV.

The good news is that Sling is currently running a promotion for new subscribers which reduces the cost of a subscription by 50% for the first month. This means that it is possible to sign up for Sling Blue for the whole of March Madness for as little as $20 per month.

Sling Blue
	$20 first month 41 channels 3 streams 50 hours DVR Sign up

While Sling TV won’t include access to CBS, that’s covered by Paramount Plus. Alternatively, the games on CBS can also be viewed for free in homes that have access to their local CBS station.

Women’s March Madness 2023

For those interested in watching all of the women’s March Madness 2023 games, they are all being shown on ESPN. The only exception here is the Championship game which is being shown on ABC. Unfortunately, this means another subscription is required.

Sling TV is also the cheapest way to sign up to a live TV plan that includes ESPN. However, while the men’s games are due to be shown on TBS, TNT and truTV (which means Sling Blue), the Sling Orange package is the only Sling plan with access to ESPN. Sling Orange costs a minimum of $40 per month.

Again, as Sling is currently offering a half-off promotion on its plans, it is possible for new subscribers to sign up to Sling Orange for as little as $20 for the first month.

Sling Orange
	$20 first month 31 channels 1 stream 50 hours DVR Sign up

Unfortunately, the championship game is being shown on ABC and Sling Orange doesn’t include ABC. Unless a home has access to their local ABC channel then they may want to consider signing up to the combined Sling Orange & Blue plan at $55 per month ($27.50 with half-off promotion).

Even then, ABC is not available through Sling TV in all locations, so it will be best to check availability before signing up.

Watching both men’s and women’s March Madness

For those planning on watching both the men’s and women’s tournaments, the best option will be the combined Sling Orange & Blue plan.

This package costs $55 per month and brings together all of the channels from both the Blue and Orange plans, unlocking access to ESPN, TBS, TNT, and truTV in the process.

If taking advantage of the half-off promotion, the cost of Sling Orange & Blue drops down to as low as $27.50 for the first month for new subscribers.

When then factoring in the cost of Paramount Plus to cover all of the games being shown on CBS, the total cost to watch every game comes in at $37.50, when using the half-off Sling deal.

When to watch March Madness 2023

March Madness begins with Selection Sunday on March 12. The men’s tournament begins on March 14, and the championship game will be played on April 3. The women’s tournament begins on March 15, and the championship game will be played on April 2.

Men’s March Madness schedule

Women’s March Madness schedule