It’s March and that means it’s March Madness. Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery. will be broadcasting all of the men’s games in 2026 while ABC and ESPN will be broadcasting all of the women’s games.
If you want to watch all of the men’s and women’s NCAA action as it happens, here’s an overview of how you can watch both March Madness tournaments, with or without a live TV package.
March Madness Quick Links
Men’s March Madness Schedule
The men’s March Madness tournament begins with Selection Sunday on March 15. The action then gets underway on March 17 with the First Four and concludes with the Championship Game on April 6.
| Selection Sunday | March 15 |
| First Four | March 17-18 |
| First Round | March 19-20 |
| Second Round | March 21-22 |
| Sweet 16 | March 26-27 |
| Elite Eight | March 28-29 |
| Final Four | April 4 |
| Championship Game | April 6 |
Stream Men’s March Madness Without A Live TV Plan
For those that plan to watch without signing up to a live TV package, this year’s tournament will be streamed via HBO Max and Paramount+.
With the games split over these two services, those looking to stream all the action will need subscriptions to both.
Stream Men’s March Madness On HBO Max
A good number of games will be shown live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS, TNT and truTV channels. This also means it is possible to stream all of these games on HBO Max.
In total, live coverage of 46 games, including the National Championship, Final Four Semifinals, Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and First and Second rounds, will be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription.
Those wanting access to HBO Max to watch any or all of the games shown on these channels will need to consider signing up to one of the ad-free tiers at either $18.49 or $22.99 a month.
If already signed up to the ad-supported tier, or considering signing up to the cheapest $10.99/mo plan to save on the cost, live sports are not included with this plan.
Stream Men’s March Madness On Paramount+
With 21 March Madness games available to watch live on CBS, they will also be available to stream live with a Paramount+ Premium subscription.
In total, CBS (and Paramount+) will broadcast 21 games throughout the tournament, including select matchups from the Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and First and Second rounds.
Although Paramount+ offers two main plans for subscribers to choose between, games shown live on CBS are only available to those subscribed to the more expensive Paramount+ Premium plan.
Paramount+ Premium costs $13.99 a month and, in addition to live games, those signing up to the Premium plan also get access to the Showtime content library as well as the ability to download movies and shows to watch offline.
Stream Men’s March Madness With A Live TV Plan
Similar to last year, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will be broadcasting all men’s March Madness games in 2026. In total, 67 games will be available to watch across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.
For those looking to watch as many games as possible, a live TV package that includes CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will be required. The current cheapest way to get access to all of these channels during the tournament is YouTube TV.
While the base YouTube TV plan typically costs $82.99 a month, new subscribers can currently sign up at $59.99/mo for the first 2 months resulting in a saving of $46. However, this introductory offer is due to end on March 17, 2026.
While DirecTV’s Choice package is also currently on sale at $59.99 for the first month, new subscribers will likely find they will also have to pay an additional regional sports fee when signing up, increasing the cost.
Here is an overview of all of the live TV services carrying the necessary men’s March Madness channels, and the cost.
| Service | Cost p/m | CBS | TBS | TNT | truTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV Choice | $60* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fubo Sports | $55* | ✔ | |||
| Hulu Live TV | $90 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sling Blue | $5-$46 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| YouTube TV | $60* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Watch On March Madness Live
It is also possible to stream all 67 games via March Madness Live. This service is only accessible with a live TV package, so basketball fans will need to log in with their live TV credentials to unlock access to all of the games.
Women’s March Madness Schedule
The women’s March Madness tournament begins with Selection Sunday on March 15. The action then begins on March 18 with the First Four and finishes up with the Championship Game on April 5.
| Selection Sunday | March 15 |
| First Four | March 18-19 |
| First Round | March 20-21 |
| Second Round | March 22-23 |
| Sweet 16 | March 27-28 |
| Elite Eight | March 29-30 |
| Final Four | April 3 |
| Championship Game | April 5 |
Stream Women’s March Madness Without A Live TV Package
All of the women’s March Madness games are being shown across ABC and the family of ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS). This also means they will be available to stream with a standalone ESPN Unlimited subscription.
- ESPN Select
- ESPN Networks
- ABC
From $29.99
Bundle with Disney+ and Hulu
ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99 per month. For those looking to bundle more content, it is also possible to sign up to a Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle from $35.99/mo.
Stream Women’ March Madness With A Live TV Plan
Similar to last year, Disney will be broadcasting all women’s March Madness games in 2026. In total, 67 games will be available to watch across ABC and ESPN.
For those looking to watch as many games as possible, a live TV package that includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPNU will be required.
The cheapest way to get access to all of these channels during the tournament is currently Fubo Sports.
While Fubo Sport typically costs $55.99 a month, new subscribers can currently sign up at just $45.99 for their first month, resulting in a saving of $10.
Here is an overview of all of the live TV services carrying the necessary women’s March Madness channels, and the cost.
| Service | Cost p/m | ABC | ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNews | ESPNU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV Choice | $60 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fubo Sports | $46* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hulu Live TV | $83 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sling Orange | $46 | $** | ✔ | ✔ | $ | $ |
| YouTube TV | $60* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Looking For A Complete Live TV Package To Watch Both Tournaments?
While subscriptions to HBO Max, Paramount+ and ESPN Unlimited will pretty much provide access to all games from both tournaments, a live TV package can be a good option for those that just want to pay for a single subscription.
For those that would prefer this option, a live TV package that includes ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will be required.
Right now, the cheapest option is YouTube TV.
Thanks to a limited-time promotion, new subscribers can currently sign up and pay just $59.99/mo for the first 2 months. However, this introductory offer is due to end on March 17, 2026.
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