How to Watch March Madness
Selection Sunday through the Final Four: which networks carry each round, how to follow four games at once, and the cheapest legal setup.
Updated this week
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Channels
Broadcast partner
Carries a share of every round plus the championship game in alternating years, free over the air.
Cable partners
The remaining first- and second-round games split across a group of cable networks, all in standard live TV bundles.
Conference tournaments
The week before the bracket, conference tournaments air across conference networks and national cable.
Women's tournament
Carried across a separate family of national networks, also included in standard bundles.
Streaming options
Pick by what you watch on and where you live. The highlighted option is our analysis-based pick for most fans.
| Service | Typical price | Works on | Location fit | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FuboBest pick | Base plan pricing varies by market | Smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, mobile, web | Nationwide, local channels by market | Carries the cable networks that hold most first-weekend games plus local broadcast in most markets, which is the combination the bracket demands. | Stream college basketball on Fubo |
| Antenna | One-time antenna cost | Any TV with a tuner | Depends on your reception | Free access to the broadcast partner's games, including much of the second weekend, if your reception is solid. | Shop indoor HD antennas on Amazon |
| Conference network subscription | Low monthly cost | Varies by provider | Varies by market | Best used earlier in the season for league games. It does not carry the national tournament rounds. | Subscribe to B1G+ |
FuboBest pick
- Typical price
- Base plan pricing varies by market
- Works on
- Smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, mobile, web
- Location fit
- Nationwide, local channels by market
- Notes
- Carries the cable networks that hold most first-weekend games plus local broadcast in most markets, which is the combination the bracket demands.
Antenna
- Typical price
- One-time antenna cost
- Works on
- Any TV with a tuner
- Location fit
- Depends on your reception
- Notes
- Free access to the broadcast partner's games, including much of the second weekend, if your reception is solid.
Conference network subscription
- Typical price
- Low monthly cost
- Works on
- Varies by provider
- Location fit
- Varies by market
- Notes
- Best used earlier in the season for league games. It does not carry the national tournament rounds.
Big Ten Network
The tournament is national, but the road to it is not. Conference networks carry the weeknight league games and Olympic sports that decide seeding, and B1G+ adds conference inventory national bundles skip.
Teams covered
- 68-team field
- Conference tournaments
- Women's tournament
Common questions
- Can I watch every tournament game legally?
- Yes. A live TV service carrying both the broadcast partner and the cable partners covers every game in the field.
- How do I watch multiple games at once?
- Most live TV apps support a multiview or picture-in-picture layout on TV devices, which is the practical way to follow the first-weekend windows.
- Is an antenna enough?
- Not for the first weekend, when most games sit on cable networks. It does cover a large share of the later rounds.
- When should I subscribe?
- Start the month of the tournament and cancel after the final if you only want the bracket, and check current promotional terms before signing up.