College basketball madness returns in March with the annual month-long season finale. March Madness 2023, the notorious single-elimination tournament, will take place between March 15 and April 2. The event will culminate in the crowning of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball champion. The 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will see 68 Division I NCAA teams compete across 7 rounds of single-elimination games. Selection Sunday is scheduled for March 12, 2023.
What channel is March Madness on?
March Madness 2023 is jointly produced by CBS Sports and Turner Sports. March Madness live streams will be available online through CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV (depending on the round).
The 2023 March Madness selection show will be broadcast on CBS starting at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 12. During the show, the selection committee will announce all 68 teams that will compete in the tournament and confirm the dates, locations, and tip-off times of all match-ups.
Best live TV streaming services to watch March Madness 2023
March Madness will be available on video streaming services that provide viewers with access to the channels covering the tournament. Live streaming options for March Madness 2023 are as follows:
- DIRECTV STREAM will be home to every shot and Cinderella Story during March Madness 2023. The Entertainment package includes CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV, and over 75 channels, so viewers can watch each game and more for only $74.99 per month. There are no contracts, no hidden fees, and a subscription includes unlimited cloud DVR storage. New subscribers can take advantage of a 5-day free trial before subscribing. Sign up for DIRECTV STREAM
- Hulu + Live TV will air live games throughout March Madness for $69.99 per month. The service includes CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and over 85 channels. Plus, subscribers get unlimited access to the Hulu library, Disney+, and live sports on ESPN+ for no additional charge. Record your favorite shows and sporting events for up to 9 months with unlimited DVR storage. Sign up for Hulu + Live TV.
- fuboTV is $74.99/mo. following a 7-day free trial and offers live March Madness games on CBS. The service doesn’t carry the Turner Sports channels (TNT, TBS, truTV) but it does include over 140 channels and over 100 sporting events with the Pro plan. Relive your favorite moments during the tournament and rewatch your favorite shows with 1000 hours and Cloud DVR space. Sign up for fuboTV.
- Sling TV packages range from $40 to $55/mo. making it one of the most affordable ways to watch March Madness. For $40 per month, Sling Blue carries TNT, TBS, and truTV in its 39-channel lineup. The service doesn’t offer CBS but the plan includes 50 hours of DVR, so you can record the biggest moments of the tournament. Sign up for Sling TV
- Paramount+ will simulstream all games that air on CBS as part of the Premium plan throughout March Madness. For $9.99/month or $99.99 annually (a savings of 16%) you can watch live games all the way up to the National Championship. Try it for free for seven days. Sign up for Paramount+
- YouTube TV costs $64.99/mo. after a 7-day free trial and offers unlimited Cloud DVR and 3 simultaneous streams. The provider carries March Madness on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV, local channels, some regional sports networks, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX Sports 1, SEC Network, and Stadium.
- The NCAA’s March Madness Live web and mobile apps (available through the Apple Store and Google Play) will live stream games from the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
How to watch NCAA March Madness 2023 with an antenna
Basketball fans can also watch games airing on local channels for this year’s tournament with an antenna. Many of the channels broadcasting the tournament are available for free over the air in regions throughout the United States. Plus, devices like Tablo DVR or HDHomeRun enable viewers to record streaming programming. Discover channels available for free in your area on Antenna Web.
More on the NCAA Tournament
March Madness history
The inaugural March Madness event saw eight teams compete in a tournament in which Oregon defeated Ohio State in the final. The number of competitors doubled to 16 in 1951. The event grew into something resembling the modern format with a 64-team tournament by 1985. An extra berth became available when the Mountain West Conference joined Division I in 2001. And 3 further slots expanded the field to 68 in 2011.
UCLA is the most decorated team in March Madness history with 11 titles, with 10 won during a 12-season spell of dominance between 1964 and 1975. In the following 45 years, only 2 teams have ever defended their title, with Duke claiming success in 1991 and 1992 and Florida doing so in 2006 and 2007. This year, Virginia will be looking to repeat the feat after the university won its maiden title in overtime against Texas Tech 12 months ago.
March Madness 2023 structure
This year 68 teams will take part in March Madness. The 32 Division I Conferences receive a bid that they award to the team that wins their postseason tournament, which becomes their automatic qualifier.
The rest of the bracket is made up of so-called at-large bids, which will be awarded by invitation from the event’s selection committee. This will take place on Selection Sunday, on March 12, after the completion of all regular season and conference tournament games. The committee will choose the additional 36 teams it believes to have the pedigree to compete at the end of season tournament. This takes into consideration a number of statistics and rankings, but there is no set formula for choosing teams that receive an at-large bid.
Once all the participants are confirmed, they are ranked from 1 to 68 based on their regular season and conference tournament performances. Four teams are eliminated in the First Four round, leaving sixty-four teams that are split evenly across four regions and ranked from one to sixteen. That determines the first-round match-ups, in which the top seed in each region faces off against the lowest-ranked opponent, then the next highest and next lowest-seeded teams face each other.
The final cut
Basketball fans need not miss a moment of March Madness 2023 with a wide range of viewing choices. College basketball action will be available through several live streaming services like DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.