The brackets are now set, and the teams are making their way to their respective arenas as the highly anticipated 2025 NCAA Tournaments, commonly referred to as March Madness, are about to commence. The men’s tournament is scheduled to start on March 18, followed by the women’s tournament on March 19. Both tournaments will begin with the First Four, also known as “play-in” games, before proceeding to the main events that will run through the first weekend in April. However, the challenge lies in accessing these games due to different broadcasters owning the rights to each tournament, making streaming options somewhat confusing. To help navigate this, I have outlined the most affordable and convenient ways to stream each tournament.

When Does March Madness Start?

The men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 18, with two of the First Four matchups. These initial games determine the final four teams in the main 64-team bracket and have been an official part of the men’s tournament since 2011. The first game is set for 6:40 PM ET, followed by another at 9:10 PM ET, with the same schedule expected for the second set of games on Wednesday, March 19.

On the women’s side, the tournament starts a day later, with the first two First Four games taking place on Wednesday, March 19, at 7 PM ET and 9 PM ET, and the second pair of matchups following on Thursday, March 20, at the same times.

The main 64-team bracket for the men’s tournament begins in earnest on Thursday, March 20, at 12:15 PM ET, while the women’s main action starts on Friday, March 21st, at 11:30 AM ET.

2025 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

2025 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

How to Stream the 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament

CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery jointly hold the broadcast rights to the men’s tournament, with coverage spread across four networks: CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. The final rounds and championship game will air on CBS.

If you have a paid TV plan, such as traditional cable, the best way to watch the men’s tournament is through the March Madness Live app or website. By logging in with your TV provider credentials, you can access every game in one place, complete with features like multiview (allowing you to watch up to four games simultaneously) and “excitement alerts” that notify you of close games. The app also offers tools to follow your bracket, provided you filled it out on MarchMadness.com, and includes the Boss Button, which can quickly switch to a fake work screen when needed. March Madness Live is accessible on various platforms, including Amazon, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox devices.

For those without a compatible TV provider, the most cost-effective option involves using two services. Although not ideal, this approach can save a significant amount of money. The Standard plan on Max, costing $17/month, provides access to live games from TNT, TBS, and truTV. However, note that the Basic with Ads tier will not include B/R Sports, which powers live coverage on Max, starting March 30. For CBS games, a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription is necessary, priced at $13/month. Thus, the best option to stream the entire men’s tournament would involve a total of $30 spread across two apps.

A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu plus Live TV, although more expensive at over $50 more per month at full price, offers the convenience of “one-stop shopping” for all men’s tournament games. Currently, YouTube TV is on sale for $70/month for the first six months of use.

How to Stream the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament

ESPN holds the rights to the women’s NCAA Tournament, with every game broadcast across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will air on ESPN, while the championship game will be on ABC, and all three of these culminating games will stream on ESPN+.

Since ESPN+ won’t cover every game, it’s not a suitable option for watching the entire tournament. While “select matchups” will be available on both ESPN+ and Disney+, the specifics have not been announced by ESPN. Thus, for a comprehensive experience, a live-TV streaming service like Sling, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV is recommended. Sling is the most affordable option, with the required Orange and Sports Extra plans costing $34 (currently discounted for the first month). YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are both priced at $83/month, with YouTube TV offering a discount to $70 for the first six months. The choice between them depends on your preferences for content and features. YouTube TV offers a useful multiview tool for watching up to four games at once, while Hulu + Live TV includes Disney+ and ESPN+ (both with ads) for the same cost.

For casual fans who can accept the “select” options on ESPN+, there’s an opportunity to save money, as the service costs $12/month. If you already have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament, offering a mix of scores, info, and multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox.

The March Madness website only provides scores and news for the women’s tournament, without live game streaming.

What if I Want to Stream Both the Men’s and Women’s Tournaments?

For those interested in streaming all games of both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, the most straightforward option is to subscribe to a live-TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer YouTube TV for its multiview feature, which allows watching up to four games simultaneously. This feature is particularly useful during the first two rounds when multiple games are happening at the same time.

Are Any of the March Madness Games Available to Stream for Free?

You can watch all games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps without a TV provider. Although it’s a limited selection of the tournament, it’s completely free and a good option for casual fans without a paid TV plan or for watching the first round discreetly at work. It’s also an option for those who can access the games on their phones.

For the women’s tournament, there aren’t any games available for free streaming. However, if you have an old-school OTA antenna, you can watch men’s games on CBS and women’s games on ABC without any streaming plan, albeit this is an unconventional approach in 2025.

Unfortunately, free trial periods won’t be long enough to cover an entire tournament. The longest trial, offered by YouTube TV, lasts 10 days, which wouldn’t even get you through the second weekend.