How to watch March Madness 2023 live streams online: Final Four schedule, channels and more

The NCAA March Madness logo on a basketball court
(Image credit: Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)

The 2023 March Madness live streams have now seen eight cut down to four, and we're without a single No. 1 seed. All you need to follow every game is one of the best cable TV alternatives.

March Madness 2023 schedule, channels

Final Four: Saturday (April 1)
NCAA championship game:
Monday, April 3
Channels: Remaining games are only on CBS in the U.S.
• Watch in the U.S. on Sling TV (opens in new tab) and Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)
• Watch in the U.K. on BT Sport (opens in new tab)
• Watch in Australia on Kayo Sport (opens in new tab)
 Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free (opens in new tab) 

So, after No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson bounced No. 1-ranked Purdue out early in the first round.  No. 8 Arkansas also upset a No. 1 seed, as they eliminated Kansas. Fifth-seeded Miami toppled Houston, and San Diego State folded No. 1 seed Alabama.

On Saturday, UConn trounced Gonzaga 82-54 and Florida Atlantic made it through to the Final Four by the skin of a 3-point 79-76 win. That leaves two more Elite 8 games to decide the Final Four: San Diego State (No. 5) vs. Creighton (No. 6) and Texas (No. 2) vs. Miami (Fla.) (No. 5).

UConn, SD State U and FL Atlantic made it to the final four. In the final game of the Elite 8, Miami FL beat Texas, 88-81

And if you're looking to place your picks socially, a new Fire TV update for March Madness  makes bracketing a breeze.

Here's everything you need to know to watch March Madness online, plus the full schedule and what we know about the brackets so far.

How to watch March Madness live streams online from anywhere on Earth

Hoops fans, if you're having trouble finding CBS and the Turner networks where ever you've gone, you can still follow the 2023 March Madness live streams. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN (opens in new tab). ExpressVPN offers superb speeds and excellent customer service, and there's even a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not happy with it.

ExpressVPN (opens in new tab)

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN (opens in new tab) second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

How to watch March Madness live streams in the US

In the U.S., the March Madness is on four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV — but the final games will only be on CBS and TBS. And by picking the best March Madness TV sales and the right affordable live TV streaming services, you'll be watching the whole tournament without breaking the bank.

You can follow all of those channels with Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV, but they're not on our list of the best streaming services. And they cost a lot, at $70 and $65, respectively.

The much more affordable Sling TV Blue (starting at $40 per month (opens in new tab)) has TBS, TNT and truTV. And then if you add-in Paramount Plus Premium ($9.99 per month (opens in new tab)) you get CBS there. It all totals to $50 to $55 per month (Sling Blue costs more if it gives your region ABC), which is up to $15 less than YouTube TV and up to $20 less than Hulu with live TV.

Sling TV (opens in new tab)

Sling TV (opens in new tab) nets you three of the four March Madness channels in the $40 per month Sling Blue package (which may be $45 if you get ABC in your region). Sling is the live TV service that one of Tom's Guide's streaming coverage staffers used to cut the cord.

Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)

Paramount Plus (opens in new tab) combines what used to be CBS All Access with even more content from ViacomCBS partners. Includes Survivor and Big Brother episodes, as well as originals like Star Trek: Discovery, 1883, The Good Fight and the upcoming Halo series.  You can try Paramount Plus with a 7-day free trial (opens in new tab).

How to watch March Madness live streams in the UK

Basketball fans across the pond can follow the tournament live with the ESPN Player (£9.99 per month / £69.99 per year) and see action on on BT Sport (opens in new tab), where ESPNHD will feature everything from Selection Sunday to the games.

Prices differ hugely depending on whether you already have BT TV and a BT broadband subscription. Right now, you can get BT Sport for £18 per month, and get each and every channel it includes, plus Eurosport and Discovery Plus.

Another option for non-BT subscribers is the BT Sport Monthly Pass (opens in new tab) (£29.99), which lets you watch via an app for a fixed time and doesn't require a lengthy subscription.

All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the U.K., you can still follow the March Madness live streams on a service such as ExpressVPN (opens in new tab)

How to watch March Madness live streams in Canada

We can't tell how many of the March Madness games will be airing on TSN networks. Regular TSN, for example, has an NCAA Bracketology special on Selection Sunday. And it should have more of the NCAA games, too. 

Completists without a way to watch the games, though, should — like those in the UK — take a VPN service such as ExpressVPN (opens in new tab) for a spin.

How to watch March Madness live streams in Australia

Australia flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It appears that (as was the case in previous years) Kayo Sports (opens in new tab) is your best bet for Aussie streaming services serving up March Madness live streams. Kayo offers a 14-day free trial for both its Basic and Premium plans, more than enough time to confirm they're actually showing the games. The Kayo One package costs $25 per month thereafter, and Kayo Basic is $30.

The $35 per month Premium Kayo plan gives you all the same things as the normal plan, but it offers three simultaneous streams. The Basic plan gives you two streams at the same time. 

If you want the full American channel broadcasts, though, we recommend trying out ExpressVPN (opens in new tab).

March Madness 2023 bracket is here!

March Madness 2023 schedule

With the games and matchups official, we have the times for the round of 64 and the first four games:

All times below are in Eastern Time:

Sunday, March 26 (Elite 8)

  • San Diego State beat Creighton, 57 - 56
  • Miami beat Texas, 88 - 81

Saturday, April 1 (Final Four)

Games at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on CBS

  • FL Atlantic vs SD State 
  • UConn vs Miami FL

Monday, April 3

  • National Championship Game at 9 p.m. on CBS

Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.