The Digester

How to Watch March Madness 2026

Mar 13th 2026

A concise streaming and broadcast guide for both the men’s and women’s 2026 NCAA tournaments, with Selection Sunday timing, key dates and the main services that carry every game.

  • Selection Sunday is March 15 with the men’s bracket announced at 6 pm EDT on CBS and the women’s bracket at 8 pm EDT on ESPN.
  • Men’s tournament play begins March 17 and runs through the Final Four on April 4 and the championship on April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
  • Women’s tournament play begins March 18 with the Final Four on April 3 and the championship on April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
  • Men’s games will air across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV while the women’s tournament will be on ESPN networks and select ABC broadcasts.
  • You can stream games via live TV services like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV, or combine subscriptions such as HBO Max Standard, Paramount+ Premium and ESPN to cover all channels.
  • Local CBS games are available free with an antenna and the NCAA website streams games if you sign in with your TV provider credentials.

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