March Madness live stream 2023: how to watch NCAA Championship title, what TV channel

NCAA March Madness logo
(Image credit: NCAA)

Watch March Madness live stream 2023

Tonight's March Madness National Championship game – Uconn vs San Diego – will be live on CBS and Paramount+. You can also watch a March Madness live stream on ESPN Player in the UK, and Kayo Sports in Australia. Use a VPN to unblock your local Final Four stream from anywhere, if you are away or overseas. Full details on how to watch March Madness online and on TV just below.

March Madness final 2023

Monday 3rd April 2023

  • No. 5 San Diego State vs No. 4 Uconn | 9:20 pm ET | CBS / Paramount+

Watch March Madness live stream: tournament preview

March Madness has whittled 72 teams down to just two: No. 5 San Diego State (South) vs No. 4 UConn (West). 

The San Diego Aztecs had never even played in the Final Four, let alone the National Championship game, but they have one of the strongest NCAA basketball programmes. And after surviving a gruelling 72-71 match against Florida in the Final Four, they have what it takes to upset Uconn in tonight's NCAA title decider.

No. 4 UConn – the highest-seeded team still standing – cruised past Miami in the Final Four and now find their fifth title in 25 NCAA Tournaments within reach.

The road to the Final Four has been a wild ride, and with the 72 teams that started their quest for an NCAA National Championship now whittled down to two, you won't want to miss tonight's final showdown. 

Tipoff at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, is set for 9.20 pm ET / 2.20am BST. The action will be live on CBS and the Huskies are 7-point favorites to beat the Aztecs.

To keep track of the Madness, you can download a printable March Madness bracket from the NCAA website. Here's how to watch every NCAA March Madness game in the US, UK, Australia and beyond... 

US: Watch March Madness without cable

American coverage of March Madness is split across four different cable channels: TruTV, TBS, TNT and CBS. However, tonight's National Championship title decider is on CBS/Paramount+. 

The first 30 days of Paramount Plus is free (use code PICARD until 30th April). Plans then start at $4.99/month.

March Madness free stream

US: March Madness on Paramount+ (30-days free)
CBS has the rights to Monday's National Championship game. You can also stream these games live on Paramount Plus in the US. Better yet, subscribe to Paramount Plus with this 30-day free trial. Use the code 'PICARD

US: March Madness on <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" data-link-merchant="paramountplus.com"">Paramount+ (30-days free)
CBS has the rights to Monday's National Championship game. You can also stream these games live on Paramount Plus in the US. Better yet, subscribe to Paramount Plus with this 30-day free trial. Use the code 'PICARD'. No long contracts. Cancel any time.

Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV are three other options which include all the required the CBS channel, but they are much pricier options.

Hulu + Live TV costs $69.99/month, while YouTube TV has an offer that means you’ll pay $54.99/month for the first three months and $64.99 thereafter, although you can cancel both at any time.

Watch March Madness live stream from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular March Madness live stream while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though.

It's a straightforward piece of software which sets your device to appear as if it's in the right country, allowing you to watch any 2023 March Madness live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for March Madness. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

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ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch the Copa del Rey live streams on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – it's easier than you think.

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How to use a VPN for March Madness live stream

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For March Madness, you may wish to choose 'US' for the Paramount+ free trial.

3. Then head over to Paramount+ on your browser or device and enjoy the free March Madness live stream!

UK: Watch March Madness live stream

ESPN Player is the best place to watch the March Madness live stream in the UK and Ireland. It's all live for just £9.99. That gets you access for a whole month, which is plenty for the NCAA men's championship game on Monday 3rd April.

ESPN Player is only available via the web, Apple and Android phones and tablets, and Android TV, but it does support Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, so you can beam it from your mobile device to a compatible TV or streamer.

Stuck outside Blighty at the moment? Don't forget that you can use a VPN to access your usual live stream without being blocked.

UK: ESPN Player | &nbsp;Watch every single game for £10

UK: ESPN Player |  <a href="https://www.espnplayer.com/packages" data-link-merchant="espnplayer.com"">Watch every single game for £10
ESPN Player streams over 10,000 live sports events a year, including the whole of March Madness, plus college football, X Games, and Major League Lacrosse. It also includes access to award-winning sports films such as OJ: Made in America and ESPN's excellent 30 for 30 series.

BT Sport will also show March Madness live, with coverage split between BT Sport 3 and BT Sport 4.  

Not a BT subscriber? Try BT Sport Monthly Pass. For £30 a month, the monthly pass lets you watch March Madness live online or via an app, without tying you into a lengthy contract.

Watch March Madness 2023 in Australia

Hoops fans in Oz can catch the NCAA college basketball on Foxtel. Another – cheaper – option is to stream Foxtel via Kayo, Australia's top sports streaming service.

Kayo is offers new subscribers a 7-day free trial. After that, membership costs from $25 a month.

Kayo is only available within Australia but you can access your Kayo account from overseas using a VPN. Details just above.

March Madness 2023 schedule

NCAA men's basketball schedule

March 14-15: First Four
March 16-17: First Round
March 18-19: Second Round
March 23-24: Sweet Sixteen
March 25-26: Elite Eight
April 1: Final Four
April 3: National Championship

NCAA women's basketball schedule

March 15-16: First Four
March 17-18: First Round
March 19-20: Second Round
March 24-25: Sweet Sixteen
March 26-27: Elite Eight
March 31: Final Four
April 2: National Championship

You can download a printable bracket for the men's tournament from the NCAA website here.

Dan Sung

Dan is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and his job is with product reviews as well as news, feature and advice articles too. He works across both the hi-fi and AV parts of the site and magazine and has a particular interest in home cinema. Dan joined What Hi-Fi? in 2019 and has worked in tech journalism for over a decade, writing for Tech Digest, Pocket-lint, MSN Tech and Wareable as well as freelancing for T3, Metro and the Independent. Dan has a keen interest in playing and watching football. He has also written about it for the Observer and FourFourTwo and ghost authored John Toshack's autobiography, Toshack's Way.