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March Madness The season is here with 68 teams playing 67 live games across the country from Houston, Texas to New York City, with plenty of action to follow in the coming months, including today’s Round of 32 game: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas Jayhawks.
If you want to tune in in time for tip-off, here’s what you need to know: Tonight’s game starts at 5:15pm on CBS, and the best way to watch if you don’t have an old-school cable package is with Paramount+.
Best way to watch today’s game:
Paramount+ Premium, $10 per month
Affordable ways to watch most March Madness games:
Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 for your first month (down from $60)
Packaged with every March Madness game:
DirecTV Stream “Ultimate” tier, $110 and up per month
How to watch Razorbacks vs Jayhawks today
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas kicks off today at 5:15 pm ET. You can watch the Kansas vs. Arkansas showdown on CBS. Our recommendations for watching tonight’s game? Paramount+.
All March Madness games broadcast on CBS will be available to stream simultaneously with a Paramount+ Premium Tier subscription. Paramount+ has two plans: the ad-supported Essential plan for $5 per month and the ad-free Premium plan for $10 per month. You can also try the Paramount+ tier for free for 7 days.
Paramount+, $5 per month and up
How to watch the first round of March Madness games:
Keep up with the March Madness schedule. CBS Essentials knows where you can watch the upcoming Round of 32 games.
Saturday, March 18 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)
No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 13 Furman | 12:10 pm | CBS No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Duke | 2:40 pm | CBS No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas | 5:15 pm CBS No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 15 Princeton | 6:10 pm | TNT No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Auburn | 7:10 pm | TBSNo. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Penn State 7:45 pm | CBS No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Northwestern | 8:40 pm | TNT No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Maryland | 9:40 pm | TBS
Sunday, March 19 (Round of 32. All-time East)
You can watch the full men’s bracket on CBS Sports. Here’s how to watch upcoming games on CBS, TNT, ESPN and more.
Where to watch March Madness games?
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While CBS serves as the official cable TV home for this year’s Men’s March Madness tournament, live NCAA basketball games will also air on TBS, TNT and truTV. The 2023 women’s tournament will be broadcast on ESPN.
Paramount+
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All March Madness games broadcast on CBS will be available to stream simultaneously with a Paramount+ Premium Tier subscription. Paramount+ has two plans: the ad-supported Essential plan for $5 per month and the ad-free Premium plan for $10 per month. You can also try the Paramount+ tier for free for 7 days.
Paramount+ Premium, $10 per month
Sling TV
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An affordable way to stream basketball is with a Sling TV subscription. Right now, there’s a special deal — Sling TV is offering $20 off your first month. (Sling TV typically costs $40 and up per month for plans with live sports.) There’s no long-term contract, so you can sign up to stream only March Madness basketball games and cancel if you want.
Sling Orange & Blue starts at just $30 for your first month and you get access to games on TBS, TNT, truTV and ESPN. It also gives you 50 hours of DVR (cloud) storage so you can record any games you miss or watch good games, and you can watch on up to three devices (so you could hypothetically share this membership with everyone else in your bracket pool). Best of Sling part? There are no contracts or long-term commitments. Cancel whenever you want — even after your team loses!
Sling TV also offers NBA TV through its sports add-on. For $11 extra per month, you can get NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more.
Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 for your first month (down from $60)
Hulu + Live TV
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A subscription to Hulu Live TV offers access to all the major channels broadcasting the 2023 March Madness Games, including your local CBS channel, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Plus, Hulu+ Live TV can now be bundled with ad-supported Disney+ and ESPN+, giving you access to every 2023 March Madness game. You also get access to over 65 other live and on-demand channels, including live sports, news and entertainment.
Hulu + Live TV, $70 per month and up
DirecTV Streams: TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS Sports Network, ESPN
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DirecTV Stream certainly isn’t cheap, but its $110 “Ultimate” tier gives you all the networks an NCAA fan could want, including TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS Sports Network (which offers NCAA tournament coverage in addition to CBS) and ESPN. Plus NBC, Fox and more.
Prices for DirecTV Stream service start at $75 per month. But to get every channel you need for March Madness, you need the “Ultimate” tier, which costs $110 per month.
DirecTV Streams, $75 per month and up
Watch local CBS with an amplified HDTV antenna
the amazon
Most March Madness games will be broadcast on local CBS affiliates, so if you don’t have a cable or streaming subscription, a digital antenna is a great option to watch the game. This HDTV antenna, an Amazon best seller, claims a 200-mile range and comes with a 17-foot-long coaxial cable. Rated 4 stars by Amazon reviewers.
Wide HDTV Antenna, $22 after coupon (reduced from $27)
Who is playing in NCAA March Madness 2023?
68 Division I college basketball teams will play in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament.
To see the complete bracket of teams, visit our sister site, CBS Sports.
2023 March Madness Timeline:
2023 March Madness Schedule (Men):
March 12: Election Sunday
March 14-15: First Four
March 16-17: First round
March 18-19: Second round
March 23-24: Sweet 16
March 25-26: Elite Eight
April 1: Final Four
April 3: NCAA Championship Game
2023 March Madness Schedule (Women):
March 15-16: First Four
March 17-18: First round
March 19-20: Second round
March 24-25: Sweet 16
March 26-27: Elite Eight
March 31: Final Four
April 2: Women’s NCAA Championship Game
The best TV deals before March Madness 2023
If you want to create the ultimate NCAA Tournament experience at home, it may be time to upgrade your home theater. Continue reading to check out the best deals Great TV for watching sports and more
LG G2 Series OLED Evo Gallery Edition Smart TV: $1,997
LG via Amazon
Designed to compete with Samsung’s “The Frame,” this LG TV features a gallery design that “hugs the wall,” according to the brand. This smart tv is meant to blend in seamlessly with any other wall art you have.
OLED TVs include 4K-upscaling, Dolby Vision IQ and a filmmaker mode to enhance your viewing experience with Dolby Atmos, plus built-in access to Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus and LG channels.
One Amazon customer called the TV “the best 4K panel I’ve ever owned.” “The panel actually looks like hanging wall art in my living room,” they commented.
65″ LG G2 Series OLED Evo Gallery Edition Smart TV, $1,997 (regularly $3,000)
65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV: $1,698
the amazon
The 65-inch Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV features a cognitive processor that delivers sharp contrast with pure blacks, high peak brightness and natural colors. Thanks to its Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, the screen is the speaker. This smart TV comes with access to Google TV and works with most voice assistants.
65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV, $1,698 (down from $2,300)
75” Amazon Fire TV Omni Series 4K Smart TV: $800
the amazon
This 75-inch Amazon Fire TV offers a 4K UHD display and enhanced color and clarity thanks to Dolby Vision. The TV also supports voice control with Amazon Alexa. Its high-quality picture quality and large size make this TV a solid choice for football fans — plus, it’s hard to find such a large screen at such a low price. This deal is only for Prime members, but non-Prime buyers can still sell the TV for $800.
75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni Series 4K Smart TV, $800 (reduced from $1,100)
65” TCL Roku Smart TV: $368
TCL via Walmart
This top-rated TCL Roku TV is an ultra-affordable option that uses the user-friendly Roku interface.
“I recently purchased this TV last week and I’m really impressed with its amazing picture, great sound, and easy set up,” wrote a Walmart customer. “TCLE is the way to go if you want an affordable TV. I have nothing negative to say about the TV and I will buy TVs from this brand again in the near future.”
65” TCL Roku 4K Smart TV, $368
Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Built-in Alexa: $340
the amazon
A medium-sized television, 55 to 65 inches diagonally, is the ideal size for many living rooms. The optimal distance for a 55-inch 4K TV, such as this model, is between 4.5 and seven feet. That leaves enough room for people to get up and walk around for more snacks from the gameday spread.
Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Alexa built in, $340 (reduced from $520)
55” Elements 4K Outdoor Roku TV: $1,168
Walmart
This IP55 weatherproof TV with HDR10 is designed for outdoor use in all seasons — it operates in temperatures from -4ºF to 104ºF. It has a tempered, anti-glare screen that’s bright enough for use in partial sun.
55” Elements 4K Outdoor TV, $1,168