.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
March Madness is arguably the most frenetic month in American sports. Sixty-eight teams, a flurry of simultaneous games in the early rounds, and the constant fear that you are watching a blowout on one channel while an instant classic is happening on another.
For cord-cutters, the NCAA Tournament used to be a headache. Today, it’s easier than ever to ditch cable and still catch every moment of the 2026 tournament. That is, of course, as long as you pick the right service.
To guarantee you don't miss a single game, your streaming service needs to carry four specific channels. Here is GOAL's guide to the best cord-cutting options for March Madness 2026, tailored for sports fans who want maximum coverage for the best value.
March Madness Channel Requirements
Getty
Before looking at the providers, you need to know what you are looking for. Unlike the World Cup or the Super Bowl, March Madness is not on just one channel.
To watch every single game of the 2026 tournament live, you need a service that provides the following four networks. If a service is missing even one of these, you will miss live basketball.
| Channel | Rights |
|---|---|
| CBS | Major weekend games, Final Four, Championship Game |
| TBS | Early rounds and Sweet 16 |
| TNT | First two rounds |
| truTV | First Four, early round overlaps |
READ MORE: Where to watch CBS Sports Network channel?
DirecTV Stream
.jpg?format=pjpg&quality=60&auto=webp&width=380)
DirecTV Stream
If you want to watch all of the action across March Madness, then look no further than DirecTV Stream.
Their lowest tier - the "Entertainment" package - costs roughly $80 per month and also comes with a free five day trial if you want to test it out before committing longer-term.
Along with including all channels needed - CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV - DirecTV Stream is renowned for having the highest video bitrate quality and best motion handling which makes ball movement and sprinting look far less pixelated than other competitors.
Lastly, for the less tech-savvy family members who are looking to cut the cord, DirecTV Stream offers a very traditional cable-looking remote control and interface which includes a grid-like channel guide as well as channel numbers that you can quickly punch in to move from one live stream to the next.
If you're wondering what the main difference is between DirecTV Stream's packages, the biggest sell for sports fans to plump for anything above Entertainment is access to Regional Sports Networks that require Choice or anything above it.
Sling TV
If you only care about specific weekends or want to save money by avoiding a full month's subscription, this is your best option.
Sling is currently the only major live TV streaming service that allows you to buy access for just a single day or a specific weekend. This is a game-changer if you are busy and can't watch the whole tournament.
- 1 Day Pass ($5) - Perfect for the National Championship game or any other day of your choosing throughout the month.
- 3 Day Pass ($10) - Ideal for the first weekend when the volume of games is at its highest.
- 7 Day Pass ($15) - Covers a large portion of the tournament at only a fraction of the cost of its competitors.
Sling splits its channels between two packages - Orange and Blue - and this matters because while TBS and TNT are included in both, TruTV is available only on Blue which makes this is the best overall package.
Unfortunately, it's not all good news. CBS isn't included in any Sling package which means that if you want to watch the games on that channel you would have to pair Sling TV with an additional subscription to Paramount+ or you local CBS over-the-air station.
YouTube TV
YTTV
Perhaps the biggest sell for why YouTube TV is the best option for you to stream all of March Madness is that it allows you to select specific games to create your own 4-screen view. If there are four close games happening at once, you can put them all on one screen and seamlessly toggle audio between them.
An additional advantage, YouTube TV offers the the option to hit the "Catch Up With Key Plays" button if you tune into a game with seconds left in the last quarter.
Where issues begin to arise is in the picture quality which is a constant source of complaint among AV enthusiasts. If you have a high-spec OLED TV, our recommendation is to stick with DirecTV Stream.
In competition to YouTube TV's 4-screen view, DirecTV Stream also offers a "Sports Mix" channel that shows multiple games. The caveat, however, is that this is often a curated feed, which means you watch what they pick, rather than having the flexibility of a fully customizable interface where you choose the exact games you want.
