March Madness is one of the most exciting events on the sporting calendar. This single-elimination basketball tournament occurs every spring, pitting 68 college teams against each other in a fight for the national championship. But how can you watch March Madness?
Well, coverage of the tournament is split between a few different networks, including TBS and TNT. There are several streaming services that allow you to watch the action on your favorite devices, including Sling TV. In this guide, we’ll look at how to watch March Madness on Sling TV.
What is March Madness?
Before we look at how to watch March Madness on Sling TV, let’s first provide a brief overview of what March Madness actually is. March Madness is the time of year when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) holds its national college basketball tournaments for men's and women's teams.
Usually starting in March and running through to April, the tournament is a single-elimination event with 68 different teams all vying for the No. 1 spot over the course of three weeks. Only 16 teams survive the first weekend, with an "Elite Eight" getting through the next stage and a "Final Four" fighting it out at the end.
For sports fans, March Madness represents one of the most exciting times of the year, as there's so much basketball to play and so much on the line. The tournament often features lots of thrilling games and exciting upsets, with millions of fans tuning in to follow the action.
What channel is March Madness on?
There are 67 games in total across the course of the March Madness event, but where can you watch them? Well, all of the games are broadcast live, but the rights are spread out across four different networks: TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV. That's for the men's games. The women's games are hosted on ESPN, instead.
How you can watch March Madness live on Sling TV
Sling TV is one of the best live TV streaming services to sign up for if you want to watch live sporting events like March Madness. But which Sling packages or extras do you need to access each of the various March Madness channels? Here’s a quick breakdown of the main channels that broadcast March Madness games and how to get each one with Sling TV
TBS
TBS is one of the four networks that share the rights for the men's March Madness tournament. You can access TBS with either the Sling Orange or Sling Blue plan, or the combined Sling Orange & Blue package.
TNT
TNT is another network that will air some of the 67 March Madness games. You can access this network by signing up for Sling Orange, Sling Blue, or Sling Orange & Blue.
truTV
truTV is another of the major networks hosting March Madness, and this channel also hosts the "Inside March Madness" recap shows that sports fans might like to watch. Unlike TBS and TNT, truTV is not available on Sling Orange. So you'll have to sign up for Sling Blue or the Sling Orange & Blue package to get this channel.
CBS
CBS doesn't charge users to access free local channels like your CBS affiliate, so you should be able to access CBS and watch CBS March Madness games simply with an HD antenna. Or you can sign up to the March Madness app.
ESPN
If you want to watch the women's edition of the March Madness tournament, you'll need access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, and ESPN U. ESPN and ESPN2 are available with Sling Orange, but not Sling Blue. For ESPNews and ESPNU, you'll need to sign up for the Sports Extra add-on package with your Sling TV subscription.
How to watch all of the March Madness games with Sling TV
So, what if you want to watch every single March Madness game on Sling TV? Well, if you only want to watch the men’s games, the best option is to sign up for Sling Blue. This gives you access to truTV, TNT, and TBS. You can also choose the Orange & Blue package to get ESPN channels for the women’s games, and you’ll also need the Sports Extra add-on to see every single men’s and women’s game for March Madness. Check out our guide to Sling TV plans and pricing to learn more.
What compatible streaming devices can you use to watch March Madness on Sling TV?
One of the best things about Sling TV is that it's a really versatile app that runs on a lot of different devices. Thanks to this, viewers can enjoy March Madness and plenty more live sporting events on a range of devices, including:
Smart TV - Sling TV works on smart TVs from leading brands like Samsung and LG
Living room devices - You can watch Sling TV's March Madness broadcasts on many different living room boxes, sticks, and devices like Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Air TV Player, Chromecast, Google TV, TiVo, and more
Mobile - You can also watch March Madness on Sling TV on mobile devices like Android and iOS devices
Consoles - Sling TV is also supported on Xbox games consoles
What else you need to know about Sling TV for March Madness
So, what else do you need to know before signing up for Sling TV and enjoying March Madness live basketball games on your smart TV, phone, or other device?
Well, if you have multiple basketball fans in the house, you may want to watch different games at the same time. Luckily, Sling Blue supports up to three simultaneous streams, and Sling Orange & Blue subscribers get up to four simultaneous streams.
What about DVR support? Well, if you want to record any March Madness games with Sling TV, you can do so. Sling offers 50 hours of DVR storage for free, or you can choose the DVR Plus upgrade to get 200 hours for only a small extra monthly fee.
Our takeaway: Watch March Madness with Sling TV
If you’re a basketball fan who doesn’t want to miss out on the March Madness, Sling TV is a great value streaming service you can use. It gives you access to all of the games, including both men’s and women’s tournaments, for a very fair price. Check out our Sling TV review to learn more.
Khadija Bilal
Khadija Bilal is an accomplished writer with over a decade of experience under her belt. Having developed a versatile writing style that allows her to tackle a wide range of topics, Khadija has several publications to her name. Khadija’s expertise includes in-depth guides and how-to articles.