Here's How Much It Costs to Stream March Madness on Paramount+
By The Big Lead
March Madness is upon us, as the 2024 NCAA Tournament is poised to kick off. It has been a wild season that has seen a ton of twist, turns, major upsets and stunning performances. Given the nature of the Big Dance, many games overlap and happen at the same time. That makes finding streaming options incredibly important. While there are a ton of options out there, Paramount+ is a reliable option as the primary CBS online stream.
Paramount+ will air all 21 games CBS will broadcast during the tournament. The network will once again share broadcasting duties with TBS, TNT and truTV.
How Much Does Paramount+ Cost For March Madness?
A monthly subscription to the ad-free version of Paramount+ costs $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year and that includes SHOWTIME. For that you not only get live access to your local CBS station, but access to classic and new programming from Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Paramount Pictures. There are also other live sports available on the platform.
That cost is in line with other streaming services. Amazon Prime is $14,99 per month with ads, Apple TV+ is $9.99 per month, Disney+ is $13.99 a month without ads, Hulu is $17.99 per month without ads, and Netflix is $15.49 per month with no ads.
What Is The CBS March Madness Schedule?
While we don't have the full broadcast schedule for the tournament yet, we do know the dates for all the rounds. The First Four will happen on March 19 and 20. The first and second rounds will run from March 21 through March 24. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight Regional rounds will last from March 28 through March 31. The Final Four will take place of April 6 and the NCAA championship game will happen on April 8.
While games broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV will not be available on Paramount+, CBS tends to get the marquee early round games, and will feature two Elite Eight games (on March 31), with TBS getting the other two (on March 30). All-in-all, CBS will air a total of 21 games.
How to Stream March Madness on Paramount+
First, you'll need to sign up for a Paramount+ account if you do not already have one or have access via a cable subscription. Then all you need to do is log on to paramountplus.com and select your desired stream. If you are not interested in the service's web browser, Paramount+ apps are widely available for your phone, television, gaming system, however you're planning to watch the madness.
Does Paramount+ Have a Free Trial?
At the time of writing, Paramount+ does in fact have a free trial. However, it is not going to last you the whole tournament. A standard Paramount+ trial is seven days long, no matter which payment plan option you choose, and the billing cycle will begin as soon as the trial is over.