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2026 March Madness is almost here. Before 68 teams go head-to-head for the NABC National Championship Trophy, the tournament bracket must be filled out. Today (March 15), on Selection Sunday, the men’s team bracket reveal will air live on CBS at 6 p.m. ET, while the women’s will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know about streaming the college basketball special live online without cable.
Where to Watch 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday, At a Glance:
The basketball games don’t start until March 17, but March Madness truly beings with Selection Sunday. The selection committee will reveal the full NCAA tournament bracket for both the men’s and women’s NCAA teams. On the men’s side, Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida are the are four clear-cut favorites and will most likely fill up the coveted No. 1 seeds in the tournament.
For the women’s teams, UConn has been a solo powerhouse all season with an undefeated record and is on an impressive 50-game win streak. If you’re looking to bet, the Huskies are massive -275 favorites, the shortest odds of any team heading into the tournament in years.
Want to watch Selection Sunday? We’ve created a streaming guide to watch the NCAA March Madness special live online and for free.
How to Watch the 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday Special Online
If you don’t have cable, there are still plenty of ways to watch CBS and ESPN online. Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, so you can watch the college championship game today without paying a dime. Signing up to streamers like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Fubo, you can get right into the action.
DirecTV
DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS, ESPN and more for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all of the streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll get access to local channels and the ability to stream on as many devices as you want.
If you are already a subscriber, just log on and start watching. For those looking to sign up, Paramount+ offers an affordable Essential plan for $8.99 per month, which will give you access to the March Madness Selection Sunday special alongside tens of thousands of episodes and movies, including exclusive and original content, as well as NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League and 24/7 live news on CBS News.
If you want to go ad-free, you can subscribe to Paramount+ Premium for $13.99 per month and you’ll not only receive access to Showtime’s exclusive and original programs, but your local CBS station, additional live sports and the ability to download content to watch on-the-go.
Paramount+ doesn’t offer a free trial, but there is a slight workaround to subscribe to the platform for free this weekend. Right now, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial for Walmart+, which includes Paramount+ as one of its streaming perks.
Sling TV
With prices starting at just $4.99 for a day pass, Sling TV includes ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN 3 (for ABC simulcast) with its Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue packages — which features dozens of channels that can be streamed on up to three devices at the same time. Sling Orange + Blue features FS1 and the NFL Network, too.
Please note: Sling TV’s pricing and channel availability depends on your local TV market.
FuboTV
Fubo is another great option you can take advantage of to watch ESPN and CBS online. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial that’ll give you access to ESPN free and more than 240 live TV channels. The service offers a promo that’ll get you up to $30 off the first month, which can get you access to ESPN and more for as low as $54.99 (reg. $84.99 per month).
Hulu
Free Trial
Hulu + Live TV
For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including ESPN and CBS for just $82.99 per month.
And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.
ESPN
ESPN Unlimited is the official streaming platform for ESPN, and a subscription includes instant access to games and more exclusive content for $29.99 per month. You can save almost 17% off by purchasing an annual subscription for $299.99 per year. There is no free ESPN Unlimited trial, but it does include exclusive on-demand videos and access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider.
In addition to live sports, ESPN Unlimited has original shows to stream on-demand, plus game recaps and analysis, a shorter version of NFL Primetime and full replays of historic NFL matchups.
To expand your savings and content offerings, currently, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Hulu and Disney+ for a single monthly price of just $29.99 per month for all three services for 12 months of streaming.
