Updated: Will March Madness Live Offer a Free Preview? Will CBS Games Be Available?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, do you know if the March Madness app will have the free preview this year? – Gene, Pittsburgh.

Gene, March Madness, the annual men’s college basketball tournament, starts on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) with a ‘First Four’ doubleheader at 6:30 p.m. ET on truTV. The next night (March 19), four more teams will play in a doubleheader starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The TV coverage, which will conclude on April 7 with the tournament final, will be shared by CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Every year, the NCAA operates a March Madness Live app and web site where pay TV subscribers can watch the games at a single location by inputting their cable/satellite/live streaming user name and password.

Will March Madness Live Have a Free Preview?
The app and site have also offered a free preview for fans who do not have a pay TV service. Will March Madness Live provide the free preview again this year?

Last week, via email, I asked a spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Discovery, which is handling press inquiries for March Madness TV coverage, and here is her response:

“Fans will have access (at March Madness Live) to all games airing live on TBS, TNT and truTV by logging in with their TV service provider credentials. MML will offer a limited preview period giving fans access to live game streaming before login is required.  The app will indicate when time expires before users need to log in.”

CBS On March Madness Live?
1. It’s unclear from the statement if the March Madness Live preview will be restricted to the three Turner networks (truTV, TNT and TBS). (Fans last year reported that the MML preview did not include the CBS games.)

I’ve asked the spokesperson for a clarification and will report back here if I get more details. The March Madness Live press release issued last week by TNT Sports said the app’s live coverage would include CBS.

Update: The spokesperson tells The TV Answer Man on Monday morning (March 17) that CBS games will be available on March Madness Live. 

Update #2, March 20: CBS games are only available on mobile devices and the web site, not TV apps, although the spokesperson did not specify that nor did the March Madness press release.

Note: If you want to stream the CBS games without a cable/satellite/live streaming sub, you can do so with a Paramount Plus sub. The Paramount Plus with Showtime plan, which is $12.99 a month, includes a live feed of your local CBS affiliate.

2. The spokeswoman did not specify the length of the free preview. I asked her to elaborate in follow-up e-mails but she did not respond. (The free preview in 2024 was three hours.)

The TV Answer Man will update this article if we get more details, such as an exact time for the preview and CBS availability.

Update #3, March 20: The free preview ranges from five to 10 minutes.

Gene, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered  television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch  TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.