How to Watch NCAA March Madness Live Online Outside of USA
A VPN can do some amazing things when it comes to watching the NCAA March Madness live online outside the US and, for those in the know, it could mean free, unlimited coverage whether they’re in Austria or Australia.
If you don’t want to read the whole article, here’s our list of the best VPNs for watching March Madness:
- ExpressVPN – Extensive global server network, high speeds, and cutting-edge security
- Surfshark – Unlimited simultaneous connections, strict no-logging policy, and P2P support
- CyberGhost – User-friendly VPN with international server distribution and preconfigured streaming profiles
- ProtonVPN – Secure connections and a wide range of plans to suit every budget
Our pick for Best VPN For March Madness: ExpressVPN
How to Live Stream March Madness from Abroad
Even if you have a subscription with one of the online TV channels bellow or you’ve installed CBS Sports or another app onto your mobile device, if you’re not in the US when the March Madness kicks off, you’re going to struggle to get access to any of the games.
The reason for this, is that big sporting events like March Madness are geographically restricted so that only people residing within the host country can access coverage. Not good for those of you heading to Patagonia to catch the tail-end of the southern hemisphere’s summer or jetting off to London for a conference. Fortunately, there is a way around this problem and a way to stream March Madness live from wherever you are, and that’s with a VPN.
A VPN enables you to pick and choose your server so, if your VPN provider has servers in Slovakia, for example, you could connect to one of those and watch the Ice Hockey World Championships in May. Similarly, if you happen to be in Slovakia when the March Madness begins, you could connect to a server in America and live stream the matches straight to your mobile device.
Channels Streaming The March Madness Games:
*Please note that all of these channels require paid subscriptions
North American
- CBS Sports and CBS All Access (USA) – $5.99/month (with ads) $9.99/month (ad-free)
- TruTV (USA) – Starting at $40.00/ month
- TSN (Canada) – $4.99/ day or $19.99/month
Europe
Australia
- Foxtel and Fetch (Australia) – Starting at $49.00 AUD/ month *There is a 10-day free trial
- Kayo (Australia) – $25 AUD/month a month *There is a two-week free trial
In addition to a VPN, you will, of course, need a suitable app, device and a consistent internet connection. The latter of these you can only resolve once you’ve arrived at your destination, but a VPN, we can help you with straight away. Take a look below at our list of recommended VPN providers for live streaming March Madness 2019.
How to Live Stream March Madness Free
Getting free online access to the last 24 games of this year’s NCAA tournament has been made super easy, thanks to the official NCAA website. As long as you’re in the US at the time, you’ll be able to tune into everything from the qualifying rounds to the Sweet 16 and beyond. The only basketball fans struggling to watch the action will be those traveling overseas during the tournament, but a VPN can provide the perfect solution. Simply use a top VPN to jump to a US server, and watch the games as if you were there!
Best VPNs For Streaming March Madness with a VPN
#1 ExpressVPN
If you need to get your March Madness live stream unblocked, ExpressVPN resolutely commands the number one spot in the world of VPNs. With death-defying speeds, a global network bordering on the absurd, and a proven no-logging policy, it’s hardly surprising that ExpressVPN is the top dog.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming March Madness. Here’s why:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Ultra-fast streaming speeds
- Apps available for every device
- ExpressVPN works extremely well in high censorship countries
- 30-Day money-back guarantee
Sign up with ExpressVPN and enjoy all the 2020 March Madness mayhem! Alternatively, check out our full review here.
#2 Surfshark
Young yet precocious, Surfshark has only a portion of the servers ExpressVPN boasts, but still manages to produce competitive speeds and reliable international connections. Surfshark isn’t just powerful, it’s also versatile so you can use it on a range of devices, including Android, Fire TV, Linux, iOS, and Windows.
For a fast and clean VPN connection, choose Surfshark:
- Great download speeds
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Strong encryption
- Torrenting allowed
- Unlimited devices
Sign up with Surfshark for all the 2020 March Madness action! Alternatively, check out our full review here.
#3 CyberGhost
If the whole idea of VPN sounds rather daunting, then you can ease your way into the modern age of technology with CyberGhost VPN. Friendly ghosts and an intuitive interface will guide you safely through your digital universe.
CyberGhost is another top VPN for streaming live content that we recommend. Heres why:
- High speeds
- Automatic Kill Switch
- Simultaneous connections on up to 7 devices
- Easy to use
- 256-bit AES Encryption
Sign up with Cyberghost and start watching March Madness today! Alternatively, check out our full review here.
#4 ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN focuses on security and is based in Switzerland which means it can operate freely as a no-logging VPN and won’t keep track of your IP address or online activities. It has the smallest server network of our top VPNs with just over 600 servers in 44 countries, but the high capacity of those servers means fast and reliable connections for its users.
Choose ProtonVPN for the following:
- Strong encryption
- All major platforms covered
- Strong protocols
- Tor over VPN
- Quick country selector
Sign up with ProtonVPN today! To find out more about ProtonVPN, check out our full review here.
How to Use a VPN for the 2020 March Madness Live Stream
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to bypassing any geo-blocks set down by channels streaming the NCAA Tournament 2020.
- Sign up to one of the VPN providers listed above
- Download the client/app
- Sign in to the VPN
- Choose a server location in either the USA (if you have a subscription to a channel showing the games) or a country that also provides channels streaming the event (see above)
- Connect to the server and reload your app/stream
Paid Streaming Services
If you happen to already be subscribed to one of these paid streaming services, you can use a VPN to jump to one of the countries that allows access to them:
Fubo TV
Not only can you watch NCAA tournament online with Fubo TV, but you can also keep track of all the conference tournaments leading up to March Madness. Fubo TV provides 45 different sporting channels, making it a popular choice for sports fans, and you can try it out for a full seven days without paying a cent.
Sling TV
Usually one of the best for live sports, SlingTV has had its hands tied this year after refusing to carry CBS local channels. As a result, CBS isn’t available on SlingTV at all, leaving viewers skipping between Fox and regional sports channels. You’ll still get the coverage on TBS, TNT, and TruTV but you may find it a little sparse, especially given the cost of a SlingTV subscription.
Hulu TV
A little more expensive than DirecTV, Hulu + LiveTV but will mean you can watch NCAA basketball online all year round on CBS, ESPN, TBS, TruTV, and TNT. You can use Hulu in conjunction with the March Madness Live app and even watch several games simultaneously using the Unlimited Screens Add-on.
PlayStation Vue
With PlayStation Vue’s Core plan, you get access to 15+ sports channels with lots of great features. You can even watch up to 5 games at the same time, on your different devices.
YouTube TV
As with many other OTT TV providers, YouTube TV offers new subscribers a free trial period so you can watch five days of March Madness before deciding whether or not this is the answer to your basketball needs.
March Madness Schedule for 2020
Selection Sunday will take place on 15th March, so you’ll want to be ready with your VPN and streaming service if you want to find out the final line-up, seedings, and matchups. Thereafter, the schedule looks like this:
- March 17-18 – First Four
- March 19-20 – NCAA Tournament Round 1
- March 21-22 – NCAA Tournament Round 2
- March 26-27 – Sweet 16
- March 28-29 – Elite 8
- April 4 – Final Four
- April 6 – 2020 NCAA championship game
With the first two rounds promising some potentially explosive matchups, a host of newcomers and few notable absences, like the Cincinnati Bearcats, for instance, making sure you can catch the early action is as vital as following the final stages.
With plenty of upsets already behind us, like the absence of the ever-popular North Carolina Tar Heels, and plenty more ahead, the 2020 March Madness is an event not to be missed. With the Penn State Nittany Lions and Rutgers Scarlet Knights vying for a position in the tournament, there could be miracles as well as surprises ahead – after all, it’s nearly 30 years since the Scarlet Knights last had a spot in the final 64! If that’s not enough to make you invest in a VPN, I don’t know what is.
Conclusion
In the past, watching NCAA March Madness live online outside the US was virtually impossible, now, thanks to reliable VPN providers like ExpressVPN, it’s virtually possible to travel the world without leaving your armchair.
That also means you can travel back to the US at the click of a button and enjoy the same quality of March Madness coverage as you would at home. Whether you subscribe to an OTT service like DirecTV or you’ve downloaded the official NCAA app onto your Android phone or mobile iOS device, a VPN will give you the freedom to watch everything from the first four to the final championship game.
Not only can the best VPNs bypass geographical restrictions and regional blackouts, but they also give you an extra layer of protection so not even your ISP knows what you’re up to online. That means they won’t throttle your bandwidth just because they catch you streaming a live match, and means they won’t be able to report you should you watch on an unofficial streaming site. Having said that, neither us at Secure Thoughts nor any of our top VPN providers encourage using a VPN for streaming illegal content.
If you want to watch the NCAA March Madness online outside the US this year, get a VPN. If you want to watch all the action without interruption, get the best VPN for March Madness – ExpressVPN – and rest assured that your connection won’t drop, your speeds won’t lag, and your privacy will be protected.
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