Watch First Four: live stream March Madness 2024 play-in tournament online from anywhere

Cam Martin #31 of the Boise State Broncos dunks ahead of the 2024 First Four March Madness play-in tournament.
(Image credit: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)

March Madness has finally started and as per usual after Selection Sunday, we begin with the First Four today. Full info on how to watch Final Four live streams below. Abroad? Use NordVPN to unblock any stream 

FIRST FOUR – Tuesday, March 19.

  • 6.40pm ET – Wagner vs Howard, TruTV (Max / Sling)
  • 9.10pm ET – Colorado State vs Virginia, TruTV (Max / Sling)

FIRST FOUR – Today, March 20

  • 6.40pm ET – Grambling State vs Montana, TruTV (Max / Sling)
  • 9.10pm ET – Colorado vs Boise State, TruTV (Max / Sling)

First Four 2024 preview

The First Four tipped off yesterday with Wagner Seahawks vs Howard Bison at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. In a thrilling matchup, Wagner secured a narrow victory against Howard, winning by a score of 71-68. Melvin Council Jr.'s standout performance, with 21 points and seven assists propelled Wagner to the next round where they will face No. 1 North Carolina.

Later on in the night, it was a meeting of Virginia Cavaliers against Colorado State. In this lopsided First Four matchup, Colorado dominated the Virginia Cavaliers, securing a convincing 67-42 victory. The Rams' relentless defense stifled Virginia's scoring, enabling them to progress to the next round where they will face No.7 seed Texas Longhorns.

Today's match ups sees the Colorado Buffaloes clashing with the Boise State Broncos. Can they build on past successes? In 2021, as the No. 5 seed, they dominated No. 12 Georgetown in the opening round but fell to No. 4. Florida state. 

The First Four 2024 rounds up with Grambling State Tigers' first-ever March Madness appearance (raise your hand if you saw that coming). They will face off against Montana State.  The winners move on to the first round to make up the field of 64 for NCAA March Madness, so there's plenty at stake. 

Watch March Madness 2024 in the US

All First Four games are on TruTV, but the March Madness 2024 TV schedule is a tricky one with games spread across four TV channels. Here's your best options..

What TV channels do I need to watch March Madness 2024?

All men's March Madness games are shown on TruTV, TBS, TNT and CBS. The first three are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and are available on Max as well as your regular cable TV package.

If you don't have cable, you can get CBS through the likes of FuboTV and YouTube TV. It's also worth knowing that all March Madness 2024 CBS games will also be show on Paramount Plus, though you need Paramount Plus with Showtime package which is $11.99 per month after a 7-day free trial.

Can I watch March Madness 2024 without cable?

US viewers at home can get all of the TV channels without signing up to a cable TV package. How? With a cable replacement service:

Sling is a great option as it includes TruTV, TBS and TNT in its Blue plan. Prices start from $40/month and new users get 50% off their first month. Sling doesn't include CBS, so you'll need a Paramout Plus ($11.99) subscription too. 

Fubo is another good option. The Pro Plan isn't cheap (currently $59.99/month) but it gets you well over 100 channels including TruTV, TBS, TNT and CBS. New users get 7-day free trial.

Max is another great option for March Madness 2024 because it currently includes the B/R Sports add-on for free which brings access to TruTV, TBS and TNT all for just $9.99 per month. Throw in Paramout Plus ($11.99) and you've got the lot, and with no long contract either.

Watch March Madness 2024 on Sling TV: 50% off deal

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OTT service Sling TV includes TruTV, TNT and TBS plus a lot more besides with its Blue bundle. It's currently half-price for your first month, starting at at $20. You can add in the ESPN channels for women's March Madness too, if you go for Orange + Blue which starts at $30 for you first month.

After that, it's $40/$60 per month but there's no contract, so you can cancel at any time. Hurry, and you can <a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/221109/1132376/14334?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">get your first month half-price right now.

Watch March Madness 2024 worldwide

Sky Sports has the rights to March Madness 2024 in the UK but has not announced its schedule of matches yet. It doesn't appear that Sky will be broadcasting anything even close to all of the games.

To watch March Madness 2024 in Canada it's TSN and Bell Media. TSN Plus gets you all of the First Four but the schedule is unconfirmed for the rest of the tournament with many games likely to appear on the TSN cable channels instead.

For Australian basketball fans Foxtel and Kayo are your go-to platforms for March Madness with games courtesy of ESPN. Kayo Sports starts at $25 per month with the benefit of a 7-day free trial.

Americans abroad can still watch every March Madness 2024 game from anywhere with a VPN and their usual US streaming service subscription. Full details on how just below.

Watch March Madness 2024 from anywhere

Geo-blocking makes it tricky to watch a March Madness 2024 live stream when you're away from home but you can get round that problem with a VPN. A VPN can make it appear as if you're in any country you choose.

That means you can watch your free live stream from anywhere, and there's a great deal with one of the best VPNs just in time for March Madness...

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How many times has Grambling State played in March Madness?

After 47 seasons of college basketball, The Grambling State Tigers will be making their historic March Madness debut at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They secured their spot by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament, and their balanced scoring approach has been a key factor throughout the 2023-24 campaign. Their opponent, the Montana State Bobcats, enters the First Four matchup with a 17-17 record, aiming to capitalize on their second-ever appearance.

Who Will Grambling State Tigers play next?

The of winner of the Grambling State vs Montana Final Four clash will advance to face No. 1 seeded Purdue in the First Round of March Madness 2024.

Will Hall

Will Hall is a freelance sports writer with a passion for everything soccer. He is a regular contributor around these parts, and recently worked on a series of interviews featuring top-flight players such as Jesse Lingard and Ilkay Gundogan. Currently studying Football Coaching and Talent Development – and also scouting up to Academy level – he is a fourth generation Man City fan. When he's not banging out classic indie tunes on his guitar you can find him cheering on City at the Etihad Stadium.