Selection Sunday 2025 live stream: How to watch men's NCAA basketball show online and on TV

Mason Gillis of the Purdue Boilermakers dives after a loose ball in a NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game in April 2024
(Image credit: Photo by Jamie Squire)

As glitzy as the top-level of college basketball has become, there's only one roster most of us have wanted to be on this week: the NCAA selection committee. They've been frantically aligning the conference tournaments with the win-loss columns all week, and are now ready to hand out those golden tickets to March Madness.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch Selection Sunday 2025 without cable and from anywhere with a VPN.

Selection Sunday live stream: TV channels and dates

Selection Sunday 2025 takes place today (Sunday, March 16).
Time: 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. AEDT (Monday)
U.S. — CBS and Paramount Plus
• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free

The Selection Show will begin with the release of the full 68-team bracket and seedings: 31 automatic bids (for conference tournament winners) and 37 "at-large" selections, based on numerous criteria including overall results, quadrant wins and strength of schedule.

There's no limit on the number of at-large teams the committee may select from a single conference, and it looks like the SEC could set a new record this year. The Big East got 11 teams into the bracket in 2011 — some reckon the SEC could earn as many as 14 spots this year.

Tonight's 60-minute special will also serve as an appropriate moment to remember Greg Gumbel, the legendary sportscaster synonymous with the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, who passed away from cancer in December.

Here's everything you need to know to watch Selection Sunday online, plus make sure you don’t miss any of the basketball itself with our how to watch March Madness live streams guide.

Watch Selection Sunday from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Selection Show on your subscriptions?

You can still watch your usual Selection Sunday live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software makes your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are.

So it's ideal for hoops fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

Sling TV

You can get TNT and ESPN on the Sling TV Orange plan. Sling Orange comes with 30-plus channels, including TBS, Comedy Central and Disney Channel. New subscribers get 50% off their first month.

Watch Selection Sunday live streams in the U.S.

US flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In the U.S., Selection Sunday is being shown on CBS.

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can also live stream the Selection Show with a subscription to Paramount Plus Premium ($12.99 per month).

CBS is one of the main March Madness broadcasters. As well as the Selection Show, it holds the exclusive rights to the National Championship game and both semi-finals. CBS will also show several selected games from the earlier rounds.

Paramount Plus will live stream all of CBS's March Madness coverage.

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Paramount Plus with Showtime

Paramount Plus with Showtime plans cost $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year, and includes access to your local CBS station's live feed, live sport and shows like "Survivor", "The Amazing Race", "1923" and "Billions".

It's worth noting that March Madness games are also being shown across TBS/TNT/TruTV.

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can watch every single game through an inexpensive OTT cable TV alternative.

Sling TV is one of the better options. It includes TBS and TNT in its Orange plan, with prices starting from $45.99/month and your first month half-price.

As mentioned above, you can add CBS with a subscription to Paramount Plus Premium. Together, those cost $58.98 per month — but only $35.99 for your first month — which is less than Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with live TV, and one of the cheapest and most reliable ways of watching all of March Madness 2025.

Max is another option. It will live stream all of the games that are shown on TBS/TNT/TruTV, and includes all of HBO's prestige series, like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Sopranos" and "The Wire". Plus, the service has its own originals.

Plans start at $9.99/month, though you'll need to pay $16/month to go ad-free, and $20/month to stream in 4K.

Can you watch Selection Sunday 2025 in the U.K.?

British flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Sky Sports has held the NCAA broadcasting rights in the U.K., though at the time of writing the network is yet to reveal its plans for the Selection Show, or for that matter any of March Madness 2025.

If you're on holiday in the U.K. from the U.S., one of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of Selection Sunday. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Selection Sunday 2025 in Canada?

Canadian flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Bad news, Canadians — it doesn't look like any channels are airing the 2025 Selection Show.

TSN, however, is otherwise providing comprehensive March Madness coverage across its channels and TSN+.

The streaming service lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.

If you're away from home and struggling to tap into your subscriptions, you could use a VPN to help you access a Selection Sunday stream from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Selection Sunday 2025 in Australia?

Australian flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It's a similar story in Australia, where Selection Sunday hasn't found a broadcaster.

On the plus side, when March Madness tips off Aussies will be able to tune in on ESPN via Foxtel.

Don't have Foxtel and don't want to subscribe? Specialist streaming service Kayo Sports will also be showing March Madness, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just $25/month, and hosting plenty of cricket, AFL, rugby, F1 and loads of other live sports besides.

There's also a 7-day FREE trial for anybody who hasn't used the service before.

If you're on holiday Down Under from the U.S., you could use one of the best VPN services to enable you to tap into your home coverage of Selection Sunday. We recommend NordVPN.

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Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about technology, sport and politics for a wide range of publications including TechRadar, What Hi-Fi?, The Independent, Trusted Reviews, and Newsweek. These days, he focuses mainly on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: live TV and penny-pinching. When he's not attending a top-flight English soccer match, you can find him perfecting his table tennis skills.

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