Before the games can officially begin, there's the small matter of the First Four play-in tournament. The March Madness 2024 draw has been made, but four spots remain vacant, and they'll be contested by eight teams – the four lowest-ranked conference champions and the four lowest-ranked at-large bids – in a win-and-you're-in mini competition at the University of Dayton Arena.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch First Four 2024 from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.
First Four 2024 runs from Tuesday, March 19 to Wednesday, March 20. Full schedule below.
• U.S. — TruTV via Sling TV or Fubo
• CAN — TSN+
• AUS — Kayo Sports (free trial)
• U.K. — Sky Sports
• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free
It's a brutal way for any team's season to end, especially an automatic qualifier, but the First Four can act as a launchpad for the winners. Last year, for instance, FDU made it through the First Four and promptly knocked out No.1-seeded Purdue in the first round, while both VCU and UCLA have gone from First Four to Final Four.
The Grambling State Tigers can consider themselves the unluckiest team in the 2024 First Four, having won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) playoffs and topped the conference standings. They'll face Big Sky Conference champions the Montana State Bobcats for the chance to play the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the Midwest Regional.
The other automatic qualifiers are the Howard Bisons, winners of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and the Wagner Seahawks, the Northeast Conference (NEC) champions. They're playing for the chance to test their mettle against the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in the West Regional.
Here's everything you need to know to watch First Four 2024 online, plus the full schedule, TV channels and all the live stream information, with or without cable.
First Four games and TV schedule
(All times ET)
Tuesday, March 19
- 6:40 p.m. – Howard Bison (16) vs Wagner Seahawks (16)
- 9:10 p.m. – Virginia Cavaliers (10) vs Colorado State Rams (10)
Wednesday, March 20
- 6:40 p.m. – Montana State Bobcats (16) vs Grambling State Tigers (16)
- 9:10 p.m. – Boise State Broncos (10) vs Colorado Buffaloes (10)
Watch First Four in the U.S.
Watch First Four 2024 live streams in the U.S.
In the U.S., every game from the First Four round is being shown on TruTV. However, for comprehensive coverage of March Madness, you'll also want TBS, TNT and CBS.
If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get all of those channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.
Sling TV is one of the better options. It includes TruTV, TBS and TNT in its Blue plan, with prices starting from $40/month and your first month half-price.
You can add CBS with a subscription to Paramount Plus Premium ($11.99 per month). Together, those cost $56.99 per month – but only $34.49 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 the tournament.
An even cheaper alternative for this year is HBO's streaming service Max with its B/R Sports Add-On, which is included for free during the First Four and March Madness 2024 as a limited time offer.
The B/R Sports Add-On brings access to the games on TruTV, as well as TBS and TNT. Max prices start at $9.99/month with ads, going to $15.99/month ad-free. Or there's a special on at the moment with 40% off if you pay for a whole year upfront, which effectively gives you 12 months for as little as $5.83 per month.
You'll still need Paramount Plus Premium for the CBS games but it means you can watch all of March Madness 2024 for the bargain basement price of $21.98. Not bad at all.
Lastly, for some customers, YouTubeTV is offering a free trial period that could allow people to watch March Madness 2024 for free. We have more on March Madness for cord-cutters right here.
Watch First Four from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your subscriptions?
You can still watch First Four live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for hoops fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
How to watch First Four in the U.K.
Sky Sports has the rights to March Madness First Four live streams in the U.K., so if you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £18/month to add those channels.
Whichever package you go for, you'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.
Sky Glass is another option. This gives you Sky TV within a 4K TV that has a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar, and without the need for a dish. Prices start at £14/month for the TV, plus a Sky sub on top of that.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.99 or month-long access for £34.99.
All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the UK, you can still follow First Four live streams by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
Watch First Four in Canada
TSN has the rights to show First Four live streams in Canada.
If you don't have cable, you could subscribe to TSN+ instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.
Watch First Four in Australia
Aussies will find First Four live streams on ESPN via Foxtel.
Don't have Foxtel and don't want to subscribe? Specialist streaming service Kayo Sports is also showing the First Four, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just $25/month, and hosting plenty of NBA basketball, 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.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your Kayo account as if you were back home.
