Before the games officially begin, there is the small matter of the First Four play-in tournament The March Madness 2024 draw has taken place, but four spots remain vacant, and the bottom four teams of the conference champions and the bottom four teams of the at-large beds will play to win out in a mini-tournament at the University of Dayton Arena, with eight teams in total

Continue reading to learn how to watch First Four 2024 from anywhere with a VPN and for free

The honor of starting March Madness goes to automatic qualifiers Howard and Wagner The Bisons, who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), made it to the Big Dance last year but were quickly knocked out by top-seeded Kansas

Once that's off the books, they move on to Colorado State and Virginia While guard Isaiah Stephens has been on a tear for the Rams, scoring in double digits for the 10th consecutive game, the Cavaliers have high hopes for guard Ryan Dunn On the other hand, the Cavaliers have high hopes for guard Ryan Dunn

Here's what you need to know to watch First Four 2024 online, with or without cable, plus the full schedule, TV channels, and all live stream information

(All times EST)

Tuesday, March 19

Wednesday, March 20

In the US, the entire First Four round will air on TruTV However, for a comprehensive look at March Madness, TBS, TNT, and CBS are also recommended

If you have already cut cable and do not have a cable package, you can watch all of these channels through the OTT cable TV alternative

Sling TV is one of the better options The Blue Plan includes TruTV, TBS, and TNT, and prices start at $40/month, with the first month half off

CBS can be added by subscribing to Paramount Plus Premium ($1199/month) These cost $5699/month combined, but the first month is only $3449, cheaper than Fubo, YouTube TV, and Hulu with live TV, and one of the cheapest and most reliable ways to watch the entire tournament

An even cheaper alternative this year is HBO's streaming service Max and its B/R Sports Add-On, which is included free during First 4 and March Madness 2024 as a limited-time offer

The B/R Sports Add-On provides access to TruTV, TBS, and TNT games Maximum pricing starts at $999/month with ads and goes up to $1599/month without ads The company is also offering a special 40% discount if you pay for a year in advance, effectively giving you 12 months for as little as $583 per month

The CBS game still requires Paramount Plus Premium, but it means you can watch all of March Madness 2024 for the bargain price of $2198 Not bad

Finally, YouTubeTV is offering a free trial period for select customers to watch March Madness 2024 for free More information about March Madness for cord cutters can be found here

I am currently away from home and cannot watch my subscription basketball

Thanks to a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you can still watch the First 4 live; a VPN is software that allows your device to appear to be in your home country, no matter where you are in the world Ideal for hoops fans who are away on vacation or business trips Our favorite is NordVPN Best on the market:

Sky Sports has the rights to March Madness First 4 live streams in the UK, so if you already have a Sky subscription that does not include Sports, £18/month to add these channels you will need to pay £18/month to add these channels

Whichever package you choose, you will also be able to watch the coverage in 4K and HDR if you have an HDR-enabled Sky Q box and an HLG-enabled TV

Sky Glass is another option This 4K TV with built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar allows you to enjoy Sky TV without an antenna Prices start at £14 per month for the TV, plus a Sky sub-subscription

If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could consider the Now Sports streaming service, available for 24 hours for £1199 or a month for £3499

All of these are great But even if you are not in the UK, you can follow First Four's live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN

TSN has the rights to air First Four live streams in Canada

If you don't have cable, you can subscribe to TSN+ instead, which gives you access to everything TSN has to offer on a subscription basis for $8 per month or $80 per year

Australians can watch the First 4 live stream on ESPN via Foxtel

Do not have Foxtel and do not want to subscribe Specialty streaming service Kayo Sports also broadcasts the First 4, and offers live sports including NBA basketball, cricket, AFL, rugby, F1, and many others for an affordable fee starting at only $25 per month

For those who have never used the service, there is a free 7-day trial

Now not in Australia, you can use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your Kayo account as if you were at home