Kristian Ferrell
CBS has been airing men's college basketball games for 45 seasons. The 2025-26 season will feature regular-season games with Big Ten and Big 12 schools, among others. CBS will also broadcast March Madness in 2026, in partnership with TNT Sports. Live college basketball games can be streamed on the Paramount+ app and watched on local CBS TV stations using cable, satellite, or a digital antenna.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of years CBS has aired college basketball | 45 years |
| Years of CBS's contract with NCAA | 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 |
| CBS's broadcasting rights | NCAA Division I Championship in Men's Basketball in odd-numbered years, conference regular season games, NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament |
| Platforms | CBS Sports Network, CBS TV station, Paramount+, SHOWTIME |
| CBS Sports Network's coverage | Team practices, encore airings of men's Final Four games, WE NEED TO TALK, live interviews, press conference coverage, and highlights |
| CBS's partners | TNT Sports, Turner Broadcasting System, ESPN |
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What You'll Learn
- CBS airs college basketball games from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in odd-numbered years
- CBS Sports holds broadcasting rights to conference regular season games from multiple conferences
- CBS expanded its coverage for the 1984 NCAA tournament, adding a triple header
- CBS signed a deal with the NCAA in 2010 worth over $10.8 billion to continue airing March Madness
- CBS Sports Network televises 20 men's regular-season basketball games per year through a sublicense agreement with ESPN
CBS airs college basketball games from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in odd-numbered years
CBS has a long history of broadcasting college basketball games. The network has presented 45 consecutive seasons of college basketball, including buzzer-beaters, upsets, and thrilling moments. CBS's coverage of college basketball includes games from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, with a particular focus on the March Madness® tournament.
During the 2024-25 season, CBS aired 39 regular-season games, including conference championships, live on TV and streaming platforms. CBS's coverage of college basketball extends beyond just live game broadcasts. For instance, CBS Sports Network offers exclusive coverage of team practices and encore airings of men's Final Four games. Additionally, CBS provides extensive basketball programming, including live interviews, press conference coverage, and highlights.
In terms of broadcasting rights, CBS and TBS share the rights to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Since the 2016 season, TBS has held the rights to broadcast the championship in even-numbered years, while CBS airs the games in odd-numbered years. CBS also holds the broadcasting rights to various conference regular season games, including the Big Ten, Big 12, and Missouri Valley conferences.
Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, CBS will continue to be a major broadcaster of college basketball. The network has a multi-year deal with the Big 12 Conference to televise 20 men's regular-season basketball games per year through its sublicense agreement with ESPN. CBS will also air marquee games featuring the nation's top teams and conferences, nearly 30 women's games, and coverage of the NCAA Men's and Women's Tournaments.
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CBS Sports holds broadcasting rights to conference regular season games from multiple conferences
CBS Sports has been presenting college basketball games for 45 seasons. The 2025-2026 season will be its 45th consecutive season. CBS Sports holds the broadcasting rights to conference regular-season games from multiple conferences, including the Big Ten and Big 12 schools. The network also broadcasts March Madness® and the National Championship Game.
CBS Sports' coverage of the 2024-2025 season included 39 regular-season games, including conference championships, which aired live on CBS and were available for streaming on Paramount+ with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® plan. The 2025-2026 schedule is yet to be announced, but it will include regular-season games featuring Big Ten and Big 12 schools.
CBS Sports' coverage of college basketball includes games from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Regular Season, which typically runs from November to March, with March Madness® taking place in mid-to-late March and the National Championship Game in early April. The 2026 National Championship Game is scheduled for April 6, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In addition to CBS Sports, college basketball games can be watched on various other channels and services, including ESPN, FS1, FOX, NBC, and streaming services like Peacock, FloSports, and Paramount+.
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CBS expanded its coverage for the 1984 NCAA tournament, adding a triple header
CBS has a long history with the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament, with its coverage of the tournament beginning in 1966. From 1966 to 1975, CBS provided national television coverage for selected games from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). In 1973, CBS expanded its NIT coverage to four games, with the March 17 Notre Dame vs. USC game going head-to-head with an NCAA Tournament game on NBC. The following year, CBS increased its coverage to five games.
In 1982, CBS aired its first NCAA tournament, which also marked the first year that the NCAA selection show was broadcast on television. CBS had to compete with NBC, which still held exclusive rights to certain collegiate conferences. In 1984, CBS expanded its coverage of the NCAA tournament, adding a triple-header on the first Sunday. In most areas, CBS joined the Georgetown vs. UNLV game in progress around 1:30 a.m. after airing the Wake Forest vs. DePaul game. ESPN re-aired the CBS feed of the Georgetown-UNLV game at 2:30 am.
The 1985 NCAA tournament marked another milestone, as it was the first year that CBS aired a regional semifinal tournament doubleheader, leaving ESPN with only one live game on each of these nights. This was also the year that Brent Musburger took over the top CBS play-by-play role, replacing Gary Bender. Pat Summerall also made a return to basketball play-by-play during the tournament, having not worked any basketball games since the 1974 NBA playoffs.
Since then, CBS has continued to be a major broadcaster of the NCAA tournament, often in partnership with other networks such as Turner Broadcasting System, TBS, and TNT. In 2001, CBS assigned the team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer to a Thursday/Saturday tournament regional for the first time. CBS has also expanded its coverage to include quadruple headers on some days, such as during the 2003 and 2013 tournaments. In 2026, CBS will once again partner with TNT Sports to broadcast March Madness, continuing its long tradition of bringing college basketball to fans across the nation.
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CBS signed a deal with the NCAA in 2010 worth over $10.8 billion to continue airing March Madness
CBS has a long history of broadcasting basketball games, with the 2025-2026 season marking the network's 45th consecutive season. In 2010, CBS/Turner signed a 14-year, $10.8 billion deal with the NCAA to secure the broadcasting rights to March Madness, which was then extended in 2016 by another eight years for $8.8 billion. This deal will run through 2032.
The deal between CBS/Turner and the NCAA has been criticised over the years, as the NCAA has been accused of holding a billion-dollar event without paying the athletes involved. While the NCAA does share its revenues with the participating conferences, the colleges only receive a portion of the money they generate, and the players have historically received no compensation. However, new NCAA rules and state laws have allowed athletes to benefit from the marketing of their names, images, and likenesses, and a pending $2.78 billion settlement will see players compensated via a new revenue-sharing plan.
The 2016 extension of the deal was partly due to CBS/Turner wanting to ensure they had access to all rights, including platforms not yet created. The deal allows CBS Sports and Turner to broadcast all games on any platforms they choose. The men's NCAA basketball tournament is also aired on TBS and truTV, with the 2016 extension maintaining the existing sales partnership surrounding the NCAA Corporate Champion and Partner program, which increased from nine to 19 members since the 2010 deal.
March Madness has been a significant source of income for the NCAA, bringing in $873 million in 2024, with broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and television advertising accounting for most of this revenue. In 2025, Americans were estimated to have wagered $3.1 billion on March Madness, up from $2.7 billion in 2024.
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CBS Sports Network televises 20 men's regular-season basketball games per year through a sublicense agreement with ESPN
CBS has a long history of broadcasting men's college basketball games. The 2025-2026 season will mark the network's 45th consecutive season presenting the sport. CBS Sports televises 20 men's regular-season basketball games per year through a sublicense agreement with ESPN.
The network's coverage of the NCAA Division I men's basketball season typically begins in the winter. The 2024-2025 schedule, for example, included 39 regular-season games, including conference championships, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. CBS also broadcasts March Madness®, the season-ending tournament that features the nation's top 68 teams in a series of single-elimination games.
In addition to its own coverage, CBS Sports Network also sublicenses 20 men's regular-season basketball games per year from ESPN. This agreement allows CBS to expand its coverage of college basketball and provide viewers with even more options to watch the sport.
The 2025-2026 schedule for CBS college basketball is yet to be fully announced, but it is expected to include regular-season games featuring Big Ten and Big 12 schools, among others. Viewers can watch these games on their local CBS TV station using cable, satellite, or a digital antenna. They can also be streamed on Paramount+ with the Showtime® plan.
CBS's coverage of college basketball is complemented by its broadcasts of the NBA. The network provides schedules and updates on its website, CBSSports.com, keeping fans informed about the latest in the sport.
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Frequently asked questions
CBS airs live college basketball games from the NCAA. CBS also airs the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.
You can watch CBS Sports live games on your local CBS TV station using cable, satellite, or a digital antenna. You can also stream CBS Sports live games on your device with Paramount+ with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® plan.
The next basketball game airing on CBS is the 2024 CBS Sports Classic on December 21, 2024, featuring UCLA vs North Carolina and Ohio State vs Kentucky.
CBS usually airs college basketball games on Sundays.
