Basketball fans, it’s the time of year you’ve been waiting for: March Madness is here! Brace yourself for nearly three weeks of heart-pounding action as the top teams of the NCAA battle it out to claim the national championship. But before you get fixated on who’s going to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, advance to the Elite Eight, and lay waste to the competition to make it to the Final Four, as a sponsor of this year’s March Madness tournament, AT&T wants to make sure you’ve prepared your space for the best viewing experience. Read on to find out how you can create the ultimate March Madness 2024 viewing experience!
How can I watch March Madness 2024?
This year, March Madness is taking place from Tuesday, March 19th to Monday, April 8th, 2024. You have a variety of options available to watch the tournament. If you currently have a cable package, the games will be live on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. If you prefer to stream the games, live streams are available through a Paramount+ subscription. You can also access the games through subscriptions to Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, or the B/R Sports add-on subscription through Max.
Make sure you’re happy with your TV set-up—and upgrade it if you’re not
Whether you’re streaming or watching live, you’ll want to make sure you have the best screen possible to catch all the action. If you’re currently happy with your TV set-up, great! Pop some popcorn and get ready for the game. But if it’s time for some upgrades, consider investing in a new TV that suits the size of your room without overwhelming it. To determine the best size TV for your space, just measure the viewing distance from where you plan to sit to where your TV will sit, then divide that number by 2.5. Voila! You have the perfect screen size for your room.
From there, you can catch all the high-definition action with the industry standard 4K Ultra HD, but 1080p will still give you a solid viewing experience without breaking the bank. If you invest in a smart TV, chances are it will come loaded with the apps you need if you prefer to stream March Madness—and if it doesn’t, it’s easy enough to download Hulu or Max (just make sure you have an active subscription to both, and the add-on subscription for live TV for Hulu and B/R Sports through Max).
Not ready to invest in a TV? No problem—you can still stream the games on your laptop, tablet or phone. Just make sure you have a good wireless provider.
Make it feel like you’re at the game with surround sound
Can’t shell out for tickets and travel to see March Madness unfold first-hand? No problem—just add a surround sound speaker system, and it’ll feel like you’re in the audience. You could certainly go all out and get a wildly intricate nine-speaker system with a subwoofer, but that could set you back thousands of dollars. You can still get a decent experience with as little as three or five speakers and not have to take out a loan to make the investment.
A word to the wise: more isn’t always better! If you have a smaller viewing space, having a ton of speakers is going to be overwhelming for the room—and your ears. As a general rule, the larger the room, the more speakers you’ll need for an immersive experience. Smaller rooms won’t need as much oomph to make it feel like you’re courtside.
Invest in a good internet service provider
Even if you’re watching the game on terrestrial TV, chances are you’re going to want to watch highlights, analysis, and opinions from your favorite online sports pundits. In that case, you’ll want to make sure you have a reliable internet service provider.
Get the right streaming equipment
Now that you have a solid internet provider, it’s time to ensure you have the right equipment to support your viewing experience. Do you plan to stream your March Madness content using Wi-Fi, or are you going to connect directly to your router? If you want to stream wirelessly, make sure you have a Wi-Fi router—you won’t need a special router if you want a direct connection. But if finding the right modem and router feels intimidating, good news: most internet service providers will include the equipment you need to connect to the internet as part of your service. And if you prefer to have your own equipment, some ISPs offer hardware for purchase.
Make sure your Wi-Fi connection is speedy
It’s almost game time! But before you tune in, double check that you have enough internet speed if you intend to to stream the games. Test out your connection before the tournament starts so you’re not worrying about buffering right before the final buzzer. If there’s lag time or your TV has trouble connecting, make sure your modem and router are placed in an open area and not blocked by walls or book cases.
Do you have a bunch of unnecessary tech connected to your Wi-Fi connection? That could also slow down your streaming experience, so disconnect any tablets, phones or laptops that don’t need to be online at gametime. And if you still don’t feel like you have enough support to make the games stream smoothly, consider investing in a wifi extender—especially if your modem and router are in a different room.
And there you have it—almost everything you need to make March Madness 2024 a tournament to remember (snacks are on you). See you at tip off!
This article is AT&T sponsored content written by Carly Milne, a TechBuzz contributor. The statements in this article are her own and don’t necessarily represent the positions, strategies, or opinions of AT&T.
