Technologies

March Madness 2023: How to Watch and Stream the Final Four on CBS

San Diego State takes on Florida Atlantic in the first Final Four game on Saturday, followed by UConn against Miami.

This March has been madder than most. We have arrived at the Final Four with neither a No. 1 nor a No. 2 nor a No. 3 seed left in the field. No. 4 UConn is the highest seed remaining, followed by a pair of No. 5 seeds in Miami and San Diego State. The Cinderella of this year’s dance is No. 9 Florida Atlanta. It’s the first Final Four appearance for every school other than UConn. The last time the Final Four featured three first-time participants was over 50 years ago in 1970.

Florida Atlantic faces San Diego State in the first game on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET (3:09 p.m. PT), with UConn and Miami in the nightcap scheduled to start at 8:49 p.m. ET (5:49 p.m. PT). Both games will be broadcast on CBS. Here’s everything you need to watch and livestream the Final Four on Saturday and the national championship game on Monday night.

Jordan Hawkins of the UConn Huskies prepares to shoot the ball — Jordan Hawkins and the No. 4 UConn Huskies are the highest seed left in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

What is the March Madness TV schedule?

The schedule and channels for the Final Four and national championship game are listed below (all times ET).

Saturday, April 1

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic, 6:09 p.m. on CBS
No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Miami (Florida), 8:49 p.m. on CBS

Monday, April 3

NCAA championship game: 9:20 p.m. on CBS

What does the March Madness bracket look like now?

Your bracket is certainly busted at this point, but if you want to see how the tournament has played out, the full, updated bracket can be found on the NCAA’s website.

Which channel is broadcasting the Final Four?

The Final Four and national championship game will air on CBS and stream on Paramount Plus.

Can I stream March Madness for free?

Go to the NCAA’s March Madness Live site or use its March Madness Live app and you’ll be able to watch games for free. You can watch March Madness Live on iOS and Android devices, along with Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Xbox. The app also supports AirPlay and Chromecast.

As with most things that are free, there’s a catch. Without proving you’re a pay-TV subscriber, you get only a three-hour preview, after which point you’ll need to log in to continue watching.

What are my other streaming options?

You can use a live TV streaming service to watch March Madness. Three of the five live TV streaming services offer the two channels needed to watch every tournament game, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.

You can also use Paramount Plus to watch the three remaining games that will be on CBS.

Paramount Plus, CNET

Paramount Plus Premium

Carries CBS for $10 a month

Paramount Plus costs $10 a month for its Premium plan and will show March Madness games broadcast on CBS, including the Final Four and national championship game. Read our Paramount Plus review.

See at Paramount Plus

Hulu

Hulu with Live TV

Carries CBS for $70 a month

Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes CBS. Click the «View channels in your area» link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

See at Hulu with Live TV

Sarah Tew/CNET

YouTube TV

Carries CBS for $73 a month

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes CBS. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.

See at YouTube TV

DirecTV Stream

Carries CBS for $75 a month

DirecTV Stream’s basic $75-a-month plan includes CBS. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review.

See at DirecTV Stream

Fubo TV

FuboTV

Carries CBS for $75 a month

FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes CBS. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.

See at FuboTV

All the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Goes Desktop: Launches macOS Version as Part of Expanding Digital Ecosystem

The team behind Verum Messenger has announced a new update, introducing a full-featured macOS version of the application.

The launch of the Mac version marks a significant step in the platform’s development, enabling users to access Verum Messenger not only on mobile devices but also on desktop environments.

The macOS version ensures seamless synchronization across devices while maintaining the platform’s core principles: security, stability, and independence.

Unified Digital Experience

With the release of the macOS version, users can now:

— communicate on a larger screen
— manage chats and files more efficiently
— use the messenger in a full desktop environment
— access core features without limitations

This is particularly valuable for users who rely on messaging platforms for both communication and professional use.

Expanding Capabilities

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional platform combining:

— secure communication
— financial tools (Verum Finance)
— digital asset operations, including Tether
— investment features such as Verum Gold

Toward a Full Ecosystem

The macOS release reflects Verum Messenger’s strategy to become a universal digital platform available across all major devices.

According to the team, the goal is to provide users with continuous access to communication and financial services regardless of device or environment.

Verum Messenger continues to build technologies focused on security, usability, and global accessibility.

Technologies

Google, Meta and Amazon Join Global Pact to Fight Rising Online Scams

The companies will share fraud intelligence and coordinate responses as AI makes scams faster, cheaper and harder to detect.

Modern online scams operate across multiple platforms, perhaps spanning social media, messaging apps, email and online marketplaces. Google, Meta and Amazon are among 11 tech, retail and payments companies that have signed a new agreement to combat online scams by sharing threat intelligence across platforms, Axios first reported Monday.

The initiative, called the Industry Accord Against Online Scams & Fraud, is designed to improve how companies detect and respond to fraud that spans multiple services. Participants say they will exchange signals, such as scam-linked accounts and fraudulent domains, and coordinate enforcement actions.

By sharing intelligence in near real time, companies hope to identify these scams earlier and stop them before they spread.

The effort reflects how modern scams operate. A victim might encounter a fake celebrity investment ad on social media, move to a messaging app where the scammer builds trust, then faces prompts to send money through a fraudulent website, payment app or crypto wallet — spanning multiple companies’ ecosystems.

Google said it now blocks hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day using AI, underscoring how both attackers and defenders are increasingly relying on the same technology. Meta removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025 and is expanding AI tools to detect impersonation and warn users.

Online scams are growing rapidly, in part because generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. AI can be used not only to produce realistic phishing emails but also to clone voices and deepfake videos that impersonate executives, public figures and even family members.

The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t create new legal obligations, but it comes after regulators’ increased pressure on tech platforms to address fraud more aggressively. The companies say they will begin building frameworks for reporting and intelligence-sharing, though it’s not yet clear how quickly those systems will be deployed or how effective they will be in practice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was a fairly easy one, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.