Dish Network March Madness

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off in just a few weeks, and satellite TV customers will certainly be tuning in to watch all of the action. Here we will briefly review the tournament action, and where you will be able to watch the games on Dish Network.

While DIRECTV still has the Mega March Madness package, Dish Network will still have plenty of action. Whether you are looking to watch the Conference Championships from around the country, or the actual NCAA Tournament, hundreds of games will be on Dish satellite TV over the next month and a half. The official start to March Madness is on the 16th of March, with the famous play-in game. I’m not sure why the NCAA still insists on matching team number 64 against team 65 for the right to go get slaughtered by a number 1 seed, but if your interested this game will be on ESPN.

ESPN is on Dish Network channel 140, and is also available in HD if you subscribe.

March Madness truly begins on the 18th of the March, and here opening round action will be televised on your local CBS station with Dish Network. NCAA Tournament games will kick off at Noon Eastern time, and continue until midnight. First round action will take place from New Orleans, Providence, San Jose, and Oklahoma City.

First round action continues on Friday, March 19th with another 16 games. Again tune into your Dish Network CBS affiliate to watch the games. Venues hosting Buffalo, Jacksonville, Spokane, and Milwaukee. The first two days of the March Madness tournament are the main reason many opt for DIRECTV where you can get the Mega March Madness package for about $70. While the CBS coverage on DISH Network will jump around from game to game, with the DIRECTV March Madness package you can watch the game of your choice, or even the Mix channel showing all of the games at the same time.

Weekend coverage of the 2nd round continues on March 20th and 21st. The same venues will host as the tournament field is cut down to the Sweet Sixteen. Saturday’s coverage begins at 1PM Eastern, and continues to 10PM. Sunday starts the same time but wraps up around 7PM Eastern.

The Sweet Sixteen kicks off on March 25th, with a double header from Syracuse and Salt Lake City. Action runs from 7PM til Midnight Eastern. The same schedule applies on Friday the 26th, with games being held in St. Louis and Houston. The Regional Finals on Saturday the 26th will run from 4:30 til 9PM Eastern, with the Sunday regional scheduled from 2PM til 7PM. Again, all of the action on Dish Network will be found on your local CBS station.

The Final Four on DISH Network will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana this year. Lucas Oil stadium will be able to hold 70,000 fans for this years event. The Final Four kicks off on Saturday, April 3rd at about 6PM Eastern, with a half hour break between the first and second game. March Madness culminates with the national title game on Monday, April 5th with a 9:15 Eastern start time.

When watching March Madness on Dish Network, the key to the tournament is your local CBS affiliate. Dish Network currently reaches 97% of America with local SD channels, and 93% of the United States with local HD coverage.

by Aaron Kemp on February 27, 2010 · 1 comment

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