NCAA March Madness App Updated for 2016 Tournament, Expands to Apple TV

With the 2016 March Madness college basketball tournament set to begin on March 15, the NCAA has updated its March Madness app with new features for iOS, the fourth-generation Apple TV and Apple Watch.

The brand new Apple TV app comes with a significant feature for basketball fans: the ability to watch two games side-by-side in a split-screen interface. The feature, which is exclusive to Apple TV, also allows users to switch the audio from both the games, allowing basketball fans to hone in on exciting matches easier than before. Lisa Estrin, NCAA Digital's senior UX lead, told Variety that the Apple TV was the "perfect" platform for the feature.

"We believe Apple TV is the perfect platform to experiment with this and bring the two together in a shared environment," said Lisa Estrin, senior UX lead, NCAA Digital, at a Los Angeles showcase for Apple TV apps hosted by Apple earlier this week. "We look forward to more collaboration in the future."

The iOS version of the app received several new features, including AirPlay and Google Cast support. In addition to multitasking support, iPad users will also see a redesigned version of the app with an "immersive" new experience that features a new game timeline, up-to-the-minute stats and curated highlights from Twitter and Instagram. The March Madness app has also been made available for Apple Watch, allowing users to receive alerts for their favorite teams and quick access to scores and the tournament schedule.

All versions of the NCAA March Madness app require logging in with TV provider credentials to stream games.

NCAA March Madness for iOS is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Update: Games broadcast on CBS cannot be live streamed through the March Madness app even after cable authentication.

Tag: NCAA March Madness

Top Rated Comments

69Mustang

125 months ago

We need to break the back of the cable monopoly, which is exactly this: if you just want to see content, you have to pay their fees. The provider of content should have the ability to collect money from you and the cable companies, or to have an agreement to accept funding by advertising and be free to show their property in whatever venue. Yes, this is exactly what a monopoly is: the pipe says it owns the content which it didn't finance. Uh-uh. In the '40s, the federal government broke up the studio's wholly-owned cinema chains for the same reasons. The MGM Theaters were showing only MGM, and nobody could show anything else. Capitol Theaters, etc., all were owned by the studios. (With some control by the mob, too.) So the guy with the movie house franchise in Chicago had to play the studio's content, no matter if it was a hit or not.

Breathe Swift, breathe. Your post is all over the place and making little sense. Cable companies own a lot of the content so they're more than just a pipe. In many cases they are the content provider as well. Bolded: Your quote assumes content providers can't show their property through whatever avenue they choose. They can. They choose to show their content through avenues that... sit down for this... pay them the most money. It's the reason they create content. They don't do it for your enjoyment. They do it for the money. Same reason Apple sells their products. Same for any company. It's something cord cutters seem to either not understand or completely ignore. In the grand scheme, they offer no value to anyone but themselves. When cord cutters can provide monetary incentive to any content provider they may start to see some of the things on their wish list. Right now they don't bring anything to the table. Why would any company want to deal with small incremental payments when they're currently getting very large payments from advertisers and cable companies.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

2010mini

125 months ago

We need to break the back of the cable monopoly, which is exactly this: if you just want to see content, you have to pay their fees. The provider of content should have the ability to collect money from you and the cable companies, or to have an agreement to accept funding by advertising and be free to show their property in whatever venue. Yes, this is exactly what a monopoly is: the pipe says it owns the content which it didn't finance. Uh-uh. In the '40s, the federal government broke up the studio's wholly-owned cinema chains for the same reasons. The MGM Theaters were showing only MGM, and nobody could show anything else. Capitol Theaters, etc., all were owned by the studios. (With some control by the mob, too.) So the guy with the movie house franchise in Chicago had to play the studio's content, no matter if it was a hit or not.

Find a way for content owners and distributors to make the same or more money with a new model. Or just pay up.

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...

• 63 comments

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...

• 54 comments

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...

• 36 comments

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...

• 295 comments

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by Juli Clover

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...

• 95 comments

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...

• 227 comments

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover

The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...

• 63 comments

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...

• 87 comments

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...

• 201 comments