How to Live Stream the 2016 Olympics Without Cable

The 2016 Summer Olympics are here, and the world’s greatest athletes are ready to show us what they’re made of. If you want to catch all the intrigue, drama and victory, but don’t have the cable, here’s how you can get a streaming medal for free.

Watch straight from NBC

NBC makes broadcasting the Olympics easier than ever … if you’re a cable subscriber. However, if you can borrow cable TV credentials from a friend or family member, both NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app (free for iOS , Apple TV, Android , Windows , Xbox and Roku devices ) will be streaming over 4,500 hours of live streaming during the game, including the opening and closing ceremonies. You should be able to see it all on just about any device, as long as someone is kind enough to let you use your credentials. You can also watch the time-delayed live stream of the Olympic Games for free if you have a wireless antenna (OTA) connected to your TV. If none of these work for you, don’t worry, there are a few more ways to look.

Check out free Sling TV or PlayStation Vue trials so you don’t miss out

There are two Internet TV services you can use to capture most of the Olympic events: Sling TV and Playstation Vue .

The basic Sling TV package includes all channels covering the game, including MSNBC and CNBC, although these are usually not part of the basic package (they are free during August). You can create a new Sling TV account now and get a seven-day free trial (credit card required). Just make sure you select the blue tier to get all NBC channels, and remember to cancel it before your free trial expires, or you’ll lose $ 25.

Sling TV is available on Mac, Windows, Apple TV , Amazon Fire TV , Roku , Google Chromecast , Android TV , iOS , Android , Amazon Fire devices, and Xbox One .

Playstation Vue offers a similar seven-day free trial, and you don’t need a Playstation 3 or Playstation 4 to watch. The service is available on iOS , Android , Amazon Fire TV , Roku, and Google Chromecast . You will need a free Playstation Network account to use it and be sure to select the lowest service level, Access, to get the NBC channels you want. Playstation Vue credentials will also act as your cable TV provider and allow you to log into the NBC Sports app or use NBCOlympics.com to stream from your browser. You won’t see it in the main vendor list, but there should be a View Full Vendor List option with Playstation Vue. Again, be sure to cancel before your seven days are up unless you want to fork out over $ 40 for a full month.

Here’s a bonus tip: the combination of the two should last long enough to catch most of the games. Once you finish your first trial period, cancel it and move on to the next one. And if you’re worried you won’t forget to cancel your subscription before the free trials end, check to see if you have any prepaid Visa gift cards. If you only have a few dollars (at least $ 1), you can use it as a credit card when you sign up and not worry.

Use a VPN to watch live broadcasts of international Olympiads

In the US, NBC has exclusive rights to the Olympics, so there aren’t many ways to stream their pay-per-view, but that also means you only see games that NBC wants to show you, with a time lag that NBC chooses. But other countries have their own TV networks streaming games, and many of them offer free streaming as well. With a VPN, you can redirect your connection to another country that offers free streaming of the Olympic Games, bypass location restrictions, and look like you’re really there. Here are all the international networks offering free coverage of the Olympic Games:

For English speaking people in US time zones, the BBC and CBC are best. Historically, they also broadcast more sports and more varied sports than the US networks provide. If your VPN provider has a UK or Canada exit site, you’re good to go. However, depending on which VPN provider you work with, this option probably won’t be free, so you’ll need to choose wisely.

TunnelBear , our favorite VPN- service to circumvent this limitation by location, gives you 500 MB of free data every month, but you will quickly digest it , if you broadcast streaming video. You’d be better off with the $ 7.99 / month TunnelBear Unlimited Plan if you go with them. It allows you to use the VPN on three different devices, including iOS and Android devices , so you can use the BBC Sport app ( iOS , Android ) and the CBC Rio 2016 app ( iOS , Android ) to watch on your phone. In fact, if you plan on doing most of your streaming on your mobile devices, there is a mobile-only subscription tier for $ 2.99 a month that you can select from the TunnelBear app. It’s not exactly a free option, but it’s a lot cheaper than paying for a cable. Lots of other VPNs will work for that as well, so if Tunnelbear isn’t right for you, this comparison chart will help you choose the one that’s right for you.

Find the events you want to watch

Once you’ve decided how you’re going to watch, you need to know when to watch. Throughout the day, there are a lot of things going on every day, so take a look at the network schedules and plan accordingly:

If you have access to NBC and its partner networks – through cable login credentials, Sling TV, or Playstation Vue – Cut Cable Today staff have a long list of which NBC networks will be covering and what they will be covering . Here are some important things you should know:

  • NBCSN will host 330 hours of coverage, including most of the awards ceremonies, athletics, boxing, fencing, field hockey, basketball, soccer, archery, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, and more. If you can only watch one, this channel will have more events than any other.
  • NBC will provide 260.5 hours of coverage, including the Olympics Opening Ceremony (Friday, Aug 5, 4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET) and the Closing Ceremony, as well as a mix of event coverage and interviews with athletes.
  • Bravo will air 94.5 hours and will be the only venue to watch Olympic tennis for men and women in the United States.

If you are not sure what events you should look for a tool the Bing Events Read Watch to offer the most potentially exciting event to see every day, and when they are broadcast. It takes several things into account , including predictable disorders, potential new world records, and highlighting events that are bound to be filled with drama.

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