You Can Finally Stream All the Olympic Games Without a Cable Subscription
Did n’t we have the Olympics? Yes, but the 2020 Summer Games have been rescheduled to 2021 due to COVID, so here we are again. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (or Pandemic-related Second Global Games, if you prefer a little post-apocalyptic flair) kick off on Friday, February 4th and run through Sunday, February 20th, and should be historic for many. reasons. First, the Games will include seven new events in their program of 109 events. As noted, this is the second Olympics that have to be content with the coronavirus, and foreign spectators are once again forbidden to travel and watch the Games in person . Finally, for the first time, you won’t need a cable TV subscription to keep up with what’s going on.
On Wednesday, NBC announced that it will broadcast all of the upcoming Beijing Winter Games on Peacock, the network’s subscription-based streaming platform. Peacock will be the all-inclusive place to access every second of coverage for all 15 sports, but you have other options to watch your favorite events as well. Below we’ve rounded up all the ways you can tune in to this year’s Olympics from the comfort of your own home.
If you want to watch on network TV
NBCUniversal is the exclusive official broadcaster of the Olympics, which means your local NBC station will be the only place to watch the Games via network TV.
While the exact details have yet to be released, history tells us that coverage of the NBCUniversal competition will begin on Wednesday, February 2 (two days before the opening ceremony). Considering the time difference, NBC will likely broadcast the opening ceremony live from Beijing and then rebroadcast it in prime time in the US.
If you want to stream the Games
Peacock is the hub for all Olympic content this year. Full access to every second of the Winter Games is only available to Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month, including ads) and Premium Plus ($9.99 per month, without ads) members. This access includes opening and closing ceremonies, the NBC Winter Olympics primetime night show, full replays of all competitions available immediately after completion, exclusive daily studio programming, awards ceremonies, best clips and more.
The Peacock app is available online as well as through services such as Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV or Android TV. The service offers a free trial, but it only lasts a week, so you won’t be able to cover all the games without paying at least one month’s worth.
If you want to stream (but don’t download anything new)
If you don’t have the Peacock app, you can use other subscription-based streaming services as long as they include access to NBCUniversal channels. This means that Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum , SLING TV and Fubo TV must have access to the main events.
In 2021 , Amazon Fire TV offered a dedicated home screen landing page that brought together all the ways to watch the Olympics, but it’s not yet clear if they’ll offer the same format again.
If you want to watch on the go
The NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com are currently streaming the Olympic Trials and will therefore offer live coverage during the Games. However, to fully access Olympic content through these properties, you must be a paid subscriber to an NBC partner satellite, cable, or streaming service (such as Hulu+Live TV and all of the others listed above).
If you want to watch for free
If you are not subscribed to any streaming platforms (or have run out of free trials), go straight to the source from the Olympic Channel at olympics.com . When it comes to the Games, the official Olympic YouTube channel may also offer coverage and replays of selected events.
If you want to watch in Spanish
Last year, NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Universo aired Olympic programming, which was also available for streaming on the Telemundo Deportes website and app.
If you’re wondering if the Games will be delayed or canceled due to the pandemic…
Here’s what the New York Times reports:
Anything is possible, but the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of the Beijing Olympics are doing their best to emphasize that the Games will go ahead as planned. Asked in early December if he could imagine a situation in which the Games would have to be postponed, Juan Antonio Samaranch , a senior Olympic official, answered bluntly. “The answer is no,” he said. “In a world of Covid, you have to be flexible and be able to quickly adapt to changing conditions. We have this in Beijing.”
It looks like these Games are happening no matter what.
lazy, didn’t read
If you want comprehensive coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics, NBC clearly wants you to subscribe to Peacock , which is at least a lot cheaper than paying for cable TV. If you don’t want to subscribe to Peacock, you will still have access to live streams like the Olympic Channel .
Check out NBC’s Beijing 2022 schedule to find out how and when to tune in to your favorite sports this year. You can also refer to the competition schedule on the Olympics website to find out which competitions will take place on which days, as well as when all medals will be held. Go team.