When and Where to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics, Depending on Your Level of Obsession
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Milano-Cortina, Italy, on Friday, February 6. With over 3,200 hours of winter sports broadcasts across broadcast, cable, and digital streaming platforms, finding the right content can be a real chore. Here’s where and when you can watch the Olympics.
Watching the Olympics is a deeply personal experience. Some people love the technical precision of a perfect luge run; others love the emotional story of an underdog’s rise to the podium; and still others simply want to experience the meme of the week in real time. Because everyone’s “perfect Olympics” is unique, I’ve also prepared a viewing guide tailored to how you might want to watch the 2026 Games.
How to watch the Olympic Games on broadcast and cable TV
NBCUniversal holds exclusive rights to the U.S. Olympic Games this year, and the network will focus almost entirely on the Olympics from the opening ceremony on February 6 until the closing ceremony on February 22. If you’re watching the Olympics the old-fashioned way, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and the cable channels CNBC and USA Network . If you’re watching online, you’ll be doing so via Peacock .
NBC’s broadcast of the Olympic Games
NBC airs “Primetime Milan” daily, a three-hour Olympic Games coverage program , starting at 8:00 PM ET/PT, in prime time, except on Super Bowl Sunday, when “Primetime Milan ” begins at 10:45 PM ET.
NBC will air five hours of programming daily during the daytime, primarily focusing on popular Winter Olympic sports such as snowboarding, skiing, figure skating, and hockey. Daytime Olympic programming will begin at 7 a.m. ET on most days and continue into the early afternoon, depending on the daily schedule.
NBC will also air daily coverage following local news; the Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 6, at 2:00 p.m. ET; live coverage of the Closing Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on February 22, with a repeat at 9:00 p.m.; and a 4K Olympics broadcast on Super Bowl Sunday, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Olympic Games broadcast on cable television
NBC-owned cable channels USA Network and CNBC will also show Olympic content during the games.
-
USA Network : USA Network will be dedicated to covering the Olympic Games virtually around the clock, showing both live broadcasts and replays of past competitions. Due to the six-hour time difference between Italy and the United States, USA Network will broadcast live Olympic events nightly, beginning around 2:00 AM ET, and continuing into the early afternoon.
-
CNBC : CNBC is truly dedicated to curling. The network plans to air a daily “Best of Curling” show weekdays at 5:00 PM ET, as well as in-depth coverage on weekends.
Where can I watch the 2026 Olympic Games broadcast online?
If you plan to watch the Olympic Games live, you’ll do so on Peacock , NBC’s streaming platform. Peacock will stream all 116 medal events live and also offer full replays of all competitions available on-demand.
How to watch the Olympics if you’re a regular spectator.
“I want to participate in the discussion, but I don’t need to watch biathlon at 4 a.m.”
If you value high-quality broadcasts, captivating stories of inspiring athletes, and engaging competitions produced by sports broadcasting professionals, then the primetime coverage is for you. Don’t miss the Opening Ceremony on February 6 at 2:00 PM ET and watch as many NBC primetime broadcasts as you can. You’ll find plenty of action, information about various athletes, and the latest Olympic news, but without too many obscure or boring sports.
Top tip: Subscribe to the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast; Matt Rogers and Bowen Young’s Olympic reporting is guaranteed to be hilarious.
How to watch the Olympics if you’re a fan of just one sport.
“I’m only here for the sledding.”
If you’re a die-hard follower of one sport at the Olympics, like hockey or snowboarding, and you’re not interested in, say, the inspirational stories of ice-skating dancers, your best bet is Peacock’s sports section , where you can watch every qualifying heat and every medal event in just the sport you love, live or on-demand.
Helpful tip: Check your calendar against NBC’s interactive schedule to see exactly when everything is on.
How to Watch the Olympics If You Love Gossip
“Half the fun of the Olympic Games is talking about them.”
If you prefer to watch the Olympics in a group, watch the broadcast on NBC.com in one window while following NBC’s Creator Collective social media pages, where TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube influencers like Kylie Kelsey , Anna Sitar , and Jordan Howlett will be following the competition.
Helpful tip : Don’t miss the Reddit communities r/olympics and r/WinterOlympics2026 .
How to watch the Olympics if you’re interested
“I have an inexplicable passion for a sport I’ve never heard of before.”
If you love discovering new and unusual sports, the Winter Olympics are sure to interest you. Forget the NBC broadcasts and browse the Sports Hub catalog on Peacock, where you’ll find sports you’ve never heard of.
Pro tip: Don’t miss the debut of ski mountaineering, the only brand-new sport at the 2026 Games. It’s a grueling hybrid discipline where athletes, who for some reason hate ski lifts, hike up steep mountain slopes and then ski down high-speed, technically challenging runs.
How to watch the Olympics if you’re a perfectionist.
“I just love the Olympic Games and want to watch as much of them as possible.”
If you have a lot of free time and want to watch literally everything , you’ll need Peacock , and you’ll also want to check out its “Discovery Multiview” feature, which lets you watch up to four sporting events at once.
Helpful Tip : Visit the NBC Olympics Full Schedule website and use the “My Stuff” feature to create a personalized calendar before the games and plan your ultimate Olympic marathon.
How to Watch the Olympics If You’re a Tech Enthusiast
“I want to feel the snow on my face without leaving home.”
For the highest-quality and immersive Olympics experience without traveling to Italy, don’t miss the 4K All-Day broadcast on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, February 8—17 hours of coverage of the Olympic Games and Super Bowl in 4K HDR. And to watch the Olympics in augmented reality, download the Peacock app for your Meta Quest 3 or 3S headsets or stream “spatial cinema” on your Apple Vision Pro.
Helpful Tip : NBC is launching a new streaming feature called Rinkside Live for Olympic hockey and figure skating matches. It allows viewers to choose from several carefully curated streams of “exciting, never-before-seen perspectives.”