The Olympics are one of the sporting events that almost everyone knows. With 40 sports featured, thousands of athletes, and hundreds of countries participating, it has something for everyone. Interested in keeping up with the Olympics without cable? Read on so you’ll never miss a second of the exciting footage!
Who will be covering the Olympics?
NBCUniversal has exclusive coverage rights for the 2024 Olympics. That means that the Summer Olympic Games in Paris will be airing across several NBCUniversal channels, including NBC, USA Network and CNBC, on the NBC Sports App and on the streaming service Peacock. Events will be rebroadcast in prime time on NBC, with live event coverage on Peacock.
So to watch the 2022 Olympic Games, you’ll need to get NBC and Peacock. You can get NBC access through Sling TV, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, and YoutubeTV, with even more available through Peacock. These services also unlock the NBC Sports live and on-demand streams for more coverage.
And if you’re trying to watch the Olympics from abroad, sign up for a VPN like ExpressVPN.
Check out all the details below, and see which option is the best for watching the next Olympics games.
The budget pick: Watch the Olympics on Peacock
NBC’s live streaming service, Peacock, will feature coverage of the Olympic Games throughout the winter. It will offer over 2,800 hours of live coverage of the Summer Olympics.
Peacock is a much cheaper streaming service that functions as more of an add-on, coming in at just $4.99/month for the Premium subscription, and $9.99/month for the Plus subscription. To learn more about Peacock, read our extensive Peacock review.
The cable supplementer’s pick: Watch the Olympics on Sling TV
One of the best options to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics is with a subscription to streaming service Sling TV. Sling TV costs $35/month for the Sling Blue package, which includes both NBC and USA Network.
Sling Blue includes features like the ability to stream on up to 3 devices at once and record up to 50 hours of DVR content. It supports most major streaming devices, including iOS, Android, web browsers, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Roku. To learn more about Sling TV, check out our extensive Sling TV Review.
The sports fan’s pick: Watch the Olympics on fubo
A more expensive option that’s great for sports fans, fuboTV costs $69.99/month for the Starter package. This includes over 100+ channels and everything you need to stream the Olympics. NBC, CNBC, and the USA Network are just a few of their offerings.
Though pricier, fuboTV has the features to back it up. You can stream on up to 3 devices at once and record 250 hours of DVR content. It supports all major streaming devices including iOS, Android, web browsers, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku. To learn more about fuboTV’s offerings, read our FuboTV Review.
The family pick: Watch the Olympics on DirecTV Stream
For the same price as fuboTV, you can go for the cheapest DirecTV Stream option, the Entertainment package, at $69.99/month. This plan includes all the channels you’ll need to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics, including NBC, CNBC, and the USA Network.
DirecTV Stream is one of the more expensive streaming services, but it does offer the unique ability to stream on 20 devices at once. That’s a huge perk if you plan to watch on multiple devices at the same time — like if you have a big family.
With only 20 hours of DVR content, this feature is a bit lacking. However, unlimited DVR space is available with a paid upgrade. DirecTV Stream is compatible on web browsers, iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, and Apple TV, among other devices. Before you commit, check out our DirecTV Stream Review.
Other options for watching the Olympics without Cable
Watch the Olympics on Hulu + Live TV
Another option to watch the Olympics is through Hulu with Live TV. This subscription only has one tier that costs $69.99/month, and it has 75+ channels including CNBC, NBC, and USA Network.
Hulu with Live TV offers streaming on 2 devices at once and the ability to record up to 50 hours of DVR content. You can watch on web browsers, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Apple TV, and Roku. For more about Hulu With Live TV, check out our review.
Watch the Olympics on YoutubeTV
For $64.99/month, you can sign up for YouTube TV and watch the 2024 Summer Olympics. YouTube TV offers 85+ channels, including NBC, USA Network, and CNBC.
YouTube TV allows subscribers to stream on 3 devices at once. Unlimited DVR recordings are saved for up to 9 months. Read our full YouTube TV review before subscribing.
3 ways to watch the Olympics in Canada
You have three Canada-specific options for watching the Olympics without cable in Canada:
Our team’s top pick is fuboTV Canada, a streaming service that’s been slowly developing into a great streaming service for Canada’s sports lovers — especially soccer fans. The recent addition of CBC to fuboTV Canada’s channel lineup rounds out its non-sports selection while giving subscribers access to the CBC’s sports broadcasts — including the Olympic Games.
One of the newer additions to the Canadian streaming landscape is RiverTV. With 43 channels, this is a better option for people looking for an alternative to cable. That broader appeal, however, comes at the expense of sports coverage. But you do get CBC and its Olympics broadcasts.
Of course, the easiest way to watch the 2022 Winter Olympics in Canada is to join CBC Gem. The CBC’s streaming service lets you watch live TV and on-demand content anywhere you are in Canada.
Canadians have three ways to enjoy CBC Gem, two free and one paid. A Guest plan lets you watch current shows and live events and CBC Ottawa. The CBC’s live Olympic Channel stream is not available. Join at the free Member level, however, and you get the Olympic Channel stream as well as all fourteen local CBC TV channels.
CBC Gem isn’t trying to be a cable replacement — it’s just a way for Canadians to get the CBC’s content to their devices. As mentioned earlier, the plan you choose will determine whether you get every local CBC channel, the Olympic Channel or CBC News Network.
Of course, if you’re looking for a way to watch from Canada but you want to stick with an American streaming provider, the best way to do that is with a VPN. Our team’s favorite VPN is ExpressVPN.
How to Watch the Olympics in Canada on Amazon Fire TV
You can watch the Winter Olympics on Amazon Fire TV using apps from fuboTV Canada, RiverTV or CBC Gem.
How to Watch the Olympics in Canada on Roku
You can watch the Winter Olympics on Roku using apps from fuboTV Canada or RiverTV.
How to Watch the Olympics in Canada on Apple TV
You can watch the Winter Olympics on Apple TV using apps from fuboTV Canada, RiverTV or CBC Gem.
Our takeaway: Watch the Olympics on Peacock or Sling TV
The Olympics are one of the biggest sporting events in the world - make sure you don’t miss a second of the exciting coverage by subscribing to one of the streaming services above!
You have a choice of six options — Sling TV, FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock. Each service offers different features, pricing, and channel offerings. Sling TV and Hulu with Live TV are the cheapest options, while FuboTV and DirecTV Stream offer more channels and features. Peacock is the cheapest add-on option, while YouTube TV offers unlimited DVR recordings.
Desiree Wu • Author
Desiree is a full-time Honours Business Administration student at Ivey Business School at Western University. She also served as an Editorial Intern at Flixed. Desiree is based in London, Ontario.
Kelsey Reynolds • Editor
Kelsey is a content strategist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota. Kelsey was drawn to working at Flixed because the team was so open, motivated, and curious. She most enjoys thinking about how to blend programmatic and editorial content to answer readers’ questions as completely and efficiently as possible. When she’s not at her computer, Kelsey can usually be found working in her garden or walking her two dogs in the park.