The 2020 Summer Olympic Games are set to begin this week in Tokyo, with the opening ceremony kicking off Friday, July 23rd. While NBC and its streaming sibling Peacock will both carry coverage of the Games in the US, the Olympics will be streamable on other services as well.
Because it begins at 8PM in Japan, live coverage of the opening ceremony will start at 6:55AM ET / 3:55AM PT in the US. It will be broadcasted live on NBC as well as streamed live on the NBC Sports app and the NBC Olympics website. NBC’s website has a full schedule of additional broadcasts of the event. A spokesperson for Peacock told The Verge that the opening ceremony will not air on the streaming service, however it will carry the closing ceremony.
Taking place July 23rd through August 8th, the Olympic Games will be streamed for free on Peacock, with one exception: US men’s basketball live coverage will require a premium subscription to the service. (Peacock Premium costs $5 per month, while going ad-free costs $10 per month.) A spokesperson for Peacock told The Verge that US men’s basketball games prior to the final game will be available exclusively on streaming services, including on Peacock, before a later broadcast on NBC. All games will be available to stream on-demand on Peacock after they are televised.
Aside from its live coverage, Peacock has a designated Olympics hub with plenty of pregames programming. The service will feature original programming, event replays, live coverage, and highlights from NBC coverage as well. NBC is the exclusive media rights holder for the Olympics in the US, so one way or another, watching the Games involves getting access to NBC content. The upside is there are quite a few ways to do that.
What time does the Olympics opening ceremony start?
Eastern Time: 6:55AM – 11AM
Central Time: 5:55AM – 10AM
Pacific Time: 3:55AM – 8AM
How to watch the Olympics opening ceremony
Cable
USA Network, CNBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel, Golf Channel, and Telemundo will each carry coverage of the Olympic Games, however NBC Sports Digital will be the premier destination for all sporting events and ceremonies. For a full list of which networks will broadcast which sports and metal events, head to NBC Sports.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu’s live TV streaming service will give its users access to 7,000 hours of programming through NBC channels, including live and on-demand content and highlights of the Games. The service will also include a “tastepicker” feature for users to select their favorite sports and personalize their Olympics coverage.
Hulu with Live TV costs $65 per month.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV will stream the Olympic Games across its supported NBC networks, including NBC, The Olympics Channel, Golf Channel, Telemundo, Universo, and more. Plus, YouTube TV will support 4K streaming of Olympics coverage on the Olympic Channel and Golf Channel for subscribers to its 4K Plus add-on.
YouTube TV costs $65 per month. Its 4K Plus add-on costs an additional $20 per month.
FuboTV
FuboTV will offer full coverage of the Games through a partnership with NBCUniversal. The service will also support 4K HDR streaming in five markets:
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
- Boston, MA (Manchester, NH)
FuboTV costs $65 per month.
Sling TV Blue
Sling TV’s Blue package will carry coverage of the Games, including a live broadcast of the opening ceremony through NBC Sports Network and NBC in select markets. For additional access to the other cable networks that broadcast the Games — USA Network, CNBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel, and the Golf Channel — Sling users can subscribe to the service’s Sports Extra or News Extra add-on packages.
Before subscribing to these packages, however, Sling told The Verge that all Sling TV subscribers will have free access to the Olympic Channel and NBC Universo during the duration of the Games. No additional action is necessary to see the channels; they will appear automatically beginning today.
Sling TV’s Blue package costs $35 per month. Its Sports Extra package costs an additional $11 per month, and its News Extra package costs $6 per month. However, new subscribers to Sling who sign up now will pay only $10 for the first month.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV will have coverage of the Games through its supported NBC channels. For a full list of packages and their supported channels lineups, head here.
The service’s Entertainment package starts at $70 per month.
Roku and apps
Roku and NBCUniversal have teamed up to offer coverage of the Games on Roku and Roku TV devices. Roku users will be able to access 5,500 hours of Olympics coverage directly from their homescreens and through the NBC Sports and Peacock channels.
Additionally, the NBC Sports app is supported across most major streaming devices, including iOS, Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, select Samsung devices, Win10, and Xbox.
