How to Watch the 2024 Summer Olympics: All the Ways to Stream the Games Online Free
Written by Latifah Muhammad on July 28, 2024
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Let the games begin! The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics launched with an extravagant Opening Ceremony, featuring performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion and a cameo from Beyoncé.
The Olympic games officially start on Saturday (July 27) with rugby, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, cycling, surfing and swimming among the roster. Coverage of the Summer Olympics will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock.
Below, find out ways to stream the Olympics online for free from anywhere around the globe.
Where to Watch the 2024 Summer Olympics
The Olympic games will broadcast live on NBC and stream on Peacock from July 26-Aug. 11. Olympics coverage will also air on USA Network — including men’s volleyball, water polo and fencing. Simulcast coverage will be available on E!, Telemundo, CNBC and Golf Channel.
NBC will air live coverage of the Olympics in the morning and afternoon. Primetime coverage starts at 8 p.m. If you need access to local channels like NBC or USA and other cable networks, you can stream them live with a free trial from DIRECTV, Hulu+ Live TV and Fubo.
Verizon Fios offers live TV and affordable internet plans, and ExpressVPN allows you stream internationally.
You can access these platforms from any compatible device — a TV, laptop, smart phone, etc.
How to Watch the Olympics on Peacock
The 2024 Summer Olympic games will stream exclusively on Peacock.
Plans start at $7.99/month for Peacock Premium, the ad-supported package with access to the 2024 Olympics, and thousands of hours of other sports and entertainment.
Peacock Premium Plus is $13.99/month to stream without commercials and live access to NBC.
Want to watch the Olympics in Spanish? Peacock will livestream coverage from Telemundo and Universo in addition to offering 50 hours of replays and other content in Spanish.
How to Watch the Olympics on DIRECTV
In the internet age, streaming is the easiest way to watch the Summer Olympics online. Thankfully, there are a few ways to watch the games without spending extra money up front. For example, you can subscribe to DIRECTV Stream and score a free trial for the first five days, plus access to NBC and other local channels: USA, ESPN, Bravo, E!, TBS, TLC and much more.
DIRECTV Stream plans start at $79.99 a month, plus you get free Max, Paramount+ Showtime and STARZ for three months when you subscribe to the Choice or Ultimate plan. Peacock is also available at a discount for DIRECTV subscribers.
How to Watch the Olympics on Sling TV
Sling TV offers cable channels such as USA, ESPN, TLC, Disney Channel and FX in addition to local channels in certain regions.
Sling’s Orange streaming packages start at $40/month. Sling Orange offers 34 channels, and Sling Blue has 46 channels. Sling also offers a combination of both tiers for $60 a month.
All three Sling TV packages include DVR storage and streaming from multiple devices. You can subscribe to Sling for as low as $20 for the first month, or secure a discount by prepaying Sling Blue two months in advance.
How to Watch the Olympics on Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is another affordable streaming platform that comes with a free trial, and access to NBC, USA and other channels. The membership includes Hulu’s streaming library, over 90+ live channels, plus Disney+ and ESPN+.
2024 Summer Olympics Schedule: Basketball, Gymnastics & More
The Olympic games will feature archery, artistic swimming, badminton, basketball, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, breakdancing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, soccer, sport climbing, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, track and field, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
Simone Biles, Shakari Richardson, Katie Ledecky, LeBron James, Steph Curry and other star athletes will be competing for Team USA this year. If you want to catch Team USA Gymnastics featuring Biles, Jade Cary, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera, competitions start on Sunday, July 28.
The women’s gymnastics qualifications will be held from 3:30 a.m.-4:30 a.m ET on Sunday. The men’s gymnastics round was held on Saturday.
The men’s team final is scheduled for Monday, July 29, followed by the women’s final on Tuesday, July 30. The all-around finals for the men’s team will be on Wednesday, July 31, and women’s all-around finals will be on Thursday, Aug. 1.
Men’s basketball kicks off on Saturday with group stage matchups between Australia vs. Spain, France vs. Brazil, Greece vs. Canada and Germany vs. Japan.
On Sunday, Team USA will face off against Serbia in men’s basketball, while South Sudan will face Puerto Rico in the men’s group phase. Team USA men’s basketball returns to the court on July 31 against South Sudan.
Women’s basketball also starts on Sunday with Spain vs. China and Serbia vs. Puerto Rico. Team USA will play Japan on July 29 and Belgium on Aug. 1
Men’s and women’s first-round tennis matches will be held on Saturday and Sunday. The first, second and third round matches are scheduled for July 29-30. The men’s singles third round, women’s singles quarterfinals, men’s doubles semifinals, women’s doubles quarterfinals and mixed doubles quarterfinals are on July 31. The men’s singles quarterfinals, women’s singles semifinals, women’s doubles semifinals and mixed doubles semifinals are on Aug. 1.
Swimming starts Saturday and will be held each day through Aug. 4. The women’s 10K open water finals are slated for Aug. 8. The men’s 10K open water finals will be on Aug. 9.
Olympics track and field competitions will be held from Aug. 1-11.
