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Even if you have ditched your cable subscription, you can still watch the Olympic Games, from the torch lighting to the closing ceremony. The video streaming world is complicated, with Olympics streaming being especially complex because companies must deal with sports partners and international sports partners. Fortunately, we at PCMag offer expert opinions on all things video streaming. Peacock, an Editors’ Choice winner, is NBC’s premier Olympics on-demand streaming home. However, we also have other independent reviews of all the live TV services. So check out our tips and recommendations for all the information you need to choose the best streaming service for watching the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
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Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Best for Exclusive NBC Features
Peacock
Pros & Cons
Affordable base tier has no major limitations
Popular movies and network shows
Flexible plan pricing
Live sports
Supports multiple account profiles
New users can’t create a free account
Constantly changing movie library
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$5.99 per month
Sports Coverage
International & National
DVR Storage & Retention
None
Concurrent Streams
3
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
NBC has the Olympics, and Peacock is NBC’s streaming service. So naturally Peacock has all sorts of exclusive content and features to entice Olympics viewers. Streaming the Olympics on Peacock is such a special case that we actually gave it its own detailed section later in this story. Also remember that Peacock is a great streaming service overall. Peacock is for viewers who want the Olympics and other sports as just one part of their mainstream entertainment. Peacock’s on-demand library is most notably the home of The Office, but you also get older and current NBC shows such as 30 Rock, Cheers, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Will and Grace, Law & Order: SVU, Superstore, and This Is Us. Peacock-exclusive originals fill out the library.The service doesn’t have 4K content or DVR features for live sports, but you can stream it on up to three devices simultaneously and use parental controls to filter content. The ability to download shows for offline playback is locked to Premium Plus subscribers. The Peacock app is available on mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and gaming consoles (Xbox One and Series X|S; PlayStation 4 and 5).
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Peacock Review
Best for Watching Live Olympic Events
Hulu
Pros & Cons
Excellent selection of TV series
Extensive live TV channel lineup
Robust cloud DVR option
Available on nearly every media streaming device
Appealing bundle deals
Base on-demand plan includes ads
Offline downloads feature requires premium account
Fewer high-quality originals than competitors
Missing most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$7.99 per month; $75.99 per month
Sports Coverage
International*, National, & Regional
DVR Storage & Retention
50 or 200 hours; Indefinitely
Concurrent Streams
2 or Unlimited (at home) and 3 (mobile devices)
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
Hulu + Live TV’s lineup includes all the channels you need to watch the Olympics, including CNBC, NBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA. Other sports channels in Hulu’s lineup are BTN, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, and FS1. The optional Español add-on ($4.99 per month) gets you international sports coverage via ESPN Deportes.All subscribers now enjoy Enhanced Cloud DVR, which increases the available DVR storage from 50 hours to 200 hours. You can also add the Unlimited Screens package (it allows an unlimited number of concurrent device streams in your home and up to three outside of it) to your plan for $9.99 per month.You can stream Hulu + Live TV on the web or download apps for mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), smart TVs, and game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch).
Best for Watching in 4K
YouTube TV
Pros & Cons
Excellent lineup of sports, news, and entertainment channels
Robust and easy-to-use DVR features
Intuitive interface
Supports three simultaneous streams per account by default
Excellent add-ons
Select a la carte channel options
Lacks most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
Basic parental control options
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$72.99 per month
Sports Coverage
National & Regional
DVR Storage & Retention
Unlimited; 9 Months
Concurrent Streams
3 or Unlimited (at home)
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
YouTube TV has all the channels you need to watch the Olympics: CNBC, NBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA. YouTube TV’s 4K Plus add-on ($9.99 per month) unlocks 4K streaming, supports unlimited simultaneous streams, and allows offline viewing of DVR content. With YouTube TV, you get unlimited cloud DVR storage, too. The service keeps your recordings for nine months, and you can stream your content from anywhere in the US.The service is available on the web, mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, and Fire TV), smart TVs, and game consoles (PlayStation and Xbox).
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YouTube TV Review
Best for DVRing the Olympics
Fubo
Pros & Cons
Lots of live sports and on-demand entertainment
Reliable streaming
Excellent web interface
Capable DVR functionality
Some 4K content
Most live streams limited to 720p
Lacks A&E, Turner, and WBD channels
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$79.99 per month
Sports Coverage
International, National, & Regional
DVR Storage & Retention
Unlimited
Concurrent Streams
2 or 10
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
A subscription to Fubo gets you all the channels you need to stream Paris 2024. The service offers CNBC, NBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA. Other sports channels on Fubo are CBS Sports Network, FS1, and NFL Network. Fubo offers excellent DVR capabilities (250 hours of storage by default that can be increased to 1,000 hours) and supports three simultaneous streams (this limit expands to 10 via an add-on). The Lookback feature lets you watch anything you may have missed up to 72 hours after it first aired, while the Startover capability enables you to watch currently airing events from the beginning, no matter when you tuned into the program.Most of Fubo’s live streams are limited to 720p/60fps, though the service does air some live programming in 4K, which is a rarity. Fubo features on-demand content in 1080p, with some 4K titles available. This service is available via the web or with a dedicated app for mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku devices), and Xbox game consoles.
Best for Watching Only the Most Popular Sports
Sling TV
Pros & Cons
Good channel selection
Flexible subscription options
Free tier
Reliable streaming performance
Movie rentals
Prices continue to increase
Limited offering of local channels and regional sports networks
Confusing channel distribution
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$40 per month; $60 per month
Sports Coverage
International*, National, & Regional
DVR Storage & Retention
50 or 200 hours; Indefinitely
Concurrent Streams
1 (for Sling Orange channels), 3 (for Sling Blue channels)
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
You can stream most of the Summer Olympics with Sling TV’s Blue plan, which includes NBC, NBCSN, and USA. You need to pay a little more for CNBC or Olympics Channel. CNBC is part of the $6-per-month News Extra add-on, while Olympics Channel is part of the $11-per-month Sports Extra add-on. Sling TV’s included Cloud DVR feature offers 50 hours of storage, but you can pay for the Cloud DVR Plus add-on ($5 per month) to get 200 hours of cloud storage and the ability to save recordings from being auto-deleted if you reach storage capacity. Sling TV is available on media streaming devices (4th-generation Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), mobile platforms (Android and iOS), and Xbox consoles.
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Sling TV Review
Best for Complete Olympic Coverage
DirecTV Stream
Pros & Cons
Reliable streaming performance in testing
Supports 20 simultaneous streams on home network
Lineup includes RSNs from Comcast, Sinclair, and Spectrum
Includes parental control options
Expensive
Some interface quirks
Specs & Configurations
Starting Price
$79.99 per month
Sports Coverage
International*, National, & Regional
DVR Storage & Retention
20 hours or Unlimited, nine months
Concurrent Streams
20 (at home) and 3 (away from home)
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
Although pricey, DirecTV Stream’s Ultimate package has all the channels you need to watch the Olympics, including CNBC, NBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA. DirecTV Stream’s Lookback and Rewind features allow sports fans to watch previously aired content (up to 72 hours in the past) and restart live streams from the beginning of the broadcast for some channels. The service keeps DVR recordings for up to nine months with unlimited DVR storage. DirecTV Stream is available on the web, streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), mobile platforms (Android and iOS), but not gaming consoles. The service supports three simultaneous streams per account.
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DirecTV Stream Review
Buying Guide: How to Watch the 2024 Summer Olympics Without Cable
NBC is the home of the Olympics in the US, so you should check out your local NBC station for prime-time coverage. Your live TV streaming service probably includes NBC, since it’s one of the major broadcasting channels in the US. Olympic sports will also air on CNBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA. Peacock, NBC’s movie and television streaming service, is another place to find Olympic coverage, including highlights from multiple sports. If you have a Roku device or Roku TV, you can stream all of NBC’s coverage of the Olympics from the NBC Sports channel or Peacock channel. If you don’t want to use a streaming service, you can also pick up NBC over the air with some effort and an antenna. NBCOlympics.com is another place to watch the Olympics. The website shows highlights from all 32 sports, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and medal ceremonies. Interactive Olympics Streaming on PeacockFor the 2024 Summer Games, Comcast detailed the interactive viewing experience you can enjoy on Peacock. Live Actions lets you easily follow specific live events through NBC’s Gold Zone coverage. For example, you can add favorite events to your watchlist to check out replays later. Peacock also introduces Multiview, which lets you simultaneously watch up to four events on any compatible device. In addition, you can enjoy the highlighted event in the Olympics hub, or browse for specific sports, athletes, countries, and key plays.
The Best VPNs We’ve Tested
How to Watch Foreign Olympic Coverage With a VPNIn the past, NBC has come under criticism for overly talky, sometimes uninformed coverage of some Olympic events. Maybe you’re looking to avoid this sort of thing, or you come from another country and want to see the coverage in your home language. You may also want to watch events that NBC doesn’t cover. Whatever the reason, your most realistic option is to stream coverage from an overseas provider, using one of our top-rated VPNs to make the platform in question think you are in the country in which it is located. There are plenty of technical and ethical issues involved in doing so, however, which we cover in our article on spoofing your location with a VPN.The Olympic Event ScheduleThe Opening Ceremony for Paris 2024 is scheduled for Friday, July 26, at 2:24 p.m. EST on NBC. Some events will air on TV and streaming, while others are TV-exclusive broadcasts. You can keep up with the results and medal counts, plus view complete scheduling information on NBC’s Olympics website. Peacock users can use the Interactive Schedule to see this info. Below are times for popular events during the opening weekend.Saturday (7/27)Equestrian: Dressage Team and Individual @ 3:30 a.m. EDTFencing: Women’s Epee and Men’s Sabre Eliminations @ 4:00 a.m. EDTMen’s Basketball @ 5 a.m. EDTSunday (7/28)Beach Volleyball: M or W Pool Play @ 3:00 a.m. EDTWomen’s Gymnastics: Qualification Subdivision 1 @ 3:30 a.m. EDTMen’s Tennis: Singles First Round @ 6 a.m. EDTMonday (7/29)Men’s Archery: Round of 16 @ 3:30 a.m. EDTBoxing: M&W Light Round of 16 @ 9:30 a.m. EDTWomen’s Surfing @ 5:45 p.m. EDTCable and Over-the-Air OptionsYou can also watch much of the Olympic coverage with a cable plan that includes the NBCUniversal channel family. A cable plan is typically more expensive than live-streaming alternatives. Still, it’s great for people who want to get the largest possible variety of cable TV networks for one price. Want to watch other sports? Check out our roundup of the best sports streaming services.
Which streaming service is right for you? — Clarification Please
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