The 2024 Summer Games officially kicks off in Paris today, marking the first time in a century that France’s capital city has hosted. You won’t want to miss any of the action—and, even if you’re not taking a transatlantic flight to watch the Games IRL, you won’t have to. From cable TV to streaming, there are a bunch of easy ways you can tune in without leaving your house (and some options that will allow you to follow along on the go, too).
Believe us, you’ll want to catch it all: The 2024 Summer Games will surely offer the standard feats of athleticism you already know and love, but there are some notable firsts to look out for, too. Several extra events have been added to the roster, including some for surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, as well as one completely new sport— (also known as breakdancing). And for the first time ever at the Games, there will be gender parity, according to the International Olympic Committee.
(Yes, it really took this long to achieve equal representation of male and female athletes.) And expect to see some familiar faces. Gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles will be returning to action after overcoming a in Tokyo, as will , one of the most decorated female swimmers in history, basketball player Diana Taurasi, who's headed for her sixth Games, and rugby player , whose alternately hilarious and candid TikToks have earned her quite a following on social media—not to mention famous Paralympians like swimmer and sprinter .
If you’re worried about missing out on one of your favorite events, we’re here to break it all down and tell you exactly what you need to know to turn on the TV in time. Here’s your definitive guide to the where, when, and how of watching the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games from home. When can you watch the Olympics and Paralympics? Starting today at noon! Make sure to tune in at 12 p.
m. EST for the opening ceremony (more on that in a bit). After that, you’ve got more than two weeks of action on deck: The Paris Games run from July 26 to August 11.
If you haven’t quite gotten your fill by the time the closing ceremony wraps up, you’re in luck: The Paralympic Games will showcase around 11 more days of nail-biting excitement between August 28 and September 8. How will the time difference affect how you watch? However you’re planning to mark the occasion, just keep the time difference in mind: Paris is six hours ahead of the East Coast, so events held in the afternoon there will air early in the morning here. As you plan your viewing itinerary, we suggest you check out the official Olympics —it automatically adjusts to your time zone, so you won’t have to do any mental math to figure out when to tune in.
Plus, it has a whole slew of other handy features: You can filter events by date, sport, venue, and medal status, and even save certain events to watch later. Where to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics In the US (and its territories, possessions, and Puerto Rico), NBC holds the Olympics media rights—meaning the broadcaster is the primary source of US Olympics coverage. Everything from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony will be available across NBC’s broadcasting platforms, including NBCOlympics.
com, NBC.com, the NBC Olympics app, and the NBC app. If you have cable, you don’t need to bother buying any subscriptions or downloading any apps—just flip to your local NBC TV channel to watch to your heart’s content.
Every day, live competition will air in the morning and afternoon, followed by notable highlights during primetime at night. Some other channels will also be broadcasting Olympics coverage as well, like CNBC, USA Network, E!, and the Golf Channel, according to NBC. And Spanish-language households can tune in to sister networks Telemundo and Universo.
For a comprehensive schedule of what’s airing when, check out NBC’s official Olympics schedule . What about the Paralympics? For the first time ever, NBC reports, multiple hosts will be on the ground to cover the event, including 2016 Paralympian Lacey Henderson. All 22 Paralympic sporting events will be available to stream on Peacock, and a select number will air on NBC, CNBC, and USA Network, according to NBC.
In total, more than 1,500 hours of live coverage will be produced. How to watch the Olympics without cable If you’ve cut the cord, you’re not necessarily out of luck: Plenty of streaming services will be broadcasting the Games, including Peacock, DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV, so you have a ton of options to choose from: (starting at $7.99/month) ($15 for your first month, then $40) ($64.
99 for your first four months, then $72.99) (starting at $75.99/month) (starting at $79.
99/month) (starting at $79.99/month) What’s more, several of these services offer additional discounts for certain demographics, like teachers, students, and first responders. How to watch the Olympics for free Bad news for the frugal: Most of the aforementioned streaming services require you to sign up for a paid subscription before you can watch their Olympics broadcasts.
That said, most also offer a free trial, including DirecTV Stream (five days), Hulu + Live TV (three days), and FuboTV (seven days). While Peacock doesn’t, there’s a cunning workaround: Access to the streaming service is with a subscription to the grocery delivery service Instacart+, which offer a free trial. And some Xfinity Internet customers can enjoy a And if you want to follow along, but don’t necessarily need to see play-by-plays, you can always sign up for a free Olympic membership at the official Olympics website, which promises “unlimited access to highlights, replays, live events, exclusive content, tailored Olympic news and exciting promotions.
” Can you watch the Olympics at the theater?! Yes, actually! Representing a first in the history of Olympics coverage, NBC has partnered with IMAX and AMC Theatres to bring the Paris Games to the big screen, so your viewing options won’t be limited to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. On July 26, the opening ceremony will screen live at more than 150 IMAX locations across the US, according to NBC Universal. Tickets are available for purchase on .
Prices start around $20 for adults, children, and seniors. Then, from July 27 to August 11, select hours of NBC Universal’s daytime Olympics coverage will be shown at approximately 160 AMC locations nationwide, according to the broadcaster. Tickets are also available now.
Or even...
listen to it? Speaking of exciting new partnerships, NBC Universal has tapped iHeartMedia to serve as its “exclusive audio partner” during the Paris Games, according to the broadcaster. To that end, iHeartRadio will air 24/7 play-by-play audio of select NBCU Olympics coverage, with a special focus on Team USA. Expect discussion of basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and other sports.
Per the agreement, iHeartRadio will also produce Olympics-focused episodes for some of iHeart’s top podcasts and develop an original Olympics hosted by comedians Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. In “2 Guys, 5 Rings: Matt, Bowen & the Olympics,” Yang and Rogers will “discuss everything from Paris culture to the athletes, events and top storylines of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” according to . If you like your Olympics coverage with a side of humor, definitely check that out.
How to watch the Olympics opening and closing ceremony Paris organizers say the opening ceremony will be the largest in Olympics history, and the first not to be held in a stadium. Instead, it’ll take the form of a boat parade along the Seine starring the athletes—all 10,500 of them. Beginning at 7:30 p.
m. local time on Friday, July 26 (aka 1.30 p.
m. EST), a floating procession will make its way from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadéro six kilometers (around 3.7 miles) to the west.
There, right across from the Eiffel Tower, the ceremony will have its finale. You’ll be able to watch the ceremony live on NBC or stream it via Peacock, NBCOlympics. com, and the NBC/NBC Sports apps; coverage starts at 12 p.
m. EST that day, according to NBC. And Spanish-language coverage will be available on Telemundo starting one hour later.
No worries if you can’t tune in then, though (noon the middle of the workday, after all): You’ll have another chance to catch the festivities at 7:30 p.m. EST/PST on NBC, Peacock, NBCOlympics.
com, NBC.com, and the NBC/NBC Sports apps. As for the closing ceremony set to bring the Games to an official end on August 11, it’ll be held in the Stade de France, the country’s national stadium.
Located north of Paris in the suburb of Saint-Denis, the venue will be transformed into a “gigantic concert hall” for a “spectacular show” featuring more than 100 performers, acrobats, dancers, and circus artists, according to the . The ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock starting at 2 p.m.
EST that day. Primetime coverage will begin at 7 p.m.
EST/PST. How to watch the Paralympics opening and closing ceremony But the festivities don’t end there. Later that month, on August 28, the Paralympics opening ceremony will take place in Paris, ushering in about 11 days of competition among 4,400 of the world’s best para athletes.
The opening ceremony is currently scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.
m. EST) with a parade along the Champs-Elysées, the Paris thoroughfare known for its luxury boutiques. You’ll be able to stream it live on Peacock at that time.
Directed by Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman, the three-hour show will involve more than 150 dancers, including professionals with disabilities, according to . Nearly 550 medal events across 22 sports later, the closing ceremony—also held in the Stade de France—will take place on September 8 from 8 p.m.
to 11 p.m. local time (to be confirmed), according to the .
You can also catch the ceremony on starting at 2 p.m. EST that day.
With that, competition will come to an official end—until the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, at least..
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