Your complete guide to watching the 2026 Winter Olympics
Your complete guide to watching the 2026 Winter Olympics
We’ll tell you how to stream every event of the Milan Cortina games, direct you toward event schedules, and more.
The strongest, fastest, and most skilled winter sports athletes in the world are en route to Milan Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony for the Olympic Games is set for a live broadcast on NBC on Friday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. ET, with a primetime presentation scheduled for 8 p.m. Coverage of the games will be offered daily on NBC, CNBC, and USA Network, and the NBCUniversal streamer Peacock will stream all events of the Olympics live as it has in years past. Audiences will be able to choose exactly the amount of Olympic programming they want this year, and we recommend watching with a subscription to DIRECTV or Peacock.
How to watch 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
- When: Opening ceremony begins live at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6 (primetime encore at 8 p.m. ET)
- TV: NBC, CNBC, USA Network
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to DIRECTV or Peacock
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
What is the TV schedule of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics?
NBC platforms will offer daily coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics from Thursday, Feb. 5, through Sunday, Feb. 22. The crown jewel of NBC’s coverage will be “Primetime in Milan,” a nightly show recapping the best of the day’s competition from 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET.
Extended coverage of the games can also be found on CNBC and USA Network during the day and overnight hours, and NBC will also broadcast “Olympic Late Night” from 11:35 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET daily. For a complete list of the full, up-to-the-minute schedule of Olympic events on NBC, CNBC, and USA Network, click here.
Why do we recommend watching the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Peacock, DIRECTV?
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina can be streamed in a multitude of ways, but we’ve chosen our favorites here. Let’s start with DIRECTV, which carries CNBC and USA Network, as well as NBC in nearly all markets in its MySports Genre Pack, costing $70 per month. These channels can also be found in DIRECTV’s Signature packs, which start at $90 per month for 90+ channels.
The choice offered by DIRECTV, combined with a five-day free trial for new subscribers who receive a package through their own streaming device are ample reason to recommend the streamer to customers who are only interested in watching Olympics coverage on traditional TV channels. NBC usually does a terrific job curating its Olympics coverage, and the six-hour time difference between Milan and the United States means many fans will prefer to watch that coverage as opposed to trying to watch specific daily events live or on demand.
Viewers who do want to go deeper and get as much access to the Olympics as they can should sign up for a subscription to Peacock to watch the games this year. All 116 medal events across 16 sports will stream on Peacock live, which will offer features like a multiview, full-event replays, clips, original programming like the “Gold Zone” whip-around show, and more. A Peacock Premium subscription will be needed to stream the Olympics live, starting at $11 per month or $110 per year.
-
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
-
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
Can you watch 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics for free?
YouTube TV gives you the closest experience to a full free trial for watching the 2026 Winter Olympics. It’s currently providing new subscribers with a 21-day free trial, after which its base plan will cost $60 for a customer’s first two months of service. NBC, USA Network, and CNBC are all included in its package.
Hulu + Live TV also carries these three channels, and its three-day free trial for new customers will give customers some access to the Olympics at no charge. Following the trial, Hulu + Live TV costs $90 for plans including the Disney Bundle.
What are all the services you can use to watch 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics?
You can stream the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on NBC, CNBC, and USA Network using DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. DIRECTV is our favorite of these three options, as we laid out above.
Peacock has all events of the games available to stream live, with full on-demand replays. Viewers need to seek out the Premium plan starting at $11 per month to watch the Olympics and other sports on Peacock.
Sling TV only carries NBC in a small number of markets in its Blue plan, starting at $46 per month, but with additional fees for most viewers with local channels. Sling also requires viewers to purchase the News Extra add-on to watch CNBC with Sling Blue, so it may not be the ideal choice to watch the Olympics for most this year.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| CNBC | + $22 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | - | - | + $6 | + $18 | |
| NBC | + $19 | + $11 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| USA Network | + $24 | - | + $61 | - | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Watch a promo for 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
How to watch 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2026 Winter Olympics as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Peacock or a live TV streaming service like DIRECTV in order to stream the games with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available