How to Watch the Beijing Winter Olympics without cable

Here is everything you need to know for watching the XXIV Olympic Winter Games starting on …

beijing-olympics
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Here is everything you need to know for watching the XXIV Olympic Winter Games starting on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Table of Contents

When are the Winter Olympics?

The Beijing Winter Olympics will hold opening ceremonies on Friday, Feb. 4. You can watch full-day coverage of the Opening Ceremony on NBC or the Peacock streaming service. 

Coverage of the actual games will begin on Feb. 2. Wednesday’s games start early at 7 a.m. ET on Peacock or USA Network.

What channel are the Winter Olympics on?

Cord-cutters have a number of watching the Beijing Winter Olympics, including some free options.

NBC plans to air 18 nights of primetime coverage of the Games, beginning Thursday, Feb. 3. 

The streaming service Peacock will have every sport and event live –  more than 2,800 hours of coverage. On Peacock’s main menu, viewers will already find a hub for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. 

Peacock will be the most efficient (and cheapest) way for most people to get wall-to-wall Winter Olympic coverage. A subscription to Peacock Premium costs $4.99 per month with no contracts. 

On cable and live TV streaming services, CNBC will carry mostly ice hockey and curling. 

USA Network will televise about 400 hours of round-the-clock coverage over the course of 19 days. All 15 sports in the Winter Olympics program will be on, including numerous live medal events.

How to Watch the 2022 Beijing Olympics on Roku, Fire TV

olympics-on-peacock
The streaming service Peacock has a dedicated section for its round-the-clock Winter Olympic coverage. (photo credit: Jim Kimble/The Cord Cutting Report.)

Peacock is the least expensive option to stream the Winter Olympics live. The streaming service already has a dedicated hub for Beijing 2022, where viewers can find live streams and coverage for specific competitions such as figure skating and snowboarding.

A subscription to the Premium tier is $4.99 per month.

DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV are among the live TV streaming services that have all the channels needed for watching the Winter Olympics. 

It’s just a matter of which service you prefer to use, and of course, how much a subscription costs.

All of these streaming services work on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation and Smart TVs. 

You just need an internet connection, a Smart TV or a streaming device to begin streaming live TV. Most of these services have a free trial that lasts up to a week.

Looking over the full schedule of games can help narrow down which sporting events are being aired on specific channels. 

fuboTV

fuboTV has 118 channels including local NBC, USA Network, and CNBC

fuboTV also has mainstream entertainment channels such as ESPN, and all three Hallmark networks. There are local channels such as ABC, CBS and FOX as well. 

You can record sporting events and shows with 250 hours of Cloud DVR. That can be handy considering that Beijing is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time, and 16 hours ahead of the West Coast.

fuboTV works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast and Apple TV. A subscription costs $64.99 per month. Subscribers can watch on up to two screens at once.

You should look over the channel lineup for your area before deciding whether to sign up for a free 7-day trial

There are no contracts, hidden fees or obligations. Just cancel online if you don’t like fuboTV.

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu + Live TV has more than 75 channels, including A&E, CNN, ESPN and HGTV. 

Hulu’s Live TV package has all the channels you need to watch the Olympics live. A subscription costs $69.99 per month and includes 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. 

The live TV service now includes full access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s on-demand streaming library. 

Hulu with Live TV supports Smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV and Fire Stick, XBox One, Xbox Series X consoles, and iOS and Android devices. 

You can watch up to two streams simultaneously. Look over the channel lineup for Hulu with Live TV before deciding whether you want to sign up.

Sling TV

Sling TV is a cheaper way to live stream NBC without cable in some places. 

But be aware that the Sling Blue plan only carries NBC in 11 markets. Here is a map that shows what local FOX and NBC stations are available on Sling TV across the U.S.

ABOUT THE MAP: Click on an icon to see what local NBC or FOX stations are in your area. This map is a sequel of sorts to a similar map I made on the site in 2016 for the now-defunct PlayStation Vue.

Sling Blue will get you 45 channels for $35 per month. If you want CNBC, you will need to add the News Extra bundle, which costs an extra $6 per month.  

Sling TV offers 50 hours of free Cloud DVR to all subscribers. A Sling Blue subscription gives you three simultaneous streams on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV (4th generation).

Sling Blue subscribers can watch live TV on up to three screens at once.

When you sign up for Sling TV, there are no contracts, or extra fees like cable TV.  Sling TV is currently offering a 3-day free trial. If you prepay for a brief subscription, you can get a free streaming device

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM carries local NBC stations, CNBC and USA Network, covering you for all things Winter Olympics.

The Entertainment bundle costs $69.99 per month. Subscribers get 65+ channels, unlimited Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand shows. You can watch live TV on 20 screens at once.

Subscribers can also get three months of Showtime, STARX, EPIX and Cinemax for free. The regular rate for each of those four channels kicks in after the three-month promotion ends unless you cancel beforehand.

You can watch DIRECTV STREAM on Smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Subscriptions run month to month. There are no contracts or obligations.

DIRECTV STREAM does not offer a free trial, but if you cancel online within 14 days, the company says you will get a full refund

You can look over the different channel lineups before deciding whether to sign up.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV has 85+ channels and unlimited Cloud DVR. The live TV service carries all the live TV channels with Olympic coverage.

A subscription costs $64.99 per month. You can watch live TV on up to three devices at once. YouTube TV is carrying Olympic coverage in 4K as part of its “4K Plus” add-on package, which costs $19.99 per month. The 4K Plus package has a 30-day free trial. 

YouTube TV supports Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and viewing on a PC. New customers can sign up for a free 7-day trial, or you look over the channel lineup.

Peacock

Peacock will live stream all Winter Olympics games and events. The service will also have replays so viewers don’t miss a single event. 

Only Peacock Premium subscribers get full access to Olympic coverage. You can stream on three screens at once.

Peacock also carries other live sports, including Super Bowl LVI, Premiere League and WWE. 

Subscribers also get next-day access to NBC TV shows. Peacock has more than 50 live digital channels and 60,000 hours of movies and TV shows. 

The Premium plan costs $4.99 per month, and you can look over the roster of upcoming TV shows.

How to Watch NBC free with a TV antenna

A TV antenna is the best way to watch the opening ceremonies and all Olympic coverage carried on NBC for free. 

If you have an antenna handy, but haven’t used it in a while, plug it into your television’s coax port and scan for channels. With NBC carrying 18 nights of Olympic coverage, you could end up getting much of what you want to watch for free in HD quality.

If you are new to TV antennas, here is a list of resources that I have written to get you started.

What’s the best way to watch the Beijing Olympics without cable?

Peacock will be the cheapest and easiest way to watch comprehensive coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. A subscription to Peacock’s Premium plan costs $4.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime online.

fuboTV has 118 live TV channels, including all the ones needed to stream Olympic events live from Tokyo. Subscribers get 250 hours of Cloud DVR.  

fuboTV works on Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast with Google TV, tablets and PCs. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial.

For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.

Jim Kimble is a seasoned industry expert with over two decades of journalism experience. He has been at the forefront of the cord-cutting movement since 2016, testing and writing about TV-related products and services. He founded The Cord Cutting Report in 2016, and serves as the editor.

Major publications, including MarketWatch, Forbes, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, have interviewed Kimble for his years of expertise. He gives advice on the complexities consumers are navigating with streaming options, and over-the-air TV. Kimble has been a staff writer or correspondent for several award-winning, daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe.

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