WASHINGTON — This year, watching the Olympics is easier than ever. In addition to TV coverage, NBC plans to live stream events from all 15 Sochi venues.
In order to watch events streamed live, though, you must be a cable or satellite subscriber.
CNET reports major providers who’ve partnered with NBC include Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Direct TV, Dish, Verizon FIOS, COX and several others.
If you’re not a subscriber, NBC offers a free 30-minute pass.
In the U.S., NBC has a $4.38 billion contract to cover the Olympics through 2020.
When to watch:
The Winter Games opening ceremony will air at 8 p.m. EST on Friday in the United States.
If you want to watch specific events, it can be a little tricky to plan your viewing. Your best bet is to head to NBColympics.com and click on “TV Listings” in the blue bar on the top of the page.
From there, you will see boxes where you can enter your ZIP code, your provider and your local NBC station. After entry, you will see a scrolling schedule that will tell you exactly what is airing, on what NBC channel and at what time in your area.
A schedule of events on both U.S. and Sochi time is available from NBC.
Since Sochi is nine hours ahead of the U.S., many events will air on TV on delay, according to CNET.
How to watch:
To live stream from a computer, visit the NBC Olympics page.
For mobile devices such as iPads and tablets, NBC offers a specific streaming site. For iOS devices, the NBC Sports Live Extra app can be downloaded from the app store; Android users can grab the app from Google Play.
For both computers and mobile devices, you’ll need to verify your cable or satellite provider.
Exceptions:
Friday’s opening ceremony is an exception to NBC’s live streaming. It will only be aired on TV in prime time, the New York Times reports.
See a list of local venues that will broadcast the opening ceremony and many of the events on DCist.
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