Here’s all the live stream, start time and TV schedule info you need to catch the game.
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Of course, you can always connect an antenna to your HDTV to get NBC’s digital-TV signal if you can pick up a nearby station.
But the real action will be online.
The website NBCOlympics.com is teeming with videos and information, but a live-stream is visible for just a half-an-hour before viewers must pay for the rest, according to Variety. Back in 2010, the network was judged to have vastly overpaid for the Sochi Winter Games, losing hundreds of millions because of the steep price paid to broadcast them. NBC will also be producing a daily two-minute Olympic video recap specifically for Facebook as well as a daily slow-motion video for Instagram highlighting the day’s most inspiring moments.
“This was basically in the Dark Ages of live-streaming”, said Chris Brantner, who runs the CutCableToday.com news site. While you’re there, explore the 360 virtual reality coverage that allows fans to watch the games as if they’re sitting in the stadium.
Pay-TV customers can log onto NBC’s apps by authenticating their subscriptions, but cord cutters will have to leap some hurdles.
Sony’s PlayStation Vue service ($29.99-$44.99 monthly, watch on PlayStation 4 and other devices), delivers local NBC broadcasts and Telemundo in several cities.
NBC executives strongly believe in how they cover the Olympics, particularly the menu of sports offered on the network each night, and consider the events’ ratings strength is a public endorsement. All told, there will be more than 2,000 hours of television coverage, with live streaming of all the permanent channels on NBC’s app and website. The Golf Channel will, unsurprisingly, be the home of golf, which is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.
Another streaming option is Sling TV, launched previous year by satellite-TV provider Dish Network.
Internet-only viewers can subscribe to NBC’s cable channels through PlayStation Vue, which is available on PlayStations, Roku boxes, and Amazon Fire TV, for between $30 and $40 a month. Bravo will feature tennis; CNBC has a number of events including volleyball, cycling, and wrestling; MSNBC counts rugby and water polo among its sports; Telemundo will broadcast hundreds of hours in Spanish; and U.S. will carry more basketball, along with beach volleyball, rowing, synchronized swimming, and more. On both the iOS and Android Google app, users can also choose to receive automatic Olympic updates.
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Apps that feature cable networks, such as Sling TV, are a cord-cutters best bet for full access.
