Everything You Need to Know About Watching the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Explained
Published Jan. 30 2022, 2:19 p.m. ET
It's almost time for the Olympics again! Just months after the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (which took place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic), the 2022 Winter Games will be held in Beijing starting on February 4. Sadly, fans have largely been barred from attending in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, but interested parties will still be able to watch the games on television and streaming services.
So, if you're interested in seeing your favorite athletes compete, the best way to do so will be sitting on your couch at home. Here's everything we know about how to watch the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Here's a few ways to watch the Winter Olympic Games.
In addition to fan attendance being prevented due to the virus, many countries, including the United States, are boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics due to concerns about China's human rights violations in the Xinjiang region. However, U.S. athletes are still competing, and the number of events has only increased from the last Winter Olympics due to the addition of seven thrilling new events.
Among the events added to the Winter Olympics roster include freestyle skiing, big air jumping events for men and women, a snowboard cross relay, a short-track speedskating relay, team events in ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials, and women's monobob sledding. The added events bring the 2022 Winter Olympics events to an all-time Olympics events high with 109 total programs to watch.
As usual, NBC Universal is the main broadcast partner for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Per their website, the NBC broadcast network will feature 18 nights of primetime coverage, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 3, the night before the Opening Ceremony. NBC will broadcast its primetime Olympic show live across all time zones. Primetime begins each night at 8 p.m. ET, except for Sundays (7 p.m. ET).
For those who don't have cable access, the Winter Olympic Games will also be streaming on many platforms. Peacock, the official streaming service of NBC, will stream events live through the app (including the opening and closing ceremonies). However, live-streaming requires Peacock Premium, which includes two different plants: a $4.99/month ad-supported plan or a $9.99/month ad-free plan.
Other streaming services that will stream the 2022 Winter Olympic Games live include Sling TV through their Blue Plan for $25/month, but right now the service is offering a free trial to watch the Olympics. Similarly, FuboTV will allow viewers to stream the Olympics live through access to the NBC channel. You can also use Hulu's LiveTV plan to access NBC and watch coverage life.
Ultimately, it sounds like there's a multitude of ways you can catch the 2022 Winter Olympics coverage from the comfort of your living room. The Opening ceremony is Feb. 4, 2022, starting at 6:30 am ET, and the closing ceremony is Feb. 20, 2022, at 7 am ET. Congratulations to all the competitors and may the best athlete win!
