The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing, showcasing the world’s best athletes as they go for the gold in alpine skiing, figure skating, hockey, and other events. You can watch the international competition on cable, but that’s a pricey endeavor. Plus, some of you reading this don’t want cable. That doesn’t mean you should be left out of the action. Instead, you should fire up a live TV streaming service to catch the Winter Games on your TV, PC, phone, or tablet to avoid spending too much money. And, with some caveats, you can watch the Winter Olympics for free. I’ll show you the best ways to do both.
How to Stream the Winter Olympics With a Low-Cost Subscription
Peacock (NBC’s streaming service) is the main hub for live Winter Olympics coverage. With it, you can watch the contests and view highlights from multiple sports. Peacock’s ad-supported plans start at $7.99 per month; the ad-free Premium Plus costs $16.99 per month. That’s far cheaper than a cable subscription.
Our Top-Rated Streaming Services for Streaming the 2026 Winter Olympics
If you go the Peacock route, the service offers an immersive viewing experience as it streams the international competitions. For example, its Live Actions feature lets you easily follow specific live events through NBC’s Gold Zone coverage. And Rinkside Live delivers behind-the-scenes footage from hockey and figure skating events. Like many other live streaming services, Peacock offers Multiview, which lets you watch up to four events simultaneously on any compatible device.
Live TV streaming services that act as cable replacements, such as Hulu ($89.99 per month) and YouTube TV ($82.99 per month), include NBC. So, you can watch the contests there. Winter Olympics programming also airs on CNBC, NBCSN, Olympics Channel, and USA, so check your live TV streaming service for those channels, too. Those $80+ subs are far pricier than Peacock, but decent deals for live sports considering that the average American cable package costs nearly $150 per month.
Can You Stream the Winter Olympics for Free?
If you want the best, simplest, and most comprehensive Olympics streaming experience, you’re probably going to have to pay for it in some capacity. But free viewers aren’t totally out of luck, even if Peacock isn’t the platform for that. A while back, Peacock had a free streaming tier, but that’s no longer the case. Other live TV streaming services offer limited trials, including Hulu and YouTube TV. Just note that these free trials may not last the entire Winter Games.
Another simple way to stream the Olympics for free, though with some major caveats, is to visit NBCOlympics.com. The site lets you watch highlights from all 16 disciplines, as well as the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies.
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If you want to stream the Winter Olympics without a cable or streaming video subscription, you can also pick up NBC over the air with some effort and an antenna. But if you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone, you should sign up for a VPN.
Our Top-Rated VPN Services for Streaming the 2026 Winter Olympics
How to Watch the Winter Olympics for Free With a VPN
A VPN is another option for streaming the Winter Olympics without a cable or video subscription, and it safeguards your online privacy. Using one, such as the five-star Proton VPN ($9.99 per month), lets English speakers view free international streams from Australia’s 9Now, Canada’s CBC Gem, Ireland’s RTE Player, New Zealand’s Sky Go, and the UK’s BBC iPlayer. If you’re willing to expand your language preferences, there are even more options, such as France TV, Germany’s ZDF, Japan’s NHK One, and Mexico’s Claro Sports.
There are other advantages to streaming the Winter Olympics with a VPN. In the past, NBC received negative criticism for overly talky, sometimes uninformed Olympics coverage. To avoid that this year, jump to another streaming service. Additionally, using a VPN to watch the Winter Olympics may give you access to events NBC doesn’t cover.
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Don’t want to pay for a VPN? Check out our favorite free VPN services. As always, please note that a VPN may lose compatibility with a live TV streaming service at any time.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics Event Schedule
You can keep up with the results and medal counts, plus view complete scheduling information, on NBC’s Olympics website. Peacock users can use the service’s Interactive Schedule to see this info. Below are the times for popular events this long, Presidents’ Day weekend.
Saturday (2/14)
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Alpine Skiing: Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1 @ 4:00 a.m. EDT
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Freestyle Skiing: Women’s Dual Moguls 1/16 Finals @ 4:30 a.m. EDT
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Curling: Men’s Round Robin Session 5 – Sheet A Czechia vs. Great Britain @ 8:05 a.m. EDT
Sunday (2/15)
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Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals @ 5:20 a.m. EDT
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Biathlon: Men’s 12.5km Pursuit @ 5:15 a.m. EDT
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Bobsleigh: Women’s Monobob Heat 2 @ 5:50 a.m. EDT
Monday (2/16)
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Ski Jumping: Men’s Super Team – 1st Round @ 1:00 p.m. EDT
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Figure Skating: Pair Skating – Free Skating @ 2:00 p.m. EDT
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Ice Hockey: Women’s Play-offs Semifinals @ 3:10 p.m. EDT
Which streaming service is right for you? — Clarification Please
Want to watch other sports besides the Winter Olympics? Check out our roundup of the best sports streaming services.
About Our Expert
Jordan Minor
Senior Writer, Software
Experience
My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I’m a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.
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