Where to Watch Paris Olympics 2024
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, and millions of people will tune in to watch 329 events in 32 unique sports. The live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics is going to be available through live streams, over-the-air TV, cable, and satellite television channels. In this article, we have gathered all the best free and paid options to watch the Olympic events.
Options for Free Online Streaming:
- Use a VPN to access free content from geo-restricted streaming services around the world, such as BBC iPlayer from the UK and ZDF in Germany.
- Utilize free trials from different streaming services like YouTube TV, DirecTV, and Sling TV.
- If you are not in the United States, you can catch the highlights and ceremonies from the Olympics through the NBCOlympics Website using a VPN.
- Watch the important moments through over-the-air broadcasts of NBC channels.
Streaming the Olympics 2024 Online: Use a VPN
Regardless of where you live, without a VPN, your options for streaming the 2024 Olympics will be limited. For example, the Peacock streaming service is one of the best online streaming options that provides full coverage of all Olympic events, but it’s only available in the United States. If you are currently living outside the US, you can use a VPN to change your IP address to one in the US. This makes the streaming service detect you as a US resident, allowing you to access the platform.
But even if you’re living in the US, considering that Peacock doesn’t offer a free trial, you might not want to pay for a Peacock subscription. There are streaming options in other English-speaking countries that provide all the content for free. To give a few examples, BBC iPlayer in the UK, 9Now in Australia, and CBC Gem in Canada only require users to create a free account. With a VPN, you can switch to every one of these locations and right away start using the streaming service from anywhere in the world.
There are many VPN providers out there, and finding the best VPN can be quite challenging. Here are three secure VPNs that you can use in order to freely watch the Olympics:
ExpressVPN
With fast servers in more than 90 countries around the world, ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPN services available. It is a little more expensive than other VPNs, but the incredibly high-speed connection, powerful encryption protocols, and diverse distribution of servers make it well worth the money. There is 24/7 online support where you can ask for guidance on how to set it up and access all the content from different regions. Up to 8 devices can simultaneously connect to ExpressVPN.
IPVanish
IPVanish offers unlimited simultaneous connections and provides more than 2000 servers in 70+ countries. This makes it a great candidate for following the numerous events of the Olympics from multiple online streams. The price is great, too, compared to other options, especially if you get the annual plan, which is available for $39.99, which is basically less than $4 per month. The only downside is that, sadly, there are no free trials for IPVanish, so you can’t try it beforehand.
NordVPN
A well-respected VPN provider that offers a huge number of servers (more than 5000) in 60+ countries. With a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, NordVPN is easy to try for free. The number of simultaneous connections is only six, but with a wide range of servers and strong encryption protocols, it’s hard to resist. The price is $11.99 a month, but if you buy the yearly plan, you’ll pay only $4.99 monthly, making it one of the cheap VPNs in the market.
Where to Watch the 2024 Olympics Online
Fortunately, numerous ways are available to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics, especially if you are equipped with a VPN. Some of them will provide full coverage of all events, while others only show highlights, medals, and opening and closing ceremonies. To choose the best place to watch the Olympics based on your interests and the amount of free time you have, check out all the options below:
Subscribe to Peacock
There is a chance you are already subscribed to NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. In this case, you’ll be set to watch all the events since Peacock will offer full live coverage of all the events. With replays, you can catch up on matches and never miss an important moment of this international multi-sport festival.
Although Peacock is only available in the US, VPN users from other countries can easily access it. Having said that, Peacock doesn’t offer a free trial for new customers. So, if you are not already subscribed to Peacock and don’t want to spend money, with the help of a VPN you can use a completely free streaming service to watch the Olympics.
Free Streaming Services from Canada, the UK, and more
It’s no big deal if you can’t find a free streaming service that covers the Olympics in your country. Using a VPN, you can access free online streams from foreign countries. Here are some of the best free streaming services available for VPN users:
- BBC iPlayer – Location: United Kingdom
- CBC Gem – Location: Canada
- 9Now – Location: Australia
- NHK – Location: Japan
- ZDF – Location: Germany
- Rai Play – Location: Italy
But you may ask, Can you live stream the Olympic opening ceremonies with these streaming services? The answer is yes! After you subscribe to a VPN provider’s service, the only thing you need to do is choose a VPN server in the same location where streaming service is available. Then, you can visit the website or install the dedicated app of the streaming service and make a free account to start watching the content.
NBCUniversal TV Platforms
Since NBC is the official partner of the Olympics in the United States, alongside NBC’s own Peacock streams, it’ll broadcast the events on the NBCUniversal TV network channels. Over-the-air broadcasts are free and just need an antenna, but they only show the highlights from the Olympics. For more coverage, you can buy a cable or satellite TV package and tune in to various NBCUniversal channels, including:
- NBC
- NBC Sports
- CNBC
- USA Network
- Golf Channel (Focused on golf events)
- Telemundo (Spanish Language)
- Universo (Spanish Language)
These channels are available through various streaming services as well. This includes Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, Youtube TV, DirecTV Stream, and of course, NBC’s own Peacock. The cost of a monthly subscription for these services ranges from $30 to $100.
Free Highlights with NBCOlympics Website
If you don’t have time for the full coverage and only want to watch the best moments of the Olympics, the NBCOlympics website is a fantastic choice. The opening and closing ceremonies will be accessible through the website as well. The content of the website is free to access, but like other NBCUniversal platforms, it’s only available in the US. So, this website is another reason for viewers from other countries to get a VPN. Select a VPN with a server in the US, and you’ll be ready to visit the website.
Use Free Trials to Watch the Olympics
A lot of paid streaming services provide free trials for customers in order to catch their attention and convince them to keep their subscriptions. Therefore, you can take advantage of these free trials to watch the Olympics. After the trial, you can easily unsubscribe without paying any money. However, you should plan ahead and start the trial period right when you want to watch events since these trials are a few days long. Here are the most popular streaming services with free trials that’ll cover the Olympics live stream:
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is an American streaming TV service exclusively available in the United States. Considering other options, it’s quite expensive, too, with a $72 per month plan, but there is a 7-day trial that everyone can take advantage of. However, you should provide a valid form of payment option at sign-up. Solutions like virtual credit cards for non-U.S. customers using VPNs can provide access to the trial.
FuboTV
FuboTV is a popular streaming service focused on live sports events that of course will cover the Olympics live stream. The full version with all channels is only available in the U.S., but some channels, including sports ones, can be accessed from Canada and Spain. With a 7-day trial, you can check out many events from the Olympics, especially considering the ability to watch three simultaneous streams.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a budget-friendly TV streaming service compared to other options. The pricing starts from $40 per month, but the free trial is only three days. Using a VPN, everyone can access this US-only service. Knowing that the Olympics will take place for more than two weeks, the free trial might not be enough for your needs, but you can combine it with other streaming service trials to have free coverage for a longer time.
DirecTV Stream
DirectTV Stream is another option for streaming the Olympics, offering viewers a 5-day free trial. You can sign up for the trial from the website or through its app. One of the best features of DirectTV is unlimited simultaneous streams on your home network. There is a large selection of channels on this service that can satisfy many sports fans.
Fun Facts About Paris Olympics
- It’s the third time the Olympics have taken place in Paris, France. It’s been 100 years since the previous Paris Olympics in 1924.
- The official mascot of the event is the “Olympic Phryge,” a hat that represents freedom, identity, and spirit in France.
- Paris will be the host of the Paralympic Games, too. It will take place after the Olympics from August 28 to September 8, and you can watch it on the same streaming services and channels.
- The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics will take place along the Seine River, and the athletes will sail in boats.
- Breakdancing will be a fun new part of the Olympics for the first time ever. It’s a style of popular dancing that has become a competitive sport through the decades.
- Half of the athletes will be women, marking the first time in history that the number of men and women competing in the Olympics will be the same.
- The coverage of the event will benefit from new technologies like augmented reality (AR) and AI will be used to improve the internal workflows of the event.
- Surfing will be back for the second time but it will take place more than 9000 miles away from Paris in Teahupo’o on the islands of Tahiti.
Conclusion
The Olympics only takes place every four years, each time in different countries with unique weather and venues. So, many people don’t want to miss the exciting competition in beautiful vistas. However, strict rules of broadcasting and geo-restriction can be an obstacle for many people. That’s why many people use VPNs to access both free and paid content that is available worldwide. From the different streaming services to TV networks and free trials, there are many ways to enjoy the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to watch the Paris Olympics for free?
Yes, it is possible to watch the Paris Olympics for free. Using a VPN, you can watch free streams from different countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia that’ll cover the events fully. In addition, paid streaming services usually come with free trials that you can take advantage of. For watching highlights and opening and closing ceremonies, the NBCOlympics website and over-the-air TV will be satisfactory.
Where can I watch the Paralympics 2024?
You can watch the Paralympics on BBC iPlayer, CBC Gem, 9Now, NHK, ZDF, and Rai Play, which are the same streaming services and TV networks that will broadcast the Olympics. The VPN solutions will also work for Paralympic events.
Who is broadcasting the Olympics?
The rights to broadcast Olympics 2024 are distributed among many companies and networks, and they are different in every country. For example, NBCUniversal holds broadcasting rights in the United States. Using a VPN, you can access different broadcasts from all over the world.
