The 2018 Winter Olympics are here. Things will officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9 — but there is actually already competition underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The opening ceremony will take place around 8 p.m. KT (6 a.m. Eastern Time and 3 a.m. Pacific here in the U.S.), and the competitions are slated to run through Feb. 25.
Here’s how to watch the event on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV.
Your Options: Cable or Online TV Service
- Like in previous years, NBC holds the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in the U.S. That means you’ll have to go through NBC to watch the opening ceremony, or any of the sporting events.
- For the opening ceremony specifically, you can catch it at 8 p.m. ET on NBC (though it’s not being broadcast live, there’s a 14-hour delay), provided that you have a cable or traditional TV subscription.
- A traditional cable or broadcast TV login can also be used to authenticate any of NBC’s apps for live viewing on macOS, iOS and tvOS.
- Unfortunately, if you don’t have a cable subscription, you’ll need to sign up for a live TV content service such as Hulu TV, Sling TV or YouTube TV.
Of course, the workaround is to simply sign up for a free trial of one of these services if you haven’t already. Alternatively, you can pay for a month of service and cancel after the Olympics are over.
How to Stream on Apple Platforms
If you’re signed up with an online live TV service, or if you have a cable login, then it’s relatively easy to watch the Olympics across NBC’s apps and its website.
- iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch: Download the NBC Sports app for iOS, and log in with your credentials.
- Apple TV: Download the NBC Sports app for tvOS, and log in with your credentials.
- Mac: Go to this website (NBCOlympics.com), and log in with your credentials.
What If I Don’t Have Any of These Options?
You can view some Olympics content without a cable subscription or a live TV service.
The NBC Sports app on Apple TV and iOS, for example, will let you watch 30 minutes of live video for free initially. After that 30 minutes is up, you’ll be able to watch 5 minutes of live video per day for free.
Similarly, you’ll be able to view some lifestreams, highlights and see the schedule of events on the previously mentioned NBC Olympics website.
Alternatively, if you live in the UK or have access to a VPN, it’s worth noting that the BBC airs coverage of the Olympics for free. That means people in England — or people appearing to be from England — can catch the opening ceremony and the rest of the Games without subscribing to anything.