The 2026 Winter Olympics: Your Ultimate Guide to Streaming the Games in Milano Cortina

The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to captivate the world as Italy hosts the Games for the fourth time in history, with all the action taking place in the stunning locales of Milan and the Alpine city of Cortina. This marks a return to Italian soil for the Winter Games, following Turin’s successful hosting in 2006. The event promises to be a spectacular showcase of winter sports, featuring 16 disciplines, including 15 returning favorites such as figure skating, Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, speedskating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping. Adding to the excitement is the debut of a new sport: snow mountaineering. Will it capture the world’s imagination like breaking did during the 2024 Summer Games? Only time will tell.

How to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

For the first time, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be exclusively streamed live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform. This means that fans around the globe can catch every moment of the action, from the opening ceremony to the final medal presentations. However, due to the six-hour time difference between Italy and the U.S. Eastern Time zone, many events will air in the early hours of the morning. For instance, the opening ceremony on Feb. 6 will kick off at 2 PM ET, but some events will start as early as 2 AM or 3 AM ET. Fear not, though—NBC will air primetime replays of the biggest moments each night, ensuring you don’t miss a single highlight.

Streaming Options

Peacock Premium Plus is your go-to platform for live coverage. For $16.99 per month, you’ll get access to all live events, including the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and more. The subscription also includes thousands of hours of on-demand content, such as beloved sitcoms like Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show, and much more. If you prefer an ad-free experience, you can upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus for $17 per month, which also includes live access to your local NBC affiliate and the ability to download select titles for offline viewing.

For those without a cable subscription, DirecTV offers a free trial, allowing you to stream NBC and catch all the Olympic action. Additionally, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV are excellent alternatives, though it’s worth noting that Fubo is currently unavailable due to a contract dispute with Comcast.

When and Where Are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will officially begin with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, 2026, and run through Feb. 22. The closing ceremony will take place in the iconic Arena di Verona on Feb. 22. The Games will be held in Northern Italy, with Milan serving as the primary hub and Cortina d’Ampezzo hosting events like bobsled, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, and para snowboard.

Winter Olympics Time Difference

Italy is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time, meaning that some events will start bright and early for U.S. viewers. Live coverage will likely wrap up around 4 PM ET each day, but NBC will ensure you don’t miss a thing with primetime replays of the biggest moments.

2026 Winter Olympics TV/Streaming Schedule

Here’s a detailed schedule of the 2026 Winter Olympics, all times Eastern:

Early Competition (Feb. 4-5)

• Feb. 4: Curling (round robin) – 2 AM (Peacock – Live), 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Alpine skiing training – 3–6 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 5: Curling (round robin) – 2 AM (Peacock – Live), 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Freestyle skiing qualifications – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard qualifications – 6 AM (Peacock – Live)

Opening Ceremony and Beyond (Feb. 6-22)

• Feb. 6: Opening ceremony – 2 PM (Peacock – Live), 8 PM (NBC – Primetime); Figure skating (team event short programs) – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard slopestyle qualifications – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating (early distances) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 7: Alpine skiing (men’s downhill) – 3 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard slopestyle finals – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating medals – 7 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (team free programs) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (group play begins) – 10 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 8: Alpine skiing (women’s downhill) – 3 AM (Peacock – Live); Freestyle skiing moguls finals – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (pairs short program) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Luge (singles runs) – 9 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (group play) – 12 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 9: Biathlon sprint – 5 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating medals – 7 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (pairs free skate – medals) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Curling (round robin) – 9 AM (Peacock – Live); Skeleton (heat 1–2) – 11 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 10: Alpine skiing (giant slalom) – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard halfpipe qualifications – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (men’s short program) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Curling (round robin) – 10 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 11: Nordic combined – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Freestyle skiing aerials finals – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (men’s free skate – medals) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating medals – 11 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 12: Alpine skiing (slalom) – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard halfpipe finals – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (ice dance rhythm dance) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Curling (medal round qualifiers) – 10 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 13: Biathlon pursuit – 5 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (ice dance free dance – medals) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Skeleton finals – 10 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (quarterfinals) – 12 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 14: Alpine skiing (team combined) – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Cross-country skiing distance race – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (women’s short program) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating medals – 11 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 15: Snowboard cross finals – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating (women’s free skate – medals) – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Luge relay – 11 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (semifinals) – 1 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 16: Freestyle skiing dual moguls – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Cross-country skiing team sprint – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Curling (medal games) – 10 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 17: Biathlon relay – 5 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating team pursuit – 7 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (placement games) – 12 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 18: Alpine skiing (final technical events) – 4 AM (Peacock – Live); Freestyle skiing big air – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Curling (gold medal match) – 9 AM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 19: Cross-country skiing marathon – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Snowboard parallel events – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Hockey (bronze medal games) – 1 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 20: Biathlon mass start – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Speedskating final medals – 8 AM (Peacock – Live); Figure skating gala – 1 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 21: Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12 PM (Peacock – Live), 8 PM (NBC – Primetime); Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3 PM (Peacock – Live)
• Feb. 22: Cross-country skiing final event – 6 AM (Peacock – Live); Closing ceremony – 2 PM (Peacock – Live), 8 PM (NBC – Primetime)

More Ways to Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC

While Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you restrict yourself to the NBC broadcasts. As our guide to the best live TV streaming services to cut cable notes, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are excellent options, but you’ll want to skip Fubo until and unless the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as NBC channels remain unavailable for now.

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