Don’t worry!
There are several ways that you can watch the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begin on July 26 in Paris, France, without paying for a cable subscription.
NBCUniversal owns the American broadcasting rights for the Games in 2024. So you’ll be able to enjoy events on a variety of its channels and streaming products, such as NBC and Peacock.
In this article, I’ll prepare you to enjoy this iteration of the world-renowned athletic competition without the worry of a cable bill.
Guide To Streaming the 2024 Summer Olympics Without Cable
What Are My Options for Streaming the 2024 Summer Olympics?
NBC's Peacock streaming service is going to be your top option for streaming the 2024 Games. And it's not even close!
Though it did just increase its price by $2 per month (convenient timing!), Peacock is still your no-brainer go-to option for all things Olympics.
With a monthly fee of $7.99, you can sign up for one month of Peacock to receive the following:
- All Olympic events will stream LIVE on Peacock
- Opening and Closing Ceremonies
- Primetime in Paris: "Mike Tirico will host Primetime in Paris from Paris' famed Trocadero, with the iconic Eiffel Tower and River Seine serving as the backdrop for NBCU's Olympic primetime coverage."
- Gold Zone: "With up to 40 events happening simultaneously, Gold Zone presents the best and most compelling moments happening at any time. Stream the action live from 7am – 5pm ET each day from July 27 – Aug 10."
- Customized "Your Daily Recap": Peacock will allow you to choose the events that interest you and then customize a daily recap package of highlights that is narrated by an A.I. version of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels.
- Peacock exclusive events from Paris
- Full Event Replays on demand
- 24/7 Olympics Channels
In other words, you’ll get access to every event you could desire to watch. And you’ll get the NBC broadcast feed every night during prime time.
Alternatives to Peacock
If, for some reason, you decide you don't want to pay for streaming the 2024 Games on Peacock … you do have some options.
Live TV streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV can provide you with access to NBC and its family of channels. They also have unlimited cloud DVR storage, so you'll be able to record as many events as you'd like. But with price tags of more than $70 for a month of service, you'd be paying nearly 10 times as much to view the Olympics this way.
You could also opt for the "free" route of watching NBC's coverage over the air with a digital antenna. This will not get you DVR recordings of the events that may happen while you're sleeping, but it will give you access to Mike Tirico's nightly prime time coverage.
When Are the 2024 Summer Olympics?
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will kick off with the Opening Ceremony on July 26, 2024.
Over the following two weeks, the Games will be featured on television nearly around the clock.
Here are some dates to remember for some of the popular events and competitions:
- July 26: Opening Ceremony
- July 27: Swimming and gymnastics events begin
- August 1: Track and field events begin
- August 4: Swimming events conclude
- August 5: Gymnastics events conclude
- August 10: Track and field events conclude
- August 11: Closing Ceremony
You can find a comprehensive schedule of events here.
Where Are the 2024 Summer Olympics Being Held?
The 2024 Summer Olympics are being hosted in Paris, France.
Though Paris is the namesake for this year’s Games, other areas of France will contribute to hosting the championship events for 39 sports.
There were venues built specifically for these Games, but very few of them are intended to be permanent structures. This year’s Games will utilize many of France’s existing venues.
You can find where each event will be held here.
Some highlights of what you can expect:
- According to the event's official website: "The Aquatics Centre, along with Le Bourget Climbing Wall, is the only permanent sports facility to be built for the Paris 2024 Games."
- The Stade de France, which is the country's largest stadium, will transform into the Olympic Stadium that holds the track and field events.
- Several of France's top soccer stadiums will be used to house matches.
- The Champ de Mars has been transformed into a temporary "Eiffel Tower Stadium" to house beach volleyball events with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.
Which Sports Can I Watch in the 2024 Summer Olympics?
Many people tune in to the Summer Games for Swimming, Gymnastics and Track and Field events. But that’s really just a small fraction of the total events available to watch.
The 2024 Paris Games will feature events from 39 sports, with different classes of competition within each.
Open this dropdown to see a list of the sports to be featured this year:
2024 Olympic Sports
- Archery
- Artistic Swimming
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Beach Volleyball
- Boxing
- Breaking
- Canoeing
- Cycling
- Diving
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Judo
- Modern Pentathlon
- Rhythmic Gymnastics
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Soccer
- Sport Climbing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Trampoline
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
Who Are the Top Competitors To Watch in the 2024 Summer Olympics?
You may have fond memories of Michael Phelps swimming circles around the competition, Usain Bolt running faster than everyone, or Gabby Douglas bringing home gold in the gym during recent Olympic Games.
But, unfortunately, none of these superstars will be competing in Paris.
Given that these events are held just once every four years, you’ll find that your window to enjoy your favorite Olympic star is short.
The good news is that you may find a new "favorite" Olympian in the 2024 Games.
Here are some of the names you’ll want to watch for as the Games commence:
- Simone Biles, USA Gymnastics: Here's a name you'll probably recognize. The 4-time Olympic gold medalist is back for her third Olympic Games as a part of Team USA's women's gymnastics team. At 27 years old, this could be her final appearance.
- Suni Lee, USA Gymnastics: Joining Biles on Team USA is the reigning individual all-around gold medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Games.
- Katie Ledecky, USA Swimming: The 10-time Olympic medalist is back for her fourth Games as a distance swimmer.
- Noah Lyles, USA Track and Field: This sprinter is one of the Americans to watch this time around. He holds the country's record time for the 200-meter and finished as a bronze medalist in the 2020 Games. Could he win his first Olympic gold?
- USA Basketball: You'll find some familiar names on both the Men's and Women's Team USA Basketball rosters. On the Men's team, you'll see NBA superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The Women's team will feature WNBA mainstays Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
How will you be watching the Olympics? We’d love to hear your plan in the Clark.com community.
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