How to watch Paris 2024 Olympics: FREE live streams, sports, tickets, opening ceremony and more

How-to
By Aatif Sulleyman
published

Breakdancing, skateboarding and sport climbing join the Olympic program

Olympic rings illuminate at place du Trocadero near the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
(Image credit: Antonio Borga/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Watch a Paris 2024 Olympics live stream

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, BBC iPlayer in the UK, and CBC in Canada. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympics live stream just below.

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Dates: Friday, July 26 - Sunday, August 11, 2024
Official FREE stream: 9Now (AUS) | CBC Gem (CA) | BBC iPlayer (UK) | TVNZ Plus (NZ)
Use ExpressVPN to watch any stream

Paris 2024 Olympics preview

For the first time in 100 years, the Summer Games will be held in France, and to mark the Olympic flame's belated return to Paris, regular proceedings have been infused with a distinct street flair.

Breakdancing, skateboarding and sport climbing are the most eye-catching new additions to the 2024 Olympic program, while the hosts have condemned karate, baseball and softball to the dreaded Gallic shrug.

While Paris will serve as the epicentre of the event, events will be held at no fewer than 17 cities, including Marseille, Lyon, Lille and... the surfing paradise of Taiarapu-Ouest in Tahiti, French Polynesia.

The opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 is set to be staged at Jardins du Trocadéro across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, and the closing ceremony is set to take place at the Stade de France on Sunday, August 11. 

If the quality of the witty, Art Deco-inspired Paris 2024 emblem and delightful Phrygian cap mascots are indicative of what's to come, this should be an Olympics to remember. 

There's a long while to go yet, and the Torch relay doesn't begin until April 2024, but it pays to be prepared, and if you're already in the Olympic spirit you can purchase tickets on the Paris 2024 website.

Here's how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympics live stream wherever you are - starting with comprehensive FREE coverage in Australia. 

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How to live stream Paris 2024 Olympics for FREE in Australia

Channel 9

Sports fans in Australia are amongst the luckiest in the world, as the entirety of the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to be shown for FREE across Channel 9 and 9Gem.

That means viewers will also be able to fire up a Paris 2024 Olympics live stream on the 9Now streaming service, which is compatible with most smart devices. Not going to be in Australia?

Use a VPN to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics on 9Now from abroad.

It looks likely that Stan Sport will be providing ad-free coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics. A subscription costs $10 per month (on top of a $10 Stan sub), after a 7-day Stan Sport FREE trial.

How to watch Paris 2024 Olympics from outside your country

For broadcast and streaming details in more sports-mad countries like the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, just scroll down the page - everything you need to know is there, including details of who's showing the Paris 2024 Olympics.

But if you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you'll soon find a problem - geo-blocking. That's where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It's a common problem for sports fans all over the world. 

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home.

Use a VPN to watch a Paris 2024 Olympics live stream from anywhere:

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How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location, eg: 'Australia' for 9Now.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - 9Now for Aussies abroad.

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How to watch Paris 2024 Olympics: live stream in the US without cable

Peacock TV

NBCUniversal has broadcasting rights to the Paris 2024 Olympics in the US, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

How to watch Paris 2024 Olympics without cable:

Peacock costs just $4.99 a month for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage.

OTT streaming service Sling TV is reasonably priced and includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC as part of its Sling Blue package in most major markets. The usual cost is $45 a month, but if you're new to the service you can get $10 off your first month.

Another over-the-top streaming service that includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC is FuboTV. It's a much more comprehensive cable replacement, and carries more than 100 channels including Fox, CBS and ESPN.

Prices start at $74.99 a month after a FREE FuboTV trial.

If you subscribe to Sling, Peacock, or any other US streaming service and find yourself unable to access coverage because you're out of the country, consider using a VPN as outlined below - of the many options, we rate ExpressVPN as the best of the best.

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How to watch Paris 2024 Olympics: live stream for free in the UK

Use ExpressVPN to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad

As ever, the BBC will have viewers in the UK covered for free Paris 2024 Olympics coverage. 

Planning to be away from the UK at the time? No worries:

Use ExpressVPN to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad.

You can live stream the action on BBC iPlayer. It's free to watch with a valid TV licence, and works across a huge array of devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, media streaming devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Roku, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Unlike in previous years, however, the BBC won't have all the action. That now belongs to Eurosport and its streaming arm Discovery+.

A subscription costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 for the year, and lets you tune in on a wide range of devices, as well as the Eurosport TV channels. 

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How to watch the Olympics: live stream Paris 2024 in Canada for FREE

CBC Gem

In Canada, Olympics coverage tends to be split between a range of different broadcasters, including CBC, Sportsnet and TSN. 

CBC would be our top pick for Canadians, as it always make loads of events free to watch on CBC Gem. You can currently pay $4.99 per month for ad-free access to CBC Gem's on-demand library, but if you don't mind sitting through commercials you don't need to pay a thing.

If you're unable to tune in due to geo-blocking restrictions, a VPN is all you need to watch the action as you would at home.

For Sportsnet, an SN Now subscription costs $14.99 per month, $49.99 for four months, or $149.99 per year.

A Sportsnet Now Premium subscription costs $34.99 per month or $249.99 per year, and nets you WWE Network and coverage of the Bundesliga and FA Cup soccer, United Rugby Championship, Premiership Rugby, National Rugby League, and Super League Rugby.

You can subscribe to TSN on a streaming-only basis for $19.99 a month or $199.90 per year.

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How to watch Olympics: live stream Paris 2024 in New Zealand

TVNZ

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

You'll also be able to live stream TVNZ's Olympics coverage online via the free TVNZ Plus streaming service.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or $39.99 per month. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

When is the Paris 2024 opening ceremony?

The Paris 2023 Olympic opening ceremony takes place on Friday, July 26. It set to be staged at Jardins du Trocadéro across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

When is the closing ceremony?

The Paris 2024 closing ceremony is set to take place at the Stade de France on Sunday, August 11.

Paris 2024 Olympics: how we test and review VPN services

Aatif Sulleyman
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.