How to watch Olympics 2024: live stream options, TV channels, opening ceremony and schedule

Close up of the Paris 2024 Olympics logo on the metallic Olympic torch.
(Image credit: Getty Images / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV)

Watch Olympics 2024 live streams between July 24 and August 11 and you'll see the greatest show on Earth on your TV screens, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. We have worldwide information below on Paris Olympics TV channels, broadcasters, the schedule and how to watch the 2024 Olympics for free.

We may have already seen a handful of sports kick-off proceedings in France, but today the 2024 Olympic Games officially get underway when the opening ceremony takes place at 7.30pm local time (1.30pm ET / 6.30pm BST).  With an anticipated 10,000 athletes parading through the heart of Paris, it promises to be a spectacular start to the Games. 

For the first time, the ceremony will not take place in the stadium. Instead, Olympic teams will parade along the River Seine in boats, watched by more than 300,000 spectators. The details of the event have been kept largely secret so expect plenty of surprises and a truly breathtaking show. 

There is some superb free Olympics 2024 coverage with almost every session available both live and on-demand. It might take you more than two weeks, but you will be able to watch every moment from the Paris Games. So, here's how to watch Olympics 2024 live streams online from anywhere – starting with those FREE options.

How to watch Olympics 2024 Quick Guide

Key Dates

  • Event dates: July 24 – August 11
  • Opening Ceremony: July 26
  • Closing Ceremony: August 11

Best free streams

Can I watch Olympics 2024 for free?

Yes! In some countries around the world you can watch the 2024 Olympics, in full, for free.

The Paris Games are free-to-air, with English language commentary, on the BBC and iPlayer in the UK, RTÉ in Ireland, CBC in Canada and Channel 9 in Australia.

Channel 9 and the 9Now streaming service in Australia have the most comprehensive Olympics 2024 free-to-air coverage of all. CBC's free Olympics live stream coverage is also excellent. You can watch almost every session form the Paris games on these platforms, live and on-demand.

Use a VPN to watch Olympics 2024 for free on your usual streaming service if you are away from home.

Other, non-English language Olympics free streams can be found on ORF (Austria), RTBF (Belgium), VRT (Belgium), RDS (Canada), Chilevision (Chile), Caracol (Colombia), DR (Denmark), France TV (France), RAI (Italy), Yle (Finland), ARD (Germany), ZDF (Germany), RUV (Iceland), JioCinema (India), TV3 (Lithuania), NOS (Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), SABC (South Africa), RTVE (Spain), SNRT (Morocco), Canal 5 (Mexico) and the SRG SSR channels (Switzerland).

Use a VPN to watch any Olympics 2024 stream

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What's on at the 2024 Olympics today?

Here are today's events at the 2024 Paris Games. Click through for specific schedules:

How to watch Olympics 2024 live streams in the US

The live streams from Olympics 2024 are on Peacock and NBCs cables in the USA.

Broadcast rights to the 2024 Paris Olympics belong to NBC. All Olympics 2024 sessions are available to watch on Peacock and include an AI broadcaster. Select events will also be on the NBC, USA, MSNBC and E! cable channels.

If you don't have cable, Peacock TV is the best option. You'll need a subscription to the ad-supported Peacock Premium which is $7.99 per month, or ad-less Peacock Plus which is $13.99 per month.

How to watch Olympics 2024 live streams in the UK and Europe

While many public and national TV broadcasters have the TV and live stream rights to the Paris Olympic Games in the UK and Europe, it's the Discovery Plus subscription service that offers comprehensive coverage across the region.

Plans start at £6.99 per month, or the local equivalent, with 3,800 hours of live coverage across 55 channels. There's also a special offer running until 10 August where new subscribers pay £3.99 per month until the end of 2024.

The BBC and RTE are the places for free Olympics 2024 live streams in the UK and Ireland. You can find a list of other public broadcasters with Olympics 2024 broadcast rights across Europe in the Rest of the World section just below.

Official Olympics 2024 broadcasters by region

Africa

Americas

Europe

Asia

Oceania

Middle East

When do the Olympics start?

The 2024 Olympic Games takes place between 24 July and 11 August.

The Paris Games Opening Ceremony takes place on Friday, 26 July. It set to be staged at Jardins du Trocadéro across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

There are a few events that being ahead of the official opening. These are Football, Rugby Sevens, Handball, Archery and Shooting but there are no finals or medals events until 27 July.

Can I watch 2024 Olympics on my mobile?

Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser.

You can also stay up-to-date with all 2024 Olympic Games events on the official social media channels on X/Twitter (@Olympics), Instagram (@Olympics), TikTok (@Olympics) and YouTube (@Olympics).

When is the closing ceremony?

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

Are there any new sports at the 2024 Olympics?

Yes, Breaking will feature at the Olympics for the very first time. An urban dance style that originated in the Bronx borough of New York, the competition in Paris will feature 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls facing off in spectacular solo battles. Athletes will use power moves such as windmills and freezes, as well as improvise to the beat of the DJ as they look to impress the judges and secure a medal.

Paris Olympics schedule

Here is an overview of the Olympics 2024 schedule of events (see the official schedule at Olympics.com for more detail).

Saturday 27 July 2024 (14 gold medal events)
Artistic gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Road cycling, Rowing, Rugby sevens, Shooting, Skateboard, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water polo.

Sunday 28 July 2024 (13 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Mountain bike, Rowing, Rugby Sevens, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboard, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Monday 29 July 2024 (18 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Mountain bike, Rowing, Rugby Sevens, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Skateboard, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Tuesday 30 July 2024 (14 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Rugby Sevens, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Wednesday 31 July 2024 (17 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Thursday 1 August 2024 (18 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, BMX racing, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Friday 2 August 2024 (23 gold medal events)
Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, BMX racing, Boxing, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Trampoline gymnastics, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Saturday 3 August 2024 (28 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Road cycling, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Sunday 4 August 2024 (20 gold medal events)
Archery, Artistic gymnastics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Road cycling, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water polo. 

Monday 5 August 2024 (17 gold medal events)
Artistic gymnastics, Artistic swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Basketball 3x3, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe slalom, Diving, Equestrian, Football, Hockey, Sailing, Shooting, Sport Climbing, Table tennis, Track cycling, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo, Wrestling. 

Tuesday 6 August 2024 (15 gold medal events)
Artistic swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe sprint, Diving, Equestrian, Football, Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Skateboard, Table tennis, Track cycling, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo, Wrestling. 

Wednesday 7 August 2024 (21 gold medal events)
Artistic swimming, Athletics, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe sprint, Diving, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Skateboard, Sport climbing, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Track cycling, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling. 

Thursday 8 August 2024 (26 gold medal events)
Athletics, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Canoe sprint, Diving, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Modern pentathlon, Rhythmic gymnastics, Sailing, Sport climbing, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Track cycling, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling. 

Friday 9 August 2024 (33 gold medal events)
Artistic swimming, Athletics, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Breaking, Canoe sprint, Diving, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Modern pentathlon, Rhythmic gymnastics, Sport climbing, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Track cycling Volleyball, Water polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling. 

Saturday 10 August 2024 (39 gold medal events)
Artistic swimming, Athletics, Basketball, Beach volleyball, Boxing, Breaking, Canoe sprint, Diving, Football, Golf, Handball, Modern pentathlon, Rhythmic gymnastics, Sport climbing, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Track cycling Volleyball, Water polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling. 

Sunday 11 August 2024 (13 gold medal events)
Athletics, Basketball, Handball, Modern pentathlon, Track cycling, Volleyball, Water polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Closing ceremony

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Dan Sung
How to Watch Editor

Dan is How to Watch Editor at Future. His job is to make sure our readers (and our staff) know how to watch their favourite sports and entertainment online and on TV wherever they go. Dan has worked in tech journalism for over a decade, writing for Tech Digest, Pocket-lint, MSN Tech, Wareable and What Hi-Fi? as well as freelancing for T3, Metro and the Independent. Dan has a keen interest in playing and watching football. He has also written about it for the Observer and FourFourTwo and ghost authored John Toshack's autobiography, Toshack's Way.