How to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics: channels, streaming and opening ceremony

Three years ago, the Olympic Games looked very different. The Tokyo Games were postponed for a year due to COVID, with many events held in empty stadiums. As such, the entire event was scaled back compared to the usual affair.

However, the Paris Games will be a return to form. The French capital organizes a spectacular opening ceremony along the River Seine and introduces breakdancing to its range of sports.

If you want to see all the action from the XXXIII Olympiad, we’ve got everything you need to know, including the opening ceremony start date and time, the channels and streaming services the games will be on, the broad event schedule and more.

When are the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

It won’t be long now, because the Olympic Games are starting in Paris Friday July 26, 2024 with the opening ceremony.

The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 11, 2024. The Paralympic Games will start a few weeks later.

Paris 2024 / Damien Le Gallo / Viparis

Paris 2024 / Damien Le Gallo / Viparis

Paris 2024 / Damien Le Gallo / Viparis

When does the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony start?

Here’s what time the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympic Games will take place around the world on Friday, July 26, 2024:

• Britain – 6.30pm BST
• East Coast USA – 1:30 PM ET
• West Coast USA – 10:30am PT
• France – 7:30 PM CET

Organizers are calling this the “largest opening ceremony ever,” taking advantage of the city’s natural sunset as the spectacle progresses.

There will be a 6km crossing along the Seine, with artistic performances near the iconic monuments Paris is known for, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and the Louvre.

The athletes will take to the water in boats, which is a change from the usual parade through the stadium. Going by previous games, we could get appearances from French artists, bands and companies, and perhaps a few famous faces making a cameo or two.

All of this will culminate in the lighting of the Olympic Torch, the long-standing signifier that the Games have officially begun.

How to watch the Olympics in Great Britain

There are several ways to follow the action from the Olympic Games in Great Britain. The most popular events will be available on the BBC. However, if you want completely unfiltered access, you’ll want access to Eurosport.

Here’s more information on how to watch them on traditional TV and how to stream them.

Broadcast television

For standard access, coverage is split between BBC One and BBC Two in Britain, with more than 250 hours of live broadcast. Clare Balding and Gabby Logan will be joined by many more sports personalities for commentary.

You can watch both channels if you have a TV license, with access via Freeview, Virgin, Sky and EE TV/BT.

If you prefer to watch every sport available (including the more obscure ones), then Eurosport is the best option. Coverage will be split between Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, from 7am to 10:30pm each day the competition takes place. These channels are available as premium add-ons for Sky, Virgin Media and EE TV/BT.

Both the BBC and Eurosport will be broadcasting highlights during the Games, if you miss anything.

Online

If you prefer to stream your content, both the BBC and Eurosport have options available.

BBC iPlayer not only includes live coverage from BBC One and Two, but also a special live stream called Olympics Extra with extra events. This website is accessible free of charge provided you have a television license.

Meanwhile, Eurosport content can be viewed via a Discovery+ Standard subscription. From July 17 until the end of the Olympic Games, this will only cost €3.99 per month and the platform will use this price until December 2024. After that, the price will increase to the standard amount of €6.99 per month.

A subscription to Discovery+ gives you access to both Eurosport 1 and 2, seven pop-up Olympic channels, in-app gold medal alerts and curated playlists for different sports.

Olympics on Discovery+

Olympics on Discovery+

Olympics on Discovery+

How to watch the Olympics in the USA

In the US, the rights to the Olympic Games belong to NBC, and not to multiple holders. Here are all the ways to tune in.

Broadcast television

You can watch Team USA’s Opening Ceremony and sporting events on NBC, which airs more than nine hours of events every day, along with profiles and highlights. Some events also air on USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel.

These channels are available if you have a cable TV package included. If you don’t, there is another way.

Online

If you don’t have access to the NBC TV channels, your best bet is to sign up for Peacock. This includes an Olympic hub with playlists for not only different events, but also for specific athletes like Simone Biles.

There will also be celebrity hosts for select segments, including famed rapper Snoop Dogg and host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Alex Cooper. The app includes multi-view for different sports and AI-generated overviews of the day’s events.

If you would like to sign up for Peacock, we recommend that you do so before July 17th as prices increase from July 18th. Peacock Premium (with ads) goes up $2 to $7.99 per month and Peacock Premium Plus (mostly ad-free) goes up $2 to $13.99 per month. The annual options are also increasing.

Live streams, highlights and commentary will also be shown on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC Olympics app, the NBC Sports app and the NBC app.

Finally, you can also access NBC’s channels through premium TV subscriptions like Fubo, Sling, Hulu with Live TV, and YouTube TV.

How to watch the Olympics from abroad

If you’re traveling while the Olympics are taking place, chances are the Games are still being broadcast in your home country. Here is the official worldwide channel list.

Alternatively, you can read our guides on how to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad and how to watch Peacock from abroad.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Schedule

If you want a full breakdown of times for each day, check out the official Olympic schedule. However, here you can see the dates each sport is broadcast on, in alphabetical order.

Some take place before the opening ceremony, and not all sports are every day. The official website lists which days are medal events: