How to watch, full schedule of events, and everything else you need to know about the Winter Games

The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Italy this year, and all the action will take place in Milan and the Alpine town of Cortina. This year is the fourth time that Italy has hosted the Winter Games; most recently, Turin hosted them in 2006. Of the 16 sports featured in the Winter Olympics, 15 will return, including figure skating, hockey, luge, speed skating and an entirely new sport, snow mountaineering. (Will it be as big a success as the 2024 Summer Games’ new addition, Breaking? That remains to be seen.)

Live coverage of every event from the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be available to stream on Peacock – although thanks to the time difference between Italy and the United States, to watch many events live you’ll have to wake up (or stay awake) until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. ET. Primetime replays and some live coverage will air on NBC. Here’s what else you need to know about watching the 2026 Winter Olympics.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

Dates: February 6 – February 22

TV channel: BNC

Streaming: Peacock

When will the 2026 Winter Olympics take place?

The Winter Olympics officially begin with the Opening Ceremony on February 6, although some events will begin as early as February 4). The Milan Cortina 2026 Games will run until February 22. The closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place at the Verona Arena on February 22.

Where are the Winter Olympics taking place this year?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in northern Italy, mainly in Milan and also in the Alpine resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where events like bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, para snowboarding, etc. will take place.

On which channel are the Olympic Games broadcast?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and streamed live on Peacock.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics without cable

For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events broadcast on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and more. Plus, you’ll have access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation And The office, every Bravo show and much more.

For $17 per month, you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription that includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles for offline viewing.

When is the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics?

The Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony will take place on February 6, 2026. Due to the time difference, the ceremony will begin around 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Time difference at the Winter Olympics

This year’s Olympic Games will be held in Italy, 6 hours ahead of US Eastern Time. This means some events will start bright and early for US viewers, and live coverage will likely end around 4 p.m. ET each day. NBC will offer prime-time replays of the biggest moments every night.

2026 Winter Olympics TV/streaming schedule:

All times are Eastern.

Wednesday February 4 (early start of the competition)

• Curling (round robin) – 2 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Alpine ski training – 3h–6h (Peacock – Live)

Thursday February 5

• Curling (round robin) – 2 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle ski qualifications – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard qualifications – 6h (Peacock – Live)

Friday February 6 – opening ceremony

• Curling (round robin) – 2 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (short team event programs) – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Slopestyle snowboard qualifications – 6h (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating (first distances) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• opening ceremony – 2 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

• opening ceremony – 8 p.m. (NBC – Primetime)

Saturday February 7

• Alpine skiing (men’s downhill) – 3 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard Slopestyle Finals – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating medals – 7h (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (free team programs) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (group play begins) – 10 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Sunday February 8

• Alpine skiing (women’s downhill) – 3 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle Ski Mogul Finals – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (short pairs program) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Luge (single races) – 9am (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (group game) – 12 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Monday February 9

• Sprint biathlon – 5 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating medals – 7h (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (pair free skating – medals) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 9 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Skeleton (series 1-2) – 11 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Tuesday February 10

• Alpine skiing (giant slalom) – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard halfpipe qualifications – 6h (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (men’s short program) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (round robin) – 10 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Wednesday February 11

• Nordic Combined – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Freestyle Ski Aerials Finals – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (men’s free skating – medals) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating medals – 11 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Thursday February 12

• Alpine skiing (slalom) – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard Halfpipe Finals – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (rhythmic dance on ice) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (qualifying for the medal round) – 10 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Friday February 13

• Biathlon pursuit – 5 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (ice dance free dance – medals) – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Skeleton finals – 10 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (quarter-finals) – 12 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Saturday February 14

• Alpine skiing (team combined) – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Cross-country ski distance race – 6h (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (women’s short program) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating medals – 11 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Sunday February 15

• Snowboard cross finals – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure skating (women’s free skating – medals) – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Sled relay – 11 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (semi-finals) – 1 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Monday February 16

• Parallel freestyle mogul skiing – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Cross-country team sprint – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (medal matches) – 10 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Tuesday February 17

• Biathlon relay – 5 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating team pursuit – 7 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (placement matches) – 12 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Wednesday February 18

• Alpine skiing (final technical events) – 4 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Big air freestyle skiing – 6h (Peacock – Live)

• Curling (gold medal match) – 9 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

Thursday February 19

• Cross-country skiing marathon – 6 hours (Peacock – Live)

• Snowboard side events – 8h (Peacock – Live)

• Hockey (bronze medal matches) – 1 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Friday February 20

• Biathlon mass start – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Speed ​​skating final medals – 8 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Figure Skating Gala – 1 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

Saturday February 21

• Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

• Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game – 8 p.m. (NBC – Primetime)

Sunday February 22 – closing ceremony

• Cross-country skiing final round – 6 a.m. (Peacock – Live)

• closing ceremony – 2 p.m. (Peacock – Live)

• closing ceremony – 8 p.m. (NBC – Primetime)

More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC

Although Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you limit yourself to NBC broadcasts. As a guide to the best live TV streaming services to lower cable ratings, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are great options, but you’ll want to skip Fubo until the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as the NBC channels remain unavailable at this time.