Even though some of the events of the Beijing Winter Olympics have already gotten underway, the Opening Ceremony still marks the official beginning of the 2022 Winter Olympics, and that is taking place on Friday, Feb. 4. With the games taking place in China, some info on how and when viewers can watch the Opening Ceremony can be helpful.
The second Olympics to take place within seven months (following the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics that took place in July 2021), the Beijing Winter Olympics will feature more than two weeks of incredible, must-see athletes and a range of exciting sports that take place on snow and ice. But as always, the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics are sure to be a spectacular affair featuring entertaining and engaging performances from the host country, the Parade of Nations, Olympic athletes and the lighting of the Olympic flame.
Speaking of which, movie star Jackie Chan got into the Olympic spirit as he helped carry the Olympic torch as part of the traditional relay ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
Jackie Chan and Olympic medallists were at the Great Wall for the second day of the Torch Relay! 🔥The Olympic flame arrived in China last year, making Beijing the first city to welcome the flame for both Olympic Summer and Winter Games. #Beijing2022 ¦ #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/7UJcm1J6pEFebruary 3, 2022
The Opening Ceremony for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will take place at 8 p.m. local time in China, but here is how viewers in the U.S., U.K. and more can watch the Opening Ceremony.
How to watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony from anywhere in the world
The official Olympics website provides information on where the Olympics are being broadcast in many countries around the world, but what to do if you find yourself away from your home country but looking for its own Olympics coverage? That’s where a VPN, or virtual private network can come in.
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How to watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in the U.S.
Like all of the Winter Olympics, coverage of the Opening Ceremony in the U.S. will be handled by NBCUniversal and its various channels/platforms.
The Opening Ceremony will be happening live at 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m PT in the U.S., and for the first time NBC says that it will be offering live morning coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which is slated to begin at 6:30 a.m. ET on NBC. Coverage of the event will then continue with a special edition of the Today show at 9 a.m. ET, offering reactions to the Opening Ceremony and interviews with athletes. Then, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, the network will provide an enhanced presentation of the Opening Ceremony, with a special focus on members of Team USA as well as the performances, Parade of Nations and other Opening Ceremony traditions.
NBC is one of the four major U.S. TV networks and is carried by practically every traditional cable/satellite pay-TV subscription service. In addition, with local stations serving just about every U.S. market, houses that utilize a TV antenna are able to receive NBC signals, including for the Opening Ceremony. Another option for to tune into NBC’s coverage is with live TV streaming services, like FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
The Opening Ceremony will also be streaming live on Peacock, NBCU’s own streaming service. You will need to be a subscriber to Peacock Premium — available for either $4.99 per month with ads or $9.99 per month without — in order to live stream the Opening Ceremony.
How to watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in the U.K.
U.K. viewers will be able to watch the Beijing Winter Olympics Ceremony live starting at 11:30 a.m. GMT on Friday, Feb. 4, with it airing either BBC One or on BBC iPlayer, both of which are free options. In addition, a rebroadcast of the Opening Ceremony will play on Red Button One Friday night at 9:30 p.m. GMT.
Part of the U.K.’s Olympics coverage will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, but Discovery Plus will also be part of the coverage. The Discovery Plus streaming service is available for £6.99/month or £29.99/year and can be watched through Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV and apps for iOS and Android devices.
