How to watch Olympics 2024 online and for free — 4K livestreams, schedule, key events
Here's how to watch Summer Olympics anywhere in the world
The final day of the Olympics 2024 is here! Most events have wrapped up for another four years, but there are still medals to be handed out for water polo, wrestling and handball — and you can watch them from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free!
Next event: August 11 @ 3 p.m. ET – 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony
• U.S. — Watch live on Peacock TV or USA via Sling or Fubo
• U.K. — Watch on Discovery+
• Canada — Watch FREE on CBC
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
The Opening Ceremony was a sight to see, with Celine Dion and Lady Gaga performing a duet to kick off the games. Now that the torch has been lit, it's time to dig into the action.
There are still a few events on Sunday, August 11, all handing out medals. The marquee event is the women's basketball gold medal match between hosts France and the star-laden U.S.
We'll make sure you can watch every event during the Summer Olympics 2024. We'll also let you know what events can be watched in 4K — or if any events can be watched in 8K — as well as everything else you need to know to make sure you don’t miss a single moment from the Paris Games.
Latest Olympics 2024 news (August 11)
- The U.S. women's soccer team defeated Brazil 1-0 in the gold-medal game. Mallory Swanson's goal in the 57th minute was the difference.
- With that Team USA win in the men’s 4x400-meter relay, Quincy Wilson, just 16 years old, becomes the youngest Olympic track-and-field gold medalist.
- USA's Kennedy Blades will wrestle for gold in the women's 76kg finals tomorrow, competing in her first Olympics against the winner of the ongoing semifinal between Japan's Yuka Kagami and Colombia's Tatiana Renteria.
How to watch Olympics 2024 by country
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams from anywhere
If you're not in your home country during the Olympics 2024 and are unable to livestream from wherever you are, you can still tune in via a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN makes it appear like you're surfing the web from your home allowing you to access the streaming services you already pay for. It's legal and easy to do.
We've tested many different VPN services and our favorite is NordVPN; it offers superb speeds, excellent customer service and a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out first to see if it's right for you. But you've got other VPN options too, so check out our full list of the best VPN services.
There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate as the best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features, too. With over 5,000 servers, across 60 countries, and at a great price, it's easy to recommend.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. and want to view your usual U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to the streaming app you use at home and watch the Olympics live online.
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in the U.S.
If you're in the U.S., you're relying on NBCUniversal to enjoy Olympics 2024. The Comcast-owned entity will show Olympics coverage across its numerous channels, including NBC, USA and MSNBC.
The good news for you is that these channels may be included in your cable package. However, your best option for watching every second of the Olympics is NBC’s streaming service Peacock. NBC's streaming service will livestream every event at the Paris Olympics promising to offer a daily recap with highlights of all the biggest medal-winning moments. To tune in, you'll need either a Premium subscription ($7.99/month) or Premium Plus ($13.99/month, and gets rid of those pesky ads).
Cord-cutters can opt for Sling TV. The Sling Blue package starts at $40 per month and gives you access to more than 30 channels including NBC (select markets), USA and MSNBC. You can even get your first month for just $15!
However, Sling only offers NBC in select markets, so it might not be the right choice for you. If that's the case, you should opt for Fubo, which includes all the NBC channels showing Olympics 2024 events. Fubo's Pro Plan costs $79.99 per month, and you get 121 channels for that hefty investment.
If you're outside the U.S. but have one of these subscriptions, you can watch Olympics 2024 livestreams using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Fubo: If Sling doesn't offer NBC in your area, check out Fubo. This cable alternative is great for sports fans and has every channel showing the Olympics this summer. It's even got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay upfront.
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in the UK
Gone are the days when the BBC was the exclusive U.K. home of the Olympics. Ever since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 Discovery has been the top place to go if you need to get your Olympics fix.
So if you don’t want to miss a single second of the action you will need to invest in Discovery Plus. A Standard plan subscription will cost you £6.99 per month (reduced to £3.99 per month during the Olympics). Having to pay to watch the Olympics is a foreign concept to many in the U.K. but for your money, you’ll get access to every single Olympics event.
It's not all bad news though. While Discovery is the place to go for every second of Olympics coverage, it's not the exclusive home of Olympics 2024. Many events are still free to watch on the BBC and BBC iPlayer. Just remember that the BBC won’t have everything.
If you're a Brit abroad, you can still follow Olympics 2024 livestreams by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in Canada
Olympics 2024 coverage in Canada is split across CBC, Sportsnet and TSN. While that is a bit confusing, the good news is that many events are being live-streamed for free on the CBC Gem.
CBC Gem is a free streaming platform, but you can pay $5.99 per month (7-day free trial) to remove some ads and gain access to the service’s on-demand library. However, if you don’t mind tolerating commercials, you can enjoy most of the Olympics 2024 for free.
For the rest of the coverage, you'll need to subscribe to a streaming service or two. To access Sportsnet via a Sportsnet Plus subscription, you'll be paying $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year. You can also opt for Plus Premium for $34.99 per month or $249.99 per year. To get access toTSN, you'll need to pay $19.99 a month or $199.90 per year.
If you’re currently away from the land of Tim Horton's and poutine, you can use a VPN such as NordVPN to make your device believe it's back home in Canada.
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in Australia
Regardless of the final medal table, Australia is the real winner of the Olympics. That’s because Aussies can watch every single Olympics 2024 event for free on Channel 9 and 9Gem, with online live streams available via 9Now.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on 9Now as if you were back home.
If you want to watch the Olympic Games 2024 in 4K in Australia, then you'll need Stan Sport. It offers ad-free coverage of every session of every Olympic sport with the Stan Sport add-on for AU$15. You will also need the Stan Premium base plan which is AU$21 per month.
Olympics 2024 schedule and key events
How to watch Olympics 2024 key events
If you're trying to watch everything at the 2024 Olympics, the list is pretty long. The Olympics has a schedule that you can sort by date or sport, but below we have a list of how to guides for all the key events so you don't miss the important stuff.
- How to watch athletics live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch basketball live stream at Olympics 2024
- How to watch beach volleyball live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch boxing live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch breaking live stream at Olympics 2024
- How to watch canoe sprint at Olympics 2024
- How to watch diving live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch handball live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch modern pentathlon at Olympics 2024
- How to watch rhythmic gymnastics at Olympics 2024
- How to watch women's soccer live stream at Olympics 2024
- How to watch table tennis live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch Taekwondo live stream at Olympics 2024
- How to watch volleyball live stream at Olympics 2024
- How to watch water polo live streams at Olympics 2024
- How to watch weightlifting live stream at Olympics 2024
How to watch Olympics 2024 in 4K
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in 4K
It was a bit of a struggle to find a straightforward answer for how to watch Olympics 2024 in 4K. But after exhaustive research, I have the answers you seek.
The Olympic Broadcasting Services will provide full UHD (4K) HDR coverage of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, per a press release from the 4K-HDR Summit. They will then provide this 4K HDR feed to various broadcast partners around the world.
In the U.S., you'll want to head to USA Network to watch the Olympics in 4K. According to NBC Sports, USA Network will provide a "24/7 simulcast" of the Paris Games. This "enhanced 4K" feed will also offer Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. NewcastStudio further clarified things, stating that this 4K USA Network simulcast would be available through "Altice, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV/DirecTV Stream, Dish, Fubo, Verizon, YouTube TV, and select participating NCTC members."
Among those options, we recommend Fubo, which is also one of our recommendations for watching the Olympics 2024 in general.
Outside the U.S. it looks like Eurosport will offer a 4K HDR broadcast to European viewers (Broadband TV News). Unfortunately, for our friends in the U.K. and Canada, I was unable to find any broadcaster publicly advertising a 4K broadcast of the Summer Olympics.
And, as previously mentioned, if you want to watch the Olympic Games 2024 in 4K in Australia you'll need Stan Sport. It offers ad-free coverage of every session of every Olympic sport with the Stan Sport add-on for $15. You will also need the Stan Premium base plan which is $21 per month. This might be the best 4K offering of any nation, as other offerings do not offer 4K broadcasts for every single event.
Just remember, you'll need a 4K TV to experience the Summer Olympics in 4K and you may need to pay for a 4K add-on or upgrade depending on your TV provider. Some providers may also require a 4K-enabled set-top box.
How to watch Olympics 2024 livestreams in 8K
Amazingly, it looks like there will be at least some 8K coverage of the Summer Olympics this year. TV Technology reported earlier this year that Intel Xeon processors will be used to bring an "end-to-end 8K livestreaming experience" for the first time ever. And on YouTube, there's even footage of six 8K broadcast trucks from China Media Group arriving in Paris.
Here's the problem — I have yet to find anywhere actually offering this 8K feed for your viewing pleasure. If I do, rest assured I will update you here. But in the meantime, you'll need an 8K TV no matter what if you're going to watch Olympics 2024 in 8K.
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox.
Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!
Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.
Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.