Engadget has evaluated and tested consumer technology products since 2004. Some articles contain affiliate links, and purchases made via those links could generate a commission for us. Learn more about our product assessment process.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will occur in Italy, centered in Milan and the mountainous town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. This event represents Italy's fourth opportunity to host the Winter Games, following the 2006 edition in Turin. Among the 16 disciplines at the competition, 15 are carryovers from prior Olympics, such as figure skating, ice hockey, luge, and speed skating, alongside a fresh addition: snow mountaineering. Whether this newcomer gains popularity comparable to breaking's debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics is yet to be determined.
All competitions from the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games can be streamed live on Peacock. Given the six-hour time gap between Italy and Eastern Time in the U.S., many live sessions may require viewers to tune in during the early morning hours, around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. ET. NBC will broadcast primetime recaps and certain live segments. Below is additional information on accessing the 2026 Winter Olympics coverage.
The official start of the Winter Olympics features the opening ceremony on February 6, though preliminary competitions begin as early as February 4. The Milano Cortina 2026 event concludes on February 22, with the closing ceremony held at the Arena di Verona on that date.
Hosted in northern Italy, the 2026 Winter Olympics will utilize venues mainly in Milan, with Alpine events like bobsleigh, skeleton, downhill skiing, curling, and adaptive snowboarding occurring in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Broadcasts of the 2026 Winter Olympics will appear on NBC, with live streams available on Peacock.
A Peacock subscription at $11 per month, which includes ads, provides access to live sports and NBC programming, covering the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and beyond. It also unlocks extensive libraries of television series and films, featuring classics like Parks and Recreation and The Office, all Bravo content, and additional offerings.
For $17 per month, the ad-free Peacock tier offers live viewing of local NBC stations beyond just sports, plus offline download options for eligible content.
The opening ceremony for Milano Cortina 2026 is scheduled for February 6, 2026, starting at approximately 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) to account for the time zone disparity.
With Italy situated six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time, many Olympic events will commence in the early U.S. morning, typically wrapping up by 4 p.m. ET daily. NBC plans to air evening highlights of the day's top performances.
Early competitions kick off on Wednesday, February 4, with curling round-robin matches at 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET on Peacock live, alongside alpine skiing training from 3 to 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Freestyle skiing qualifications begin at 4 a.m. ET live on Peacock, followed by snowboard qualifications at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Figure skating team event short programs start at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, concurrent with snowboard slopestyle qualifications at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Speedskating early distances are set for 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
The opening ceremony airs at 8 p.m. ET on NBC in primetime. On February 5, alpine skiing men's downhill begins at 3 a.m. ET live on Peacock, snowboard slopestyle finals at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, speedskating medals at 7 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and figure skating team free programs at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Hockey group play starts at 10 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
February 6 features alpine skiing women's downhill at 3 a.m. ET live on Peacock, freestyle skiing moguls finals at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, figure skating pairs short program at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, luge singles runs at 9 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and hockey group play at 12 p.m. ET live on Peacock. Speedskating medals occur at 7 a.m. ET live on Peacock, with figure skating pairs free skate and medals at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
On February 7, curling round-robin sessions run at 9 a.m. ET live on Peacock, skeleton heats 1-2 at 11 a.m. ET live on Peacock, alpine skiing giant slalom at 4 a.m. ET live on Peacock, snowboard halfpipe qualifications at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and figure skating men's short program at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Curling round-robin continues at 10 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
February 8 includes freestyle skiing aerials finals at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, figure skating men's free skate and medals at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, speedskating medals at 11 a.m. ET live on Peacock, alpine skiing slalom at 4 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and snowboard halfpipe finals at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock. Figure skating ice dance rhythm dance is at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
Later on February 8, curling medal round qualifiers at 10 a.m. ET live on Peacock, figure skating ice dance free dance and medals at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and hockey quarterfinals at 12 p.m. ET live on Peacock. February 9 brings alpine skiing team combined at 4 a.m. ET live on Peacock, cross-country skiing distance race at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, figure skating women's short program at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and speedskating medals at 11 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
Snowboard cross finals occur at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock on February 9, figure skating women's free skate and medals at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and hockey semifinals at 1 p.m. ET live on Peacock. February 10 features freestyle skiing dual moguls at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, cross-country skiing team sprint at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and curling medal games at 10 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
Speedskating team pursuit is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET live on Peacock on February 10, hockey placement games at 12 p.m. ET live on Peacock, alpine skiing final technical events at 4 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and freestyle skiing big air at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock. February 11 includes curling gold medal match at 9 a.m. ET live on Peacock, cross-country skiing marathon at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and snowboard parallel events at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock.
Hockey bronze medal games take place at 1 p.m. ET live on Peacock on February 11, biathlon mass start at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock, speedskating final medals at 8 a.m. ET live on Peacock, and figure skating gala at 1 p.m. ET live on Peacock. Men's hockey gold medal game is at 12 p.m. ET live on Peacock, women's at 3 p.m. ET live on Peacock, with the men's game replayed at 8 p.m. ET on NBC primetime.
February 12 concludes with cross-country skiing final event at 6 a.m. ET live on Peacock and the closing ceremony at 8 p.m. ET on NBC primetime.
Peacock serves as the primary platform for Olympic Winter Games viewing, but alternatives exist for those preferring NBC's linear broadcasts. According to our overview of top live TV streaming platforms for cord-cutters, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV stand out as strong choices. Fubo should be avoided currently due to its ongoing contractual issues with Comcast, which have left NBC channels inaccessible.