How to Watch the Winter Olympics in 2022: Watch Live From Anywhere With a VPN
The much-anticipated 2022 Winter Olympics are fast approaching, with seven new events set to debut. If you’re worried about missing out on the action, read on to find out where and how to watch the Winter Olympics.
The upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have been met with a mixture of excitement and controversy. If you’re up for watching the icy events unfold while staying warm and cozy at home, this guide explains how to watch the Winter Olympics this February.
Winter Olympics 2022 events will include cross-country skiing, ski jumping, alpine skiing, figure skating, short track speed skating and many more. New events, including women’s monobob and men’s and women’s freestyle skiing will also debut. The events will kick off with an opening ceremony on February 4 and will finish up on February 20, 2022.
Key Takeaways:
- The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will officially start on February 4 and will end on February 20, 2022. You can watch them on NBC, USA Network or CNBC or livestream the events on a streaming service.
- U.S. streaming services broadcasting the Olympics livestream include Peacock, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV and YouTube TV.
- If you’re traveling outside the U.S. but still want to use your U.S. streaming service to watch the Olympics, you can use a VPN to overcome the geoblocks. ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Windscribe are all solid choices for streaming abroad.
The Winter Games opening ceremony and following events will be broadcast across several channels and services by NBCUniversal. We’re going to explain where to watch the Winter Olympics on both cable and streaming services. We’ll also dive into how you can continue to use your favorite U.S. streaming service with a VPN — we recommend ExpressVPN — to livestream the Winter Games if you’re traveling overseas this winter.
If you’re in the U.S., the Winter Olympics will be broadcast on NBC, the NBC Sports app, USA Network and CNBC. If you’re not in the U.S., you can check out the official Olympics “where to watch” guide linked in this article for information on livestreaming coverage in your country.
You can watch the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics free by tuning into a channel that’s livestreaming it. Alternatively, you can sign up for a streaming service that offers a free trial, like fuboTV.
NBCUniversal is the exclusive broadcaster of the Winter Beijing Olympics on U.S. TV. Peacock, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV are some of the streaming services also broadcasting the events.
The Winter Games opening and closing ceremonies are on February 4 and February 20, respectively. You can visit the official Winter Olympics website for the full events schedule.
How to Watch the Winter Olympics Live Coverage
Around 200 hours of Olympics coverage will be broadcast by NBC, the exclusive U.S. Winter Olympics broadcaster. If you have cable, getting live Winter Olympics coverage is as simple as tuning into NBC. The less savory news is that the live opening ceremony starts at 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time — a sleepy start for some.
You can also catch around 400 hours of coverage on the USA Network and 80 hours on CNBC. Just bear in mind that CNBC will broadcast mostly curling and ice hockey events. The full Winter Games schedule is now available on NBCOlympics.com, and you can personalize it by choosing your zip code, time zone and favorite events.
Where Can I Watch the Winter Olympics Online?
For viewers in the U.S. with cable TV, you can visit NBCOlympics.com or NBCSports.com to watch the Winter Olympics live. Just be aware that you do need a cable TV login to use these services. Another option worth considering is the NBC Sports app, where more than 2,100 hours will be livestreamed.
How to Watch the Beijing Winter Olympics Without Cable
If you’ve already cut the cord, there are plenty of ways to catch the Team USA athletes in action without cable. Check out this list of U.S. streaming services where the Winter Olympics will be available live and on-demand:
- Peacock Premium is NBC’s streaming service, so all 2,800 hours of events will be available to watch live and on-demand here
- Hulu + Live TV
- YouTube TV
- fuboTV
- Sling TV
- DirecTV Stream
The Best Way to Watch the 2022 Winter Olympic Games Outside the US
There are two ways to watch the 2022 Winter Olympic Games outside the U.S. One way is to catch it on channels or streaming services available in the country you’re visiting — for example, BBC, Eurosport or Discovery Plus in the U.K. or Eurosport in Europe. Check out the official “where to watch” guide for information on where to watch in different countries.
The second option is to stick with your U.S. streaming service and use a VPN to overcome regional restrictions. This is a great option for people from the U.S. who are traveling and don’t have access to a TV. We’ll explain this in more detail below.
If you’d like to learn more about using a VPN with individual services, our Best VPN for Hulu and Best VPN for YouTube and YouTube TV may be of interest. Without further ado, let’s explore how to watch the 2022 Winter Olympics with a VPN.
How to Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics With a VPN
As a result of geoblocking, many streaming services are restricted to certain locations. For example, NBC’s streaming service Peacock, though not limited to the U.S., is only available in a few locations. It is also available in the U.K. and Ireland via Sky and NOW and in Germany and Austria via Sky. To get around these restrictions, you can use a VPN.
When a VPN is connected to a server, it changes your IP address to one in the country where the geoblocked content or service is. For example, if you wanted to use Peacock to stream the Winter Olympics from abroad, you would connect to a server in a country where Peacock is available.
For this tutorial, we’re going to pair Peacock with ExpressVPN to show you how to access Peacock from overseas. You can also use this method with other streaming services like Hulu and YouTube TV.
- Sign Up to an ExpressVPN Plan
Visit ExpressVPN’s website and sign up to one of its plans. Remember, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee included in your subscription.
- Download ExpressVPN
Go to “products” on ExpressVPN’s website and download the ExpressVPN app for your device. Follow the steps in the installation wizard to complete setup.
- Connect to a US Server
Open the ExpressVPN app on your device and connect to a U.S. server. Tap or click the “power” button to connect. The button will turn green when you are connected.
- Stream the Winter Olympics
Sign in to Peacock Premium or your streaming service of choice and start streaming the Beijing Winter Olympics!
The 3 Best VPNs for Streaming the Beijing Winter Games
With all the VPNs out there, it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth your time and money. This is especially true if you’re new to VPNs.
The three VPNs below are the ones we’ve tested and have found to be the most consistent with streaming services as a rule. Just remember that — as with any software — there are no guarantees. Streaming services are constantly working to block VPNs, so you may find that a VPN or specific server that works one day doesn’t work the next.
The good news is that when a block does happen, it’s usually only temporary. Our top tip is to play around with a few different servers, which usually solves the problem. Read on to learn more about Cloudwards’ top VPN recommendations for streaming Winter Olympics events.
1. ExpressVPN
Pros:
- Lightning-fast
- Multiple U.S. servers
- Excellent encryption
- Reliable & secure
Cons:
- Expensive
When it comes to streaming, ExpressVPN is our top choice every time. We test VPNs on a regular basis and ExpressVPN consistently outperforms the competition with streaming services, particularly with Peacock, Hulu and YouTube TV. If there was an award for fastest VPN, ExpressVPN would win the gold medal.
It’s also compatible with several types of devices, meaning you can watch the Winter Olympics on your laptop, PC, phone or tablet — perfect for travelers. Streaming performance aside, ExpressVPN is one of the most secure and reputable VPN services available. It uses AES-256 encryption and has a strict no-logs policy, keeping your online activity completely anonymous.
ExpressVPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free. Read more about ExpressVPN in our full ExpressVPN review.
- : Unlimited GB
- : 5
- :
2. NordVPN
Pros:
- User-friendly
- 15 servers in the U.S.
- Very secure
- Great streaming speeds
Cons:
- Slightly inconsistent speeds on some servers
A slightly cheaper alternative to ExpressVPN is NordVPN, another of our top streaming VPN recommendations. NordVPN wins points for ease of use — the interface is very simple to navigate and you can easily switch between servers. All the VPNs listed here are simple to use, but NordVPN is an especially solid choice for beginners and technophobes.
We’ve always had a good experience using NordVPN with streaming services, too. In this regard, it’s almost neck and neck with ExpressVPN. We have noticed slow buffering on occasion with a few servers, but for the most part, NordVPN performs perfectly well with streaming services. Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN has a no-logs policy and uses AES-256 encryption. It’s also much more affordable.
Read more on NordVPN in our full NordVPN review.
- : Unlimited GB
- : 6
- :
3. Windscribe
Pros:
- 10GB free plan
- Unblocks top streaming services
- Dedicated streaming servers
Cons:
- Limited servers on free plan
Windscribe is a free VPN we’re more than happy to recommend. You get 10GB of data on its free plan, and this renews monthly. To put this into perspective, 10GB would probably get you through a season of your favorite series at best. It’s not much, but you get the same level of security and anonymity as you would with a paid plan.
Windscribe’s paid plan costs around $4 per month, so if you’re looking for something cheaper than ExpressVPN and NordVPN, Windscribe could be for you. On the paid plan, you get unlimited data and access to all servers. We’ve had no issues using it with top streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Read more on Windscribe in our full Windscribe review.
- : Per “Pro” server location
- : 10 GB
- : Unlimited
- :
- : Unlimited GB
- : Unlimited
- :
Final Thoughts
After reading our guide, keeping up with your favorite winter sporting events should be a breeze. Perhaps it’s the live events you can’t wait for, or the winter gold medal announcements.
Maybe you’re content to watch the competition highlights and memorable moments on-demand. With a streaming subscription such as Peacock, you’ll catch up on all the moments. Plus, you’ll get an opportunity to watch movies such as Yellowstone, in between the live games.
Whatever your plans, we hope you enjoy streaming the Winter Games from wherever you are in the world. Will you be watching the Olympic Winter Games this February? Which channel or streaming service do you plan on using? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thanks for reading!
