The 2022 winter ceremony is due to be on a smaller scale, with this year’s concert set to be shorter and smaller than China’s previous go at the games.
Hundreds of millions of people will still be tuning in to see the spectacle of dancing and performances, as well as to see their country take part in the opening flag parade.
In the U.S.A., the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will be airing on TV on the morning of February 4 – and one streaming service is allowing viewers to watch live and on catch-up.
How to Stream the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
This year’s official U.S. Winter Olympics network is NBC, so the network is the place to cover most of the games, including the opening ceremony.
As the time difference between China and America means the opening ceremony starts early in the morning in the U.S., NBC will be showing it twice on February 4.
Coverage begins that day from 6:30 a.m. ET, and continues throughout the day. The opening ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. local time – and as Eastern Time is 13 hours behind China Standard Time, this means that the official start of the ceremony is 7 a.m. ET.
According to China’s state-run news outlet Xinhua, the ceremony is set to run for less than 100 minutes, meaning viewers may expect it to end between 7:30 and 8 a.m. PT.
If that is a little early for you, NBC is also repeating the ceremony in a show that is set to air between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET on Friday night.
Both of these shows are set to air online on one streaming service: Peacock, the service run by NBC’s parent company, NBC Universal. Both will be available to live-stream on the service.
Is the Opening Ceremony Streaming for Free on Peacock?
Kind of. Though Peacock does offer a free tier, only Peacock Premium subscribers will have access to the service’s Olympics coverage.
Peacock Premium, however, does offer a seven day free trial – enough time to watch the entirety of the first week of the 2022 Winter Olympics for free.
Should you want to watch the second week, you will need to sign up for the paid Premium package. This costs $4.99 a month, or $49.99 a year.
In a statement, Peacock President Kelly Campbell said: “From every live event and gold medal moment to exclusive daily shows, channels and original documentaries, viewers will be able to easily catch up and keep up on all the action throughout the Games with our comprehensive Olympics hub on Peacock.”
