Interested in watching the Winter Olympics online or on Kodi? This article will explain where you can watch the 2018 Winter Olympics as they happen.
There is still a while before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but don’t worry if you can’t wait that long. This February marks the beginning of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. As you might expect, this event will be highly publicized and streamed live, making it very easy to watch via online streaming platforms and Kodi.
In this article, we’ll be explaining how you can watch the 2018 Winter Olympics live, no matter where you are in the world. Because the Winter Olympics airs several events simultaneously, we’ll also be listing sources where you can watch the events on-demand at a later time. It should be noted that we won’t be recommending any websites or Kodi addons that provide unlicensed streams of the Winter Olympics. However, due to the number of legitimate sources, this is unlikely to be a problem.
If you’d like to watch the Winter Olympics with Kodi, click here to jump to the relevant section. If you’d like to watch online, click here for streaming options
Warning: Kodi should only be used for content to which you have the legal right to access. Neither the Kodi Foundation nor Comparitech advocates the use of Kodi for piracy.
Contents [hide]How to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics onlineHow to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics on KodiImportant: Always use a VPN with KodiConclusion
How to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics online
The good news is that there are numerous sources providing coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics. That said, most of these sites require some form of payment before you’ll have unlimited access. We’ve listed sources for several locations below, but if your country isn’t listed, you can find your official broadcaster here.
You should note that you’ll have to connect to a VPN if you’re not located in the same region as the broadcaster is based in. We recommend ExpressVPN. It works for all the sources below, including the BBC, who have previously blocked users of other VPN services from watching.
American sources
NBC Universal has the broadcasting rights to the 2018 Winter Olympics in the US. As such, coverage will be available on NBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, and online at NBCOlympics.com. CNBC will be providing up to 46 hours of highlights from the games. While there are no specific details on the airing times yet, we do know that these will be shown in the evening hours.
Additionally, selected featured clips can be viewed online without authentication. According to NBC Sports you’ll be able to watch up to 30 minutes of coverage on your first visit, with five minutes every subsequent day. For unlimited access, you’ll have to sign in with a valid cable, satellite, or Telco TV account. You can also sign up for a seven-day trial of Sling TV, which lets you watch NBC Sports live. It should be noted, though, that this trial period covers less than half the time that the Winter Olympics runs for.
The first event (curling) takes place on February 8th at 4:05AM PST/7:05AM PST. The opening ceremony begins the day after events officially begin, and will take place at 8PM local time (6AM EST/3AM PST).
If you are outside of the US you will need to get a US IP address with a VPN.
Canadian sources
Canadian viewers can watch live coverage for free on CBC TV. However, a premium account ($4.99 per month) is required to watch selected on-demand titles. There’s no word yet on whether the Winter Olympic coverage will be included but if it’s not, there’s no obligation to continue paying after the first month.
if you are outside of Canada you will need to change your IP address with a VPN.
British sources
The Winter Olympics can be watched live on BBC TV by pressing the red button on your remote control for viewers in the UK. You can also choose to watch via the BBC Sport website or mobile app. You’ll have to connect to a VPN if you’re located outside of the UK. You should also note that the BBC have blocked several VPNs. However, we have a guide to the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer a guide to help you one that will work. Eurosport will also be broadcasting each event on TV and through their web player, however this service costs £4.99 a month.
If you’re interested in watching the first event, it’s on at 12:05AM, with the opening ceremony later on at 11AM.
Australian sources
In Australia, the Winter Olympics are being broadcast on 7 Live. There’s no payment required and you can watch using the mobile app if you’d like. The first event will be shown at 8AM EWST, 9:30AM ACST, and 10AM AEST, while the opening ceremony is the same evening at 7PM, 8:30PM, and 9PM respectively.
If you are outside of Australia you will need a VPN, such as IPVanish (60% discount here).
How to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics on Kodi
Because the Winter Olympics are such a high-profile event, they’re covered extensively on TV. This actually makes it relatively easy to watch on Kodi as many of the larger networks have official Kodi addons that allow you to watch live. Below, we’ll list the official addons that provide high-quality, live coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Important: Always use a VPN with Kodi
Some people connect to virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal unlicensed Kodi streaming from their internet service provider (ISP). However, VPNs have several legitimate applications and can greatly benefit even those that only stream from official sources.
VPNs encrypt your network traffic, making it unreadable to any outside observers. This prevents most kinds of Man-in-the-Middle attack and stops your ISP from selling your browsing history to third parties. Additionally, because your ISP can’t see if you’re streaming, they can’t use this to justify throttling your network speeds.
Every VPN will slow your network speeds to some degree but some have a far greater impact than others and make streaming HD content almost impossible. Also, some VPN providers keep detailed logs of your activities. As a result, it’s imperative that you choose a provider that can be trusted to keep you and your personal information safe.
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Best Option: CBC Olympics Addon
This brand-new Kodi addon was developed by a third-party addon developer, just in time for the Winter 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. This addon has it all: replays, condensed replays, live events, and event calendars. There’s another CBC Sports addon currently available as well (which we mention below), but it pales in comparison to this one.
And since the CBC has not restricted access to its network for those outside of Canada, this is the perfect option for anyone in the U.S. who can’t access the Olympics or who’s just ready to be done with NBC’s commercial-ridden coverage. Just load up your VPN and enjoy the games, completely free and in high quality.
To install the CBC Olympics addon, do the following:
- Click here to install the CBC Olympics zip file
- From your Kodi home screen, click on Addons
- Next, click on the package symbol on the top right
- From here, click on Install from zip
- Locate the file you downloaded on your system in your downloads location (file name should be plugin.video.cbcolympics.zip)
- After clicking, you’ll get a successful installation message on the top right. You can find your CBC Olympics addon from your Addons section
NBC Sports Live Extra
NBC Sports Live Extra is an addon that allows you to watch live NBC Sports streams from within Kodi. Selected highlights can be viewed for free, but for live events, you’ll have to sign in with your cable service credentials. Despite the number of NBC Sports Gold packages available, there currently isn’t one dedicated to the Winter Olympics. Also, this addon’s content can only be accessed from with an American IP address.
The NBC Sports Live Extra addon can be found in the official Kodi addon repository.
Eurosport Player
Because the iPlayer WWW addon doesn’t allow users to view “red button” streams, the Eurosport Player is the easiest way for British viewers to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics via Kodi. A Eurosport account is required and there’s no free content available, however once logged in, you’ll be able to watch all live and on-demand streams.
The Eurosport Player addon can be found in the SuperRepo repository.
CBC Sports
CBC is Canada’s public broadcaster and the one responsible for showing this year’s Winter Olympics. It’s free to watch within Canada, although you will require a Canadian IP address to do so from elsewhere in the world. Canadians abroad at the time of airing can connect to one of their VPN’s Canadian servers to watch live from wherever they are in the world.
The CBC Sports addon can be found in the MetalChris repository. This repo can be installed via the TVAddons repository or downloaded directly here.
Alternative addons to avoid
We always encourage our readers to use official sources. That said, some of the following addons may come highly recommended on less scrupulous websites and forums. However, these addons provide unrestricted access to licensed content. The Winter Olympics are being broadcast on numerous official channels, so there’s really no need to resort to potentially dangerous third-party addons.
Project Mayhem
Halow Live TV
Live Mix
Castaway
Why should you avoid these addons? Even putting aside the copyright issues that these addons raise, there are several reasons to avoid them. First, they use unofficial streams and as a result are less reliable than their official counterparts. Also, the stream quality is usually limited to standard definition. Finally, third-party addons do not undergo the same rigorous technical validation that official addons do. This means that they may provide additional vectors for an attacker to hijack your system.
For these reasons, we do not recommend installing the addons above.
Conclusion
Due to TV broadcaster’s increased focus on internet streaming platforms, watching the 2018 Winter Olympics online is easier than ever before. However, there’s still some time before the events themselves actually begin. To keep you occupied while you wait, we’ve written articles listing the best addons Kodi has to offer. There are official addons for every taste whether you want to watch the Super Bowl, hockey, or even NASCAR.
