Where to watch the 2016 Olympic Games online

The 2016 Olympic Games’ opening ceremony takes place at 01:00 South African time on 6 August, with the main sporting action set to kick off soon afterwards.

For those who do not have access to a paid-TV service showing the Games, or would like to keep up with the action from work, there are a few online options.

Google has promised to supply all the event schedules, medal counts, and athlete information in Search, while YouTube will show highlights of certain events.

Here’s where you can watch the Olympic action online.

Please note: the majority of live broadcasts are not legally available online for free. Certain free content may also be geoblocked, due to licence agreements.

• NBC Olympics Facebook page – daily recaps, highlights, and interviews.
• Olympic YouTube channel  – the IOC’s official channel.
• Rio 2016 YouTube channel – the channel of the Rio 2016 Games.
• BBC Sport – highlights from the Games.
• FINA YouTube channel – the official channel of the international governing body of swimming.
• IAAF YouTube channel – the official channel of international athletics.
• Snapchat has struck a deal with NBC to stream highlights. (Available for Android and iOS.)

Crackdown on social media

The Olympic Committee has put measures in place to ensure the Rio Games are not streamed on social media.

Spectators are prohibited from using streaming apps, Vines, and GIFs under its broadcast rules.

“Broadcasting images via live-streaming applications (Periscope, Meerkat) is prohibited inside Olympic venues,” it said.

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