How to watch: Paris Olympic Games and opening ceremony complete global list of broadcasters

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday, July 26. The event will begin at 19:30 CEST/10:30 AM PST/1:30 PM EST and will more three hours to execute. Paris will be locked down in many areas.

The Games will make Olympic history as the first to stage the opening ceremony outside of a stadium. Athletes will parade on the river Seine, rather than walking into the stadium.

The timing of the event is to create a breathtaking visual of the setting sun reflecting off of buildings and landmarks with spectators seated along the Seine.

The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes. The flotilla will coast westward for six kilometres passing under historic bridges, and iconic landmarks like the Notre Dame, Louvre, and Games venues, as well as the Post de Arts, the Musée d’orsay, including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais.

Athletes will end their journey on the other side of the Trocadero, which is the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower. The Olympic speeches and the lighting of the flame will take place there. After which the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be declared open.

“We are delighted to have an opening ceremony that illustrates the meeting between sport and the city in the most beautiful way. With the natural light of the setting sun, the event will be even more sublime, with a truly poetic dimension, inviting both athletes and the public to appreciate the natural beauty of the City of Light,” said Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

The Flotilla

Over 90 boats, with over 10,000 athletes, will cruise the Seine during the ceremony. Delegates from national sport organizations and the IOC will be in separate boats.

A French theatre director named Thomas Jolly has designed the ceremonies. The choreographer Maud Le Pladec said every bridge along the parade route will feature dancers.

How to watch

In the USA, NBC has exclusive rights to Olympics coverage.

The ceremony will broadcast live on NBC and stream simultaneously on Peacock, beginning at Noon EST. Alternatively, you can stream the ceremony on the NBC Sports app, NBCOlympics.com or with cable alternatives such as YouTubeTV and Hulu + LiveTV.

Viewers can also head to the movie theatre as opening ceremony coverage will also play on over 150 IMAX screens throughout the US, another unique-to-2024 aspect of Olympics coverage.

In Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) will broadcast (and re-broadcast) and stream the Olympics live.

In Great Britain, the BBC will provide some coverage, however, the full games broadcast and stream service will be available with Eurosport and Discovery+.  Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 will broadcast wall-to-wall action across every day of competition, with live coverage from 7:00 AM – 10:30 PM daily, totalling 350 live hours, with highlights and replays available through the night. Both Eurosport 1 and 2 will be available on Discovery+.

Complete global list of broadcasts and streams

How to Live Streaming of Paris Olympics 2024

In France, Warner Bros. Discovery, through Eurosport, holds the domestic broadcasting rights for the 2024 Summer Olympics, with select events and coverage also available on free-to-air television via France Télévisions.

Russia and Belarus have opted not to broadcast the Games, citing sanctions imposed on the two nations, which has resulted in a limited participation of around 30 athletes competing under a neutral flag. Notably, this marks the first time since 1984 that Russia has declined to purchase the broadcasting rights.