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Olympic viewing guide: How you can see all the action without cable

[additional-authors]
July 26, 2016

It won’t be long now, and the world will be thrust into several weeks of Summer Olympic action. With the 2012 Olympics being one of the most watched events in history, not to mention the most streamed, you can bet that this year will be bigger than ever.

In the last couple of years, TV viewing habits have changed. More and more people are cutting the cord and looking for ways to watch their favorite TV shows and sporting events online or over the air. Even cable customers are looking for ways to watch on the go with their mobile devices.

NBC fully realizes this shift in the television industry, and is providing more ways than ever to watch the 2016 Olympics online.

How much content is NBC making available for the Olympics? According to their official site, NBC will broadcast over 2,000 hours of coverage over 11 of its networks. Unfortunately, most of those networks are cable-only. Sure you can pick up NBC with an antenna (which we’ll discuss a bit more later), but stations like NBCSN, BRAVO, and CNBC are specialty channels traditionally only available with a pay-TV contract.

However, that’s no longer the case, as a couple of new options are now available to access these channels without cable. Let’s take a closer look. 

Sling TV

At the beginning of 2015, Dish Network launched their very own cable TV alternative, Sling TV. Sling TV allows you to live stream a bundle of cable channels at a fraction of the cost of traditional cable. Furthermore, it doesn’t require a cable TV contract to watch.

For the purpose of watching the Olympics, Sling’s Blue package now offers NBCSN, USA, and Bravo. If you are in one of a select number of markets, you can also get your NBC local affiliate as part of the package, all for only $25 per month.

Want the other specialty channels featuring Olympic coverage? Sling has specialty add-on packs featuring various channels. Each pack is an additional $5. Want golf coverage? Get the Sports Extra package complete with the Golf Channel. The World News Extra package will give you CNBC and MSNBC, which nets about 100 more hours of Olympic coverage.

However, it’s worth noting that the average Olympics viewer will have more than enough coverage with the Blue package. It’s also worth mentioning that you can add and subtract packages whenever you wish.

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue is similar to Sling TV. Packages of channels starting at a decent price, without cable. Instead, you stream them over your internet connection using a Roku or something similar. The main differences? The packages are a bit bigger and typically cost a bit more.

Starting at $29.99 (or $39.99 if you’re located in an area that offers local affiliates), Vue can give you access to all the channels you need to watch the 2016 Olympics. But it offers one thing that Sling TV doesn’t—the ability to authenticate the NBC Sports app. That makes Vue the only way to use the NBC Sports app without cable (unless you’re bumming a password off a friend, but that’s generally frowned upon).

Don’t Get Your Local NBC Stream?

If you are not in a market where you can stream your local NBC affiliate, don’t worry. It’s available for free over the air. All you need is a good antenna to pick it up. Not sure what antenna will work in your area? You can check out Mohu’s search here that will match you with the right one.

Enjoy the 2016 Olympics

There you have it. No need to shackle yourself with a cable contract in order to watch the Olympics. There’s more coverage than you could ever watch. And remember, both services mentioned above are available with a free 7-day trial, so try them out and see which you like best!

Eric Brantner has started and written for multiple blogs that have reached millions of readers. His first successful blog, CutCableToday, was started with his brother in hopes to help people save money by cutting the cord. He now seeks to teach others how to start a blog for themselves.

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