Winter Olympics 2026: Your Complete Viewing Guide for Milano-Cortina
The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to captivate audiences worldwide from Milano-Cortina, Italy, this February. With Team GB aiming for an improved medal haul, fans won't want to miss a moment of the action across 116 medal events over 19 thrilling days.
Event Schedule and British Medal Prospects
The Games officially commence on February 4th, with the opening ceremony scheduled for February 6th. Competition will run through to the closing ceremony on February 22nd. Events are distributed across four primary zones: Milano (hosting ceremonies, ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating), Valtellina (featuring freestyle skiing and snowboarding), Cortina (home to women's Alpine skiing, curling, skeleton, and luge), and Val di Fiemme (where ski jumping and cross-country skiing will occur).
Following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where Norway led the medal table with 16 golds and Team GB secured only two curling medals, expectations are higher for British athletes. UK Sport has established a target of four to eight medals, with potential success anticipated in freestyle skiing, snowboarding, and ice dance, alongside the traditional curling strengths.
How to Watch Every Event in the UK and Ireland
Viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland have extensive options to follow the Olympics. TNT Sports and the discovery+ streaming service will provide comprehensive coverage, offering over 850 hours of live action across all sports and venues. Subscription plans start from £3.99 per month in the UK and €4.99 per month in Ireland, granting access to TNT Sports 2 and additional live event feeds.
Daily coverage will run from 9am to 10pm, preceded by an hour-long studio preview at 8am and concluding with an end-of-day round-up. The commentary and punditry team includes notable figures such as skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams, snowboarder Aimee Fuller, alpine skiers Ed Drake and Charlie Guest, bobsleigh pilot Lamin Deen, and curling bronze medallist Vicki Chalmers.
Platform-Specific Access and BBC Coverage
Access to discovery+ varies by platform:
- Sky TV: Available via TNT Sports on discovery+, with Sky TV customers able to activate discovery+ Entertainment at no extra cost.
- Virgin Media UK: Watch on TNT Sports; Virgin Media Entertainment customers have access through two linear pop-up channels.
- Virgin Media Ireland: Watch on TNT Sports.
- EE/BT, Amazon PVC, Vodafone UK: Access via discovery+ subscription dependent on plan.
- Streaming Devices: Roku, Samsung, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation, Apple TV+, Google TV, and Xbox support access through any discovery+ subscription.
The BBC will supplement coverage with two streams of live daytime action on BBC One and BBC Two from 9am to 10pm daily, plus an Olympics Extra live stream on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport from 8am to 11pm. In total, the BBC will broadcast 450 hours of live sport, featuring analysis from experts like two-time skeleton Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold, figure skating gold medallist Robin Cousins, curling gold medallist Vicky Wright, and former bobsledder Montell Douglas.
This multi-platform approach ensures that fans can catch every pivotal moment, from skeleton races to snowboarding finals, as the world's top athletes compete for glory in the Italian winter.
