In 24 days, thousands of athletes, representing 206 countries will take part in the summer Olympic Games. The 2016 Olympic Games will start on August 5 and run until August 21.

The host nation for the 2016 Olympic Games is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and despite building delays, the Zika virus and political crises, the International Olympic Committee has stated that Rio is ready to host the 2016 Olympics.

The coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics is spread over a range of different channels, including NBC, NBCSN, Bravo, USA and MSNBC.

If you have been waiting in anticipation for the Olympics and want to watch as much of the coverage as possible but don’t want to fork out for a cable subscription, we have the answer.

We look at the options available to live stream all the Olympic coverage without cable, as well as how to watch it in virtual reality (unfortunately a cable subscription is necessary).

Cord cutters rejoice

If you are looking for ways to legally watch the 2016 Rio Olympics without a cable subscription, CutCableToday offers the following two solutions:

Sling TV

If you sign up for the Sling Blue package for $25 per month, you will get access to over 40 channels including NBCSN, NBC (limited to select areas), USA and Bravo. These channels will allow you to enjoy 795.5 hours of live Olympic coverage.

If you still want more Olympic coverage then for an additional $5 per month you can add on World News Extra, giving you access to CNBC and MSNBC.

If you want to watch Olympic golf coverage than for an additional $5 per month you can add the Sports Extra package, giving you access to the Golf channel and 115 hours of Olympic golf coverage.

You can watch Sling TV on a variety of devices including your iPhone, iPad, Android devices, PC or Mac. You can also use a streaming media player, like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, and Chromecast.

Sling TV offers a 7-day free trial, so you can enjoy the first week of the 2016 Olympics at no cost and then decide if you want to get a subscription.

PlayStation Vue

Another streaming service option is PlayStation Vue. Its basic package is slightly more expensive than Sling TV at $30 per month, but you do get access to 55+ channels including NBC, NBCSN, and MSNBC.

PlayStation Vue is slightly restrictive with the devices that you can use. Options include PS3, PS4, iPhone, iPad, or on your TV through a streaming media player, like Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or Chromecast. They also recently added compatibility with Android devices and Roku. However, while you can watch PlayStation Vue on your phone or tablet on both Android and iOS you are restricted to your house and can’t watch on the go.

PlayStation Vue also offers a 7-day free trial so you can enjoy the first week of the 2016 Olympics at no charge, before you decide if you want to sign up.

Use an antenna to watch the Olympics for free

If you have an OTA antenna laying around you will be able to pick up NBC for free and be able to enjoy a good selection of the Olympic coverage. While you won’t be able to enjoy all the excitement from the 2016 Olympic Games, NBC will bring coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremony, swimming, track and field, beach volleyball, gymnastics, diving, and basketball.   

Watch the Olympics in VR

If you are the owner of a Samsung Gear VR and don’t mind watching some of the Olympic coverage on delay then you can watch it in virtual reality. Through the NBC Sports app, NBC is offering viewers the opportunity to watch up to 85 hours of Olympic coverage in VR. Events that will be covered include the Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, gymnastics, beach volleyball track and field, boxing, diving, fencing and men’s basketball.

In addition to the Olympic coverage in VR being limited to Samsung Gear VR owners, you will also need a paid cable subscription when accessing the app, so unfortunately, cord cutters are also out of luck.   

VR coverage will start the day after the Opening Ceremony on August 6 and will continue until August 22. Once you download the NBC Sports app, you will need to authenticate that you are a paid cable subscriber, and then you will be able to access the Olympic coverage under TV Everywhere.

2016 Rio Olympics schedule

For a full Olympic 2016 schedule and TV schedule, check out the details on the NBC site and the official Olympic page. Below we cover which sporting events will be aired on which channels.

• NBCSN: Offers broad coverage of a variety of Olympic sports, including track and field, boxing, fencing, field hockey, basketball, soccer, archery, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling. They will also cover most of the medal ceremonies.   
• NBC: In addition to bringing you coverage of the Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremony, NBC will also bring you coverage of swimming, track and field, beach volleyball, gymnastics, diving, and basketball.     
• USA Network: Its Olympic coverage will mainly include men’s basketball, synchronized swimming, cycling, beach volleyball, rowing, water polo, and volleyball.
• Bravo: This is the channel for all the tennis fans out there. Bravo will bring coverage of both men and women Olympic tennis.
• MSNBC: Its main coverage includes basketball, rugby, water polo, soccer, and beach volleyball.
• CNBC: It will bring you the elimination round coverage of volleyball and basketball, plus beach volleyball, rugby, wrestling, water polo, and archery.

Image via: NBC